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1356: A Novel Hardcover – Deckle Edge, January 8, 2013

by Bernard Cornwell (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,128 ratings
Editors' pick Best Literature & Fiction
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Bernard Cornwell, the "master of martial fiction" (Booklist), 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.

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Previous page
  1. Book 4 of 4
    The Grail Quest
  2. Print length
    417 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    HarperCollins
  5. Publication date
    January 8, 2013
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 1.33 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0061969672
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0061969676
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Although definitely a stand-alone, Cornwell’s latest foray into the dark days of the Hundred Years’ War features the reappearance of the rascally Thomas of Hookton, aka Le Batard, the main character of his enormously popular Grail Quest trilogy. As Thomas and his band of not-so-merry mercenaries roam the ravaged French countryside in search of pillage and plunder, they are bidden by the Earl of Northhampton to unearth the lost sword of Saint Peter, a mythic weapon purported to bestow on its owner tremendous powers for either good or evil. Naturally, the French are also seeking this holy relic, and all roads lead to Poitiers, where the badly outnumbered English forces wage a fierce battle against their enemies, resulting in one of the most improbably astounding victories of the protracted conflict. In addition to carving out another action-packed martial adventure, Cornwell spotlights one of the most significant but often overlooked battles of the era. High Demand Backstory: Cornwell, the master of martial fiction never lacks an audience and the reappearence of the engaging hero of the Grail Quest provides an added incentive to revisit the pivotal Battle of Poitiers. --Margaret Flanagan

Review

“The first must-read of 2013 arrives….Bernard Cornwell is a master of combining a thumping good tale with a fascinating history lesson.” — Reader's Digest

“In addition to carving out another action-packed martial adventure, Cornwell spotlights one of the most significant but often overlooked battles of the era.” — Booklist

“No one picks a fight like Cornwell, who here does for the Battle of Poitiers what he did for the bloody fray that was Agincourt in the book of that name.” — Library Journal

“A master of action-packed historical fiction…a vivid, exciting portrayal of medieval warfare….Nobody writes battle scenes like Cornwell, accurately conveying the utter savagery of close combat with sword, ax, and mace, and the gruesome aftermath.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Bernard Cornwell does the best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present.” — George R.R. Martin

“Nobody in the world does this stuff better than Cornwell - action set six hundred years ago is as fresh and vital as six days ago, with rough, tough men at war, proving once again that nothing changes... least of all great storytelling.” — Lee Child

“The reigning king of historical fiction.” — USA Today

“Bernard Cornwell is a gifted and prolific historical novelist who seems at home in virtually every era….A lively, accessible account of a remote moment in European history, a book in which Cornwell’s gifts as scholar and storyteller come together spectacularly.” — Bill Sheehan, Washington Post

“Tired of waiting for another of George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones books? Cornwell’s latest novel may be your best option.” — Billy Heller, New York Post

“Cornwell is one of the best writers of historical fiction.” — McClatchy News

“The legions of Cornwell’s fans…will need little encouragement to devour this latest installment in the Hundred Years Way sequence. Everything you expect of a Cornwell offering is here in abundance: interesting characters, rich historical detail, thrilling battles, war, violence, gore, heroism, wry humour….Highly recommended.” — Historical Novels Society

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ HarperCollins; First Edition (January 8, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 417 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0061969672
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0061969676
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.32 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.33 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 7,128 ratings

About the author

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Bernard Cornwell

Bernard Cornwell

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Bernard Cornwell was born in London and worked in television until he met his American wife and moved to the US. Denied a work permit, he wrote a novel and has been writing ever since.

A master storyteller with a passion for history, his current bestselling series, THE LAST KINGDOM, is centred around the creation of England. It is also a major TV series on Netflix, with Bernard playing a cameo role in season three. The fourth season is currently being filmed.

He is also the author of THE GRAIL QUEST series, set in the Hundred Years’ War, THE WARLORD chronicles, set in Arthurian Britain, a number of standalone novels, one non-fiction work on Waterloo and the series with which he began, the SHARPE series.

For exciting news, tour and publication details, and exclusive content from Bernard visit www.bernardcornwell.net and like his author page on Facebook/Bernard.Cornwell

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Top reviews from the United States

Gary K. McCormick
5.0 out of 5 stars Mildly formulaic, but still a rousing read from the master of historical fiction
Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2013
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With "1356", Bernard Cornwell has closed the loop on the Holy Trinity of the great English victories in the Hundred Years War. Trailing only Agincourt and Crecy in importance, the Battle of Poitiers is the third of the great victories recorded by the English over their French foes as the English royal house sought to assert their claim to the throne of France in the 14th Century.

Fans of Cornwell's Grail Trilogy will be happy to see the return of Thomas of Hookton, the young scholar-turned-hellequin whose journey toward mastery in the craft of war - and to the finding of the greatest Christian holy relic of the Middle Ages, the Grail - was recounted in those books. Thomas is now the leader of a mercenary warband, accompanied by some of his hell-raising companions from his early days in Brittany under Will Skeat, and by his French wife, Genevieve. Cornwell brings back Thomas' one-time comrade-in-arms, the young Scotsman Robbie Douglas, to close the circle on their estranged friendship; also returning to the orbit of Thomas' life in this story is the rapacious and ambitious Cardinal Bessierès, who is once again in search of a holy relic - the sword of St Peter, called "La Malice".

