1356

by Bernard Cornwell

Go with God and Fight Like the Devil. The remarkable new novel by Britain’s master storyteller, which culminates at the Battle of Poitiers.

1356: France stands alert to danger. The English army, victorious at the battle of Crécy and led by the Black Prince, is invading and the French are hunting them down. The bloodiest battles of the Hundred Years War are yet to be fought.

Thomas of Hookton, an English archer, becomes trapped with his outnumbered army. And here, near the town of Poitiers, an extraordinary confrontation will ignite one of the greatest battles of all time.

• ISBN13: 9780007331864
• Publish Date: 6 June 2013 (first published 27 September 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 448
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[viking2917]

4th in the Thomas of Hookton series, set during the Hundred Years War. Thomas is a great character, a British longbowman who's risen to lead his own mercenary band. In previous books we've met Thomas at the historical Battle of Crecy (1346) and later battles as he searched for the holy grail. In 1356, 10 years later, we find Thomas older, gruffer, harder, and yet more determined lead his men in "honorable" war, rather than rape and pillage as was common. The (again, historical) Battle of Poitiers is looming. Thomas is following Edward, the Black Prince, and seeking La Malice, the legendary sword Peter used to defend Christ at Gethsemane. Caught between French soldiers on one side and a malevolent, ambitious Cardinal on the other. Thomas must find a way to survive both.

Cornwell's writing is always "easy on the eyes" and I found 1356 to be a fast, engaging read, filled with history but not beating you over the head with it. I love the Thomas character, and am looking forward to another book in the series.