Grail Quest

On the eve of the Quest for the Holy Grail, every adult in King Arthur's castle falls into an enchanted sleep. The future of Camelot rests on the shoulders of fourteen-year-old squire Gerard, who has dreamed of becoming a Knight of the Round Table his whole life. With the help of Newt, the stable boy, and Ailis, a young maidservant, he must face terrible dangers, including a monstrous bridge troll, a wise and scheming dragon -- and finally, a dark, powerful force that will stop at nothing to destroy King Arthur, the knights, and the entire realm of Camelot.

From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the first book in the Grail Series-the spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family's honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail. A brutal raid on the quiet coastal English village of Hookton in 1342 leaves but one survivor: a young archer named Thomas. On this terrible dawn, his purpose becomes clear-to recover a stolen sacred relic and pursue to the ends of the earth the murderous black-clad knight bearing a blue-and-yellow standard, a journey that leads him to the courageous rescue of a beautiful French woman, and sets him on his ultimate quest: the search for the Holy Grail.

From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the sequel to The Archer's Tale-the spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family's honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail. In 1347, a year of conflict and unrest, Thomas of Hookton returns to England to pursue the Holy Grail. Among the flames of the Hundred Years War, a sinister enemy awaits the fabled archer and mercenary soldier: a bloodthirsty Dominican Inquisitor who also seeks Christendom's most holy relic. But neither the horrors of the battlefield nor sadistic torture at the Inquisitor's hands can turn Thomas from his sworn mission. And his thirst for vengeance will never be quenched while the villainous black rider who destroyed everything he loved still lives.

From author Bernard Cornwell, the sequel to The Archer's Tale and Vagabond-the spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family's honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail. Already a seasoned veteran of King Edward's army, young Thomas of Hookton possesses the fearlessness of a born leader and an uncanny prowess with the longbow. Now, at the head of a small but able band of soldiers, he has been dispatched to capture the castle of Astarac. But more than duty to his liege has brought him to Gascony, home of his forebears and the hated black knight who brutally slew Thomas's father. It is also the last place where the Holy Grail was reported seen. Here, also, a beautiful and innocent, if not pious, woman is to be burned as a heretic. Saving the lady, Genevieve, from her dread fate will brand Thomas an infidel, forcing them to flee together across a landscape of blood and fire. And what looms ahead is a battle to the death that could ultimately shape the future of Christendom.

Bernard Cornwell brings Thomas of Hookton from the popular Grail Quest series into a new adventure in 1356, a thrilling stand-alone novel. On September 19, 1356, a heavily outnumbered English army faced off against the French in the historic Battle of Poitiers. In 1356, Cornwell resurrects this dramatic and bloody struggle-one that would turn out to be the most decisive and improbable victory of the Hundred Years' War, a clash where the underdog English not only the captured the strategic site of Poitiers, but the French King John II as well. In the vein of Cornwell's bestselling Agincourt, 1356 is an action-packed story of danger and conquest, rich with military strategy and remarkable characters-both villainous and heroic-transporting readers to the front lines of war while painting a vivid picture of courage, treachery, and combat.

King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table are preparing once again to set out in search of the legendary Holy Grail. This time Morgain le Fay is determined to stop them at any cost, and she knows exactly who is standing in her way. When she kidnaps Ailis, the servant girl whose untrained magical powers grow stronger with every passing day, her vengeance seems to be taking a terrifying turn. Gerard and Newt must work together again to rescue their best friend before it's too late...before Morgain turns Ailis to evil...before Ailis helps Morgain destroy Camelot.

The Quest for the Holy Grail has begun. Three teenagers, Gerard, Ailis, and Newt, have earned a place on the Quest alongside the Knights of the Round Table. But they are not the only ones seeking this treasured cup. King Arthur's sinister half sister, Morgain le Fay, wants the Grail for herself. To make sure she doesn't fail, she has summoned help from someone more evil and powerful than she-the Shadow Companion. But what Morgain doesn't know is that the Shadow Companion has come with a secret agenda. Now it is more important than ever for Gerard, Ailis, and Newt to recover the Holy Grail . . . before a dark power gets it first.