Heretic audiobook

English archer Thomas of Hookton battles both a brutal army and the Black Death in his quest for the Holy Grail, but most daunting of all is the decision he must make when he finally discovers the truth about the vessel.

7,5/10Me ha pasado algo curioso con esta lectura, leí los dos primeros libros de la saga hace como 8-10 años y lo cierto es que me gustaron, pero no encontraba este libro y lo fui dejando pasar hasta que el otro día hablando con un amigo me dijo que lo tenía y me lo prestó.Para aquellos que hayáis leído algo de Cornwell, esta novela cumple sus estándares al pie de la letra. Mucha acción, un buen ritmo narrativo en el que es muy complicado aburrirte y unos personajes con los que es fácil empatizar.Por otro lado diría que peca de una prosa algo ligera, que ojo, a mi me gusta mucho este estilo, de no profundizar demasiado en ciertos aspectos y de ir muy al grano en otros. Para mucha gente esto puede ser un hándicap, pero a mi es un estilo que va muy mucho conmigo.Al ser el tercer libro de una saga es complicado hablar de la trama sin ofrecer muchos spoilers por lo que así a modo de resumen rápido, os puedo decir que la acción se sitúa en la Francia del siglo XIV y en la lucha entre el rey de Inglaterra con su homónimo francés en la conocida guerra de los cien años. Bajo este contexto nuestro protagonista, un arquero inglés con una gran fama a sus espaldas, recibe la misión de alejarse de la guerra en sí y buscar el santo Grial, el cual podría detener esa barbarie y darle a Inglaterra el poder suficiente para imponerse a su gran rival. A partir de ese momento ocurrirán todo tipo de aventuras hasta llegar al desenlace de la novela.Lo que hace a esta novela y a sus predecesoras muy interesante, es conocer de primera mano la gran influencia que tuvieron los arqueros ingleses durante esa época, en la que eran considerados los hombres más letales del ejercito y la gran baza contra sus enemigos en las grandes batallas que sucedieron durante esos años. Me queda un cuarto libro que estoy deseando conseguir para terminar la saga.

Read this book in 2005, and its the 3rd part of the archer "Thomas of Hookton" series.This book is set in the Middle Ages during the Hundred Years War, in the year AD 1347, England has cpatured Calais and a truce with france is secured, but once again Thomas of Hookton and his companions on the hunt for the Holy Grail.While travelling to Gascony to engineer a confrontation with his deadliest enemy, Guy Vexille, his campaign is destroyed by the church and he will become the hunted with only a condemned Heretic girl as company, and so he must play hide and seek against an overwhelming enemy.When at last Thomas meets his enemy, Guy Vexille, face to face, a deadly plague will introduce itself to lay a deadly waste to land and people, and so his search for the grail must be put on hold for the time being.A marvellous action-packed tale about the Hundred Years War and the plague of AD 1347, in which Thomas of Hookton must try to survive to keep his hunt for the Grail alive, and that's why I like to call this book: "A Great Heretic Grail"!

This one fairly wraps up the originally planned trilogy with more of Thomas of Hookton and his expert archery skills and mysterious connection to the Holy Grail.If you've read the other two, you'll know there will be plenty of battles.There also happens to be a new love interest in a heretical girl who leads him to become a heretic in the middle of the Hundred Year's War -- never a fun time in any case, but now much worse, especially with the oncoming wave of the Black Death -- and, to be frank, it's a real mess.Not the story, so much, but the whole situation. I mean, sure, to go back to your old murder-y life as you try to convince yourself that the Grail is real and not just a free-for-all power grab from all the people in the Western World, all you have to do is let the girl burn... but no, love trumps all.Eeek. Well, the whole thing is a mess, and reading this just makes me realize that I'm happy I didn't live through any of this. A lot of great historical novelization here, and overall, an excellent read.

This was a great end to this trilogy. This ceries is not for the faint of heart. There is much killing and cruel tortured described within its' pages. Enjoy andBe Blessed.

