"The treasure of Hookton was stolen on Easter morning 1342. It was a holy thing, a relic that hung from the Church rafters and it was extraordinary that so precious an object should have been kept in such an obscure village. Some folk said it had no business being there, that it should have been enshrined in a cathedral or some great abbey, while others, many others, said it was not genuine."


Whether the treasure was genuine or not, one young archer named Thomas of Hookton believed in the lance of St. George. That Easter morning, the French launched a brutal attack on the tiny village, slaughtering the townsfolk with a vengeful fury while in search of their plunder. Among the casualties was Thomas's father, Father Ralph. As the old priest took his last breaths, lying on the floor of his church, he wrested a vow from his son to retrieve the great sword.

Now Thomas joins King Edward III's army as a vehicle to fulfill his promise to the dying man. Many fierce and gory battles are fought. Much hacking and bludgeoning, stabbing and gouging, piercing and pillaging bloody the pages. In the midst of his pursuit of the blackened and bent-shafted sword, Thomas is entreated to expand his quest. His new goal: The Holy Grail itself. What he finds at the end is what he wants most. Can he have it, though? The archer faces a life-altering dilemma as the book draws to a close. He has grown wiser with each obstacle encountered. Now he is learning, along with most of us, that fulfilling our own desires may not be our lot in life --- that much, much more is expected of us.

Historically accurate in all but a couple of the battles, THE ARCHER'S TALE is a very adult new-age fable, complete with a modern moral to the story. Bernard Cornwell combines romance with adventure, a bit of myth, and even a whimsical touch of the fairy tale in this vivid drama of a little piece of history. His characters are a rough-and-tumble bunch, not given to the softer emotions in life, but a fearsome band of bowmen used to fighting foes with a bloodlust equal to their own. The villains are horrible, owing to the cruel times Cornwell is depicting --- the beginning of The Hundred Years War. The heroes seem hardly better, barbaric and coarse, but at least they possess a noble sense of fair play in the rules of combat and chivalry. There is about them an aura of righteousness and holy purpose.

Young Thomas, despite his tender years, never wavers from his course. His thirst for restoration and retribution is strong, but he finds himself grappling with his own human desires. His tale illustrates the need for setting goals and priorities for oneself and following through, even when faced with difficult odds and far more appealing choices.

Written in a straightforward manner, THE ARCHER'S TALE unfolds as a gripping story of ancient war and love bonded to a short period of time in European history. The characters are compelling enough to keep you reading long into your evening. And when you turn the last page and devour the final paragraphs, I believe you, like I, will hope this is the first book in a series.

   --- Reviewed by Kate Ayers (kateayersis@home.com)

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