I was disappointed with this book. Though written well and obviously researched, I felt that this book was nothing more than a setup for future installments in a series. I wasn't attached to the main characters and felt that the story was bogged down by all of the constant battle descriptions. I understand that this is historical fiction, with a main character as an archer in King Edward's army--battles are to be expected--but I thought I'd be getting something more along the lines of the "Da Vinci Code." To my dismay, the whole holy grail quest part of the story isn't really realized until 3/4 of the way through the book. Though Cornwell lays the foundation for what could be a thrilling story with complex villains steeped in dark religion, I am still undecided about reading the next books in the series and glad that I got "The Archer's Tale" from the library.