Thomasa od Hooktona, nakon ratnih pohoda kroz Francusku, Škotsku, pa opet Francusku, ponovno nalazimo u Francuskoj. Englezi su, nakon mnoštva uspješnih bitaka, upravo izgubili jednu svoju utvrdu, a Francuzi, nakon ove pobjede, ipak nisu odmah odlučili jurišati dalje. Nakon godina ratovanja, na pomolu je primirje (barem privremeno).Usporedo s onim ratnim, Thomas je ujedno i u pohodu, tj. potrazi, za najvažnijom kršćanskom relikvijom - Gralom - u čije postojanje još uvijek sumnja, ali ga to ipak ne sprečava da ga pokuša pronaći. Dodatnu motivaciju daje mu činjenica da za Gralom traga i njegov rođak Guy Vexille, koji mu je ubio oca, i kojem se Thomas silno želi osvetiti.Vjerujući da je moguće da se Gral, ili barem neki trag do mjesta gdje je sakriven, nalazi na mjestu na kojem je ta relikvija posljednji put viđena, u razrušenom dvorcu Astarac, Thomas, uz dopuštenje grofa od Northamptona i sa svojom vlastitom malom vojskom engleskih strijelaca, odlazi u pohod na utvrdu koja se nalazi u blizini Astaraca. Ondje neće odmah naletjeti na Gral, ali naletjet će na djevojku koja je osuđena na spaljivanje na lomači zbog hereze, a koju Thomas spasi, osudivši time i sebe na to ga proglase heretikom.Što zbog praznovjerja, što zbog ljubomore, djevojka će unijeti nemir i neprijateljstvo među Thomasove vojnike, zbog čega će im se put kojim su izvorno namjerili poći ponešto izmijeniti, sklopljeni savezi će se razvrgnuti, a novi sklopiti, a želja za Gralom proširit će se na još neke sudionike potrage, preprečujući put do Grala nepredviđenim sukobima i preprekama...Ukoliko niste još čitali niti jednu knjigu ove trilogije, predlažem vam da počnete od prve - 'Harlekin', pa nastavite po redu s 'Vagbundom' i tek onda krenete na 'Heretika' - jer mnogi događaji iz ovih triju knjiga su povezani i oni kasniji referiraju se na one prethodne.Iako se radi o povijesnoj trilogiji, pomiješanoj s nešto fikcije, naglasak u svakoj pojedinoj knjizi se mijenja: 'Harlekin' je bio pretežno povijesni roman, 'Vagabund' također, ali u nešto manjoj mjeri, s većim naglaskom na potrazi za Gralom nego na povijesnim bitkama, dok je 'Heretik' pretežno fikcijski, a tek u manjoj mjeri povijesni roman.Kao i u prva dva romana, i u ovom se nastavlja Cornwellova oda engleskim strijelcima s dugim lukovima, iako im ovdje daje znatno manje prostora no što su imali u prva dva romana trilogije. Iako ih nema puno, povijesni događaji (bitke) izneseni u ovom romanu izneseni su povijesno točno, baš kao što to Cornwell čini i u prethodnim romanima.Misterij Grala, o kojem su ispisana mnoga književna djela, ovdje je iznesen na nov način, a mjesto na kojem on stvarno počiva do samog je kraja neizvjesno. Na neki način, Thomasov put i njegova potraga za Gralom ovom knjigom čini puni krug, zaokružujući cijelu tu priču i dajući nam konačan odgovor na sva do sada još neodgovorena pitanja.Cijela trilogija 'Potraga za Gralom' fascinantno je djelo, i s povijesnog, i s fikcijskog aspekta. Vrlo je zanimljiva i gušt ju je čitati. Iako se u njoj nalazi i gomila opisa vojnih bitaka, one nisu dosadne i suhoparne kako možda znaju biti u nekim drugim romanima, već ih se čita s napetošću i zanimanjem. I stvarni i izmišljeni likovi u ovim romanima sjajno su okarakterizirani i sjajno se uklapaju u priču, a sama je priča iznimno vješto ispričana i itekako zaslužuje da ju se pročita.Ako ste čitali prva dva romana, sumnjam da vas treba nagovarati da pročitate i ovaj. Ako niste, a volite povijesne romane, iskreno vam preporučam čitavu trilogiju. Nećete požaliti, jako je dobra.

