The Ill-Made Knight

Chivalry, Book 1

By: Christian Cameron

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Length: 21 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Discover the first medieval adventure in the action-packed Chivalry series! Perfect for fans of Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow and Conn Iggulden.

September, 1356. Poitiers.

The greatest knights of the age were ready to give battle.

On the English side, Edward, the Black Prince, who'd earned his spurs at Crecy.

On the French side, the king and his son, the dauphin. With 12,000 knights.

And then there is William Gold. A cook's boy - the lowest of the low - who had once been branded as a thief. William dreams of being a knight, but in this savage new world of intrigue, betrayal and greed, first he must learn to survive.

As rapacious English mercenaries plunder a country already ravaged by plague, and the peasantry take violent revenge against the French knights who have failed to protect them, is chivalry any more than a boyish fantasy?

©2021 Christian Cameron (P)2021 Orion Publishing Group

Critic reviews

"A sword-slash above the rest." (Irish Examiner)

"One of the finest writers of historical fiction in the world." (Ben Kane)

"Brilliantly evoked." (Sunday Times)

Fantastic!

Don’t listen to the negative reviews about this one. The Chivalry series is fantastic from start to finish. Non-stop action and character development that traverses all the books. Christian Cameron is among the best historical fiction writers hands down.

good but hard to follow at times

a little difficult to follow at times and I did a lot of rewinding, but the ending was great and the narrator did a really good job. I'll probably buy the next book in the series

You will not regret it

By far the best chivalric novel! Perhaps only rivalled by Bernard Cornwell.
It’s engaging and fantastically written, and a brilliant and colourful window into the life of an English man at arms in the 100 years war.

Could be my new favorite book

Well written with authentic details that really bring this tale to life. Others who are also medieval reenactors will especially love the deep understanding of armor, weapons, and battle.

the inclusion of historical events in a fantasy novel. they are described so well it almost could be history

like or dislike? ha! I want to live in this novel. it is beyond amazing.

Tremendous story overcomes average reader

This is the beginning of the saga of William Gold - English man at arms, mercenary, knight and student of the ways of the chivalrous life. I think this author is one of the best at historical fiction today and highly recommend this along with all of hus historical novels. They follow actual events well, get the reader attached to the main characters and create a storyline that’s difficult to stop listening to once you start.

happy

it's a good one. I am going to start the next book immediately. I only hope it is as good as this one.

God Almighty that was good.

my gentles,

this book was friggin amazing. as a student of history this book was fantastic. I actually found myself googling along and researching the battles and other historical figures as the story progressed. it's good enough that I am not going to wait for a credit but I'm going to buy the series outright.

and good God the narrator!? superb. he had my heart thumping and kept me awake bc I couldn't stop listening. what a story and what a story so well told.

Great story.

This was a great tale from start to finish. He covers a lot of ground and touches your emotions. The characters are well developed but not over done.

One of my all time favorites.

It's essentially the story of a commoner man at arms' journey to becoming a knight. In reality, it's a story about a good hearted young man who gets put into incredibly shitty circumstances and struggles to make it through. It reads like a history lesson with a compelling narrative, but the author goes on tons of tangents. I love this narrator's take on William Gold, like an old warrior who talks to much, the whole book is him telling his life story I'm a tavern in Calais. They changed narrators for books 3-5, I assume because this guy seems whimsical or something like that, but this is my Will Gold.

Anyway, this is the best medieval historical fiction series out there. Highly recommended.