The return of Bessières, and the repetition of the holy relic theme from the Grail Trilogy books, make "1356" feel somewhat formulaic, but that sense does not intrude while reading the book, or at least it didn't for me - it was only after I had finished that it struck me. While the reader is engrossed in the story, with its action, danger, and colorful dialogue, all that matters is the tale itself. A handful of new characters, including an Irishman named Keane - a reluctant divinity student; a young monk, Brother Michael, who doesn't really want to be a monk;, and Roland de Verrec, a supremely skillful knight who has read too many romantic tales of chivalry, are fine examples of Cornwell's skill in crafting personalities for his characters and bringing them to life. "1356" feels, in the aftermath, a bit like a return to the Grail stories all crammed into one volume, and the actual battle gets somewhat short shrift in favor of the search for "La Malice" and the renewed conflict between Thomas and Cardinal Bessières, it is nevertheless a rousing read and a worthy addition to the collection of any Cornwell fan.
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Kevin
4.0 out of 5 stars Good example of great writing - I really appreciate Cornwell
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2016
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Of course, as can be seen with other Cornwell series, you never know for sure if you've read the last book. 1356 is the most recent book in the series and was published in 2013 while the first book, "The Archer's Tale" (U.S. title - which annoys Mr. Cornwell) was published in 2005. "Vagabond" was published in 2006 and "Heretic" in 2007. As you can see, there can be some time between releases as there was between books three and four. "1356" is a great story and when you read the Historical Note at the end you really get a sense of how much effort goes into understanding the period so that real events can be carefully seeded with fictional lives and events to make a compelling case for me to be entertained by another Cornwell effort. I enjoyed the series and "1356" for inserting me into the events through the eyes of Thomas of Hookton. Cornwell has again done a masterful job of weaving reality and fiction together so seamlessly that it is difficult to tell the two apart at times. I learned so much about European history of the 100 Years War from these accounts and can now see so much more about how that history has shaped much of what has followed since from these books. Cornwell does an outstanding job of making history interesting and enjoyable. All of the characters are believable and have depth and complexity along with an equally complex plot. This isn't a predictable read. You may know the history which makes the overall outcome predictable but what happens to the fictional characters has entertaining twists and turns. As I've said in other reviews of Cornwell's work, he gives nothing away for free to his characters. They work for everything and lose a great deal in the process of achieving every gain. It's not easy to guess who will live, who will die, who will be maimed or disfigured and who's inner demons will positively or negatively affect an outcome. Truly enjoyable and inexpensive entertainment. I highly recommend this book and the entire series. You should start at the beginning though.
15 people found this helpful
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Aristotle
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2012
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Bernard Cornwell has written a novel that is riveting from start to finish. He is an author that has the ability to write in a manner that resembles an unfolding 3D movie, whereby the reader smells, hears, tastes and feels everything almost first hand.

The novel is full of energy and abounds in intrigue, drama, awe and lots of action. Many events in the novel made my heart race and I found it very hard to put the book away.

The storyline is centred in France during the 100 years war and deals with events and actions leading up to and including the battle of Poitiers in 1356. Prince Edward (Prince of Wales) or at times referred to as the Black Price, pitted his smaller English army against that of the French King Jean 2nd. The French side included Scottish knights who had hoped to capture the English Prince and use him as ransom to release the Scottish King, being held in an English jail, by the English King Edward the 3rd.

The author has undertaken extensive historical research and hence the novel can be educational in itself. I found the documents and references at the end of the book very useful.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Virginia Beaton
5.0 out of 5 stars Another great book by Bernard Cornwell
Reviewed in Canada on June 19, 2023
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The book arrived on time and in fine condition. I'm a big fan of Cornwell's books and I enjoyed reading this book, the fourth in the Grail series.
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Caratacus
5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting plot
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 2, 2024
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Detailed and technical storey
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David
2.0 out of 5 stars 1356 - Bernard Cromwell - Muy repetitivo
Reviewed in Spain on February 4, 2022
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En primer lugar, pensé que el libro estaba en inglés, según la foto. No fue así era una tradducción a español. En segundo lugar, taró casi cuatro meses en llegar. Por último, el libro era muy repetitivo, hasta el aburrimiento, sobre las técnicas de los arqueros. Parecia mucho "cut y paste" para rellenar páginas. No es lo que esperaba de un libro de Bernard Cromwell.
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Augusto Carlos da Silva Telles Jr.
5.0 out of 5 stars What a battle description.
Reviewed in Brazil on November 11, 2018
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A Masterpiece on battle description. Well constructed characters and narrative. Breathtaking actions and general drama.
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Federico Javier Monsalve Briones
4.0 out of 5 stars An adventure told in a historical background
Reviewed in Mexico on April 26, 2018
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A rating close to the best to my liking.
Very entertaining and illustrating plot in historical terms. No doubt this author is one of today's greatest story tellers
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