Review in Portuguese from Desbravando Livros:Depois de sobreviver ao cerco de La Roche Derrien, Thomas viaja para o norte até Calais, onde tenta ajudar o exército inglês a invadir a cidade. Mas o seu destino não é esse e a busca pelo Graal ainda não foi concluída, fazendo com que o nosso personagem principal viaje até Astarac para descobrir mais a respeito do misterioso objeto e também sobre a sua família.Na maior parte da narrativa, o terceiro e último livro da trilogia não mantém o mesmo ritmo do anterior, mas isso não é necessariamente um problema, pelo menos na minha opinião. É que eu estava tão empolgado com o desenrolar da história em “O Andarilho” que acabei não sentindo a mesma coisa com esse livro.“Ele atirava sem pensar. Sem mirar. Aquilo era a sua vida, sua perícia e seu orgulho. Pegar um arco, mais alto do que um homem, feito de teixo, e usá-lo para disparar flechas de freixo, com penas de ganso na extremidade e armadas com ponta de estilete. Como o grande arco era puxado até a orelha, de nada adiantava tentar mirar com o olho. Eram anos de prática que permitiam saber aonde iriam suas flechas, e Thomas as disparava em ritmo alucinado, uma flecha a cada três ou quatro segundos, e as penas brancas cortavam o ar em direção ao outro lado do pântano, e as compridas pontas de aço atravessavam cotas de malha e couro e penetravam em barrigas, peitos e coxas franceses. Elas atingiam o alvo com o som de um machado de açougueiro caindo sobre carne, e faziam com que os cavalarianos parassem.”A maior parte deste livro é focada em fugas que Thomas foi obrigado a realizar para conseguir sobreviver, ainda mais depois de ter salvo uma jovem considerada herege da fogueira. Mesmo assim, apesar de não termos tantas batalhas como nos livros anteriores, quando estas acontecem, só Deus sabe o que vai acontecer, pois as reviravoltas acontecem quando menos se espera.Um dos pontos que eu praticamente tenho a obrigação de mencionar é o seguinte: quando alguém quer MUITO alguma coisa, essa pessoa fará de tudo para consegui-la. Esse desejo está tão explícito no livro do Cornwell que eu também gostaria de destacar um trecho do mesmo:“Planchard apanhou a lanterna. - Não posso dizer mais nada, excelência, porque não ouvi nada que me diga que o Graal está em Astarac. Mas de uma coisa eu sei, e sei como sei que meus ossos em breve irão descansar com os meus irmãos neste ossário. A busca pelo Graal, excelência, leva os homens à loucura. Ela os ofusca, ela os confunde, e deixa-os choramingando. É uma coisa perigosa, excelência, que é melhor deixar por conta dos trovadores. Que eles cantem sobre ele e façam poemas a seu respeito, mas pelo amor de Deus não arrisque a sua alma indo à procura dele.”E só para finalizar: o livro fecha com chave de ouro essa excelente trilogia! Gostei bastante dos três livros e achei a narrativa um pouco diferente dos livros das Crônicas Saxônicas, o que é importante para justificar o incrível trabalho do autor, que dedicou-se bastante às pesquisas sobre a Guerra dos Cem Anos e nos brindou com essa ótima coleção.Pontos fortes: o desfecho da história é digno de um autor como Bernard Cornwell. Você vai se surpreender!Pontos fracos: não há um mapa para ajudar o leitor a localizar-se melhor e a narrativa não é tão empolgante quanto a do segundo livro.

The pace changes up in the third book in the series - apart from the starting battle, Cornwell sticks to fiction and strays from the historical for this one.And, personally, I think it’s the better for it. This was probably the best of the bunch. More focused, and with a little inkling of a message, some depth. Something to do with the church and abuse of power - I wasn’t paying too much attention to be honest, because the action scenes were once again so good.Thomas and his band capture a single fortress town and spends most of his time there, as all the pieces of the plot and the various players slowly converge.There’s a much greater focus on the titular Grail this time round, which is also for the better of the story overall.Despite my probably ambivalent sounding reviews for the Grail Quest, I’d nonetheless unequivocally recommend this to pretty much anyone. It was a very well written series, with a satisfying ending, many crazy historically accurate battle scenes, and a little heart and depth inserted towards the end.Good stuff Cornwell - I’ll be back for more.Would I re-read: no.

