Vagabond

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Andrew Cullum

Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's Summary

It is 1347 - a year of war and unrest. England’s army is fighting in France, and the Scots are invading from the North. Thomas of Hookton, sent back to England to follow an ancient trail to the Holy Grail, becomes embroiled in the fighting at Durham. Here, he meets a new and sinister enemy, a Dominican Inquisitor, who, like all of Europe, is searching for Christendom’s most holy relic. It is not certain the grail even exists, but no one wants to let it fall into someone else’s hands. And though Thomas may have an advantage in the search - an old notebook left to him by his father seems to offer clues to the whereabouts of the relic - his rivals, inspired by a fanatical religious fervor, have their own ways: the torture chamber of the Inquisition.

Barely alive, Thomas is able to escapes their clutches, but fate will not let him rest. He is thrust into one of the bloodiest fights of the Hundred Years War, the battle of la Roche-Derrien, and amidst the flames, arrows, and butchery of that night, he faces his enemies once again.

©2002 Bernard Cornwell (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

awesome sequel

Cornwell captures the chaos of battle better than anyone! historically accurate but never dull. the characters are human--they come alive in the story

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

better than the first one

it was better than the first one. couldn't stop listening. several dynamic characters are introduced

Okay, but definitely not Cornwell’s best

I remember reading the Grail Quest series 15 years ago and they were my gateway to Cornwell’s Sharpe series. Vagabond strikes me as Cornwell still learning his formula that he perfected in his Sharpe books. I found that this story really dragged in places and could use a trimming edit. Cornwell tends to be quite repetitive with some things, including countless priestly blessings for warriors to bring mayhem to their enemies, French battle planning, and an overly drawn out account of Thomas being tortured. I also feel that a Cornwell misses the mark (pun intended) on the medieval mindset, with the result that several characters just don’t seem right. There are some good parts though, such as when he writes about the actual battles and some other adventure parts. I think that Andrew Cullum did a great job with the narration, making the characters come alive. If you are a Cornwell fan, give it a listen. If not, I’d suggest you try the Sharpe series first.

Phenomenally written and narrated

Great characters and a story portrayed in a way that makes you feel like you were in the thick of the battle.

BRAVO!

Exceptional story as always, and a mastery in narration!! If you love stories of battles, this is for you!

great performance

Well written, well read, very enjoyable, part 2 of the trilogy, the Grail Quest. Thomas of Hookton is a terrific character. I hope Mr. Cornwell revisits the character once more after 1356, the last story about him.

Bernard Cornwell Never Fails To Deliver!

Another great series. Love it. Can't wait to start the next book. I ended up binge listening because it just got really good and I didn't want to stop listening.

Well narrated too. Great job.

great story

another cornwell home run. everything he writes is awesome. this is another series that I will be listening to over and over.

wasted potential

After having read 'Archers Tale' I knew the story would grab me.

The reason I will not be listening to another of these recordings is due to the horrible accent put on for the attempt at a Scottish lord.

This made the book almost unbearable.

FANTASTIC!!!

I love Thomas of Hooktan as much as Uhtred of Bebbanbar. The character development is phenomenal & it's like you can smell the shit & blood hear the thrum of the longbow & clash of swords with the genius writing style that lets you go back in time