Tercera entrega de la saga, un libro algo más breve, pero que para nada me defrauda. Suspense y aventura sin tregua entre luchas, asedios, peste, y la jodida inquisición. Me deja un poco desconcertado el final, pues tengo leído que es una tetralogía, y realmente parece el final del todo.En la Wikipedia sale una cuarta entrega titulada "1356"

This is the best of the three book "Grail Series". Cornwell manages to tie up all the loose ends while providing the reader with a satisfactory conclusion that does not strain one's credulity.The story opens with the siege of Calais and ends with the first of the plagues that ravaged Europe for hundreds of years. In between Thomas of Hookton continues his quest for the Holy Grail, which his family is supposed to have or have had in its possession.In the process he is given an order to try and find the Grail by his liege Lord, The Duke of Northumberland. He begins by capturing a castle in France as a base of operations, saves an accused heretic, Genevieve, from being burned at the stake, falls in love with her, is deemed a heretic himself, hides out in a monastery near his ancestral home, escapes those who would torture him to find out what he knows, returns to his soldiers, fights a last battle in the midst of the plague and ends up in England with Genvieve.As is always the case with Cornwell's writing the battle scenes are second to none. The characters are slightly stereotyped but not so badly that it detracts from the exciting plot.A very good read.

Heretic is the last chapter of The Grail Quest series.Even though the author admits there are only 2 historical facts in the whole book - at the beginning and the end - this is none-the-less an awe inspiring masterpiece.With vivid battle scenes, intriquing characters and heart-renching episodes, even though the era itself was a time when close relationships were considered a rareity. The story was fascinating and spell binding, gripping the reader throughout.Sorry to see the story of Thomas, Genevieve, Robbie and their friends come to an end.Throughly enjoyable, hard to put down.

This book brought me back in time to an era when The Grail and similar such powerful relics were believed to be real. This was a magical time as well was a very violent era when mythology and all things mystical were blended with reality. Throughout the book even the most threatening knight or men-at-arms, as Cornwell names the characters who were soldiers, despite their strength and prowess in battle to be somewhat naive. The soldiers and many people in Europe, as described by Cornwell in Heretic, often had a belief in the supremacy the Church in every aspect of life. The Inquisition could often be the fate of those who did not obey monks and priests. The seeking of mystical relics, religion, the manipulations of lords and kings by monks and priest were often used as a call to war. Some soldiers fought for the love of their women. Fierce battles were wonderfully written and described in detail and clarity.A wonderfully written story. Today I am taking another book written by Cornwell The Lords Of The North out from the library, my workplace as an author where I do most of my writing!!!, and I am really looking forward to reading the novel!!!!

A great end to a fantastic trilogy (The Grail Quest trilogy)...,Cornwell has completed the Grail quest trilogy, Harlequin (The Archer's Tale in the U.S.) Vagabond and Heretic, with a wonderful climax that leaves every loose end tied up and every person, evil or good, dealt their final hand in life.The story continues to follow Thomas of Hookton as he endures the weight of the family burden (protectors of the grail), and his position as an archer in the English army; now commanding a garrison of men that are charged with taking a castle for the Earl of Northampton.The battles are, as with both of the first 2 books, well described and equally explained from both sides of the battle-line. Cornwell has presented a far more fictional book than the first two, which were described as historical fiction. This book, according to Cornwell's historical notes at the end of the book, presents some fictional towns and fictional battles that were used to bring the book to a close. As much as I enjoyed the historical portions of the first 2 books, I was not disappointed by the liberty that Cornwell took with the final chapter of the trilogy. Cornwell created places, people and battles that could be used to reach the necessary climax.The story, despite the lack of historical fact from the time period (the hundred years war), still manages to grab ahold of the reader's attention and hold it until the epilogue is complete.I was definitely disappointed when I reached the end of the book. I wanted more of the story but, alas, it would seem that the grail quest is complete and I must move on to other Cornwell novels.The entire trilogy is excellent and is highly recommended for anyone that enjoys history, grail stories, medieval mythology, early catholic history or plain, old good story writing.

The third and most exciting novel in the trilogy. Cromwell chose to place this story in a small corner of the Hundred Years' War that is often overlooked; but just as important as the famous battles. His depiction of the Brittany Campaigns is a microcosm of the war in general and illustrates English military superiority and French dillusions of grandeur leading to the extended war. Cromwell toned down his depiction of society from the earlier two novels so his tale is more believable accurate.