The Archer's Tale Audiobook By Bernard Cornwell cover art

The Archer's Tale

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The Archer's Tale

By: Bernard Cornwell
Narrated by: Tim Piggott-Smith
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At dawn on Easter morning 1343, a marauding band of French raiders arrives by boat to ambush the coastal village of Hookton. To brave young Thomas, the only survivor, the horror of the attack is epitomized by the casual savagery of a particular black-clad knight. Thomas vows to avenge the murder of his townsmen and recapture a holy treasure that the black knight stole from the church. But Thomas must first make his way to France, so he joins the army of King Edward III as it is about to invade the continent and quickly becomes recognized as one of England's most deadly archers.

When Thomas saves a young Frenchwoman from a bloodthirsty crowd, her father rewards his bravery by joining him in the hunt for the mysterious dark knight and the stolen holy relic. What begins as a search for vengeance will soon prove the beginning of an even higher purpose: the quest for the Holy Grail itself.

Don't miss the rest of Bernard Cornwell's literary masterpieces.©2000 Bernard Cornwell (P)2001 HarperCollins Publishers Historical Fiction Fiction Revenge Inspiring Medieval France

Critic reviews

"Perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today." (Washington Post)
Riveting Battles • Great Narration • Extraordinary Performance • Historical Authenticity • Exciting Adventure
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Even in it's abridged version, this is a wonderful adventure. No one writes a battle scene quite so well as Cornwell, (as seen in his excellent Sharpes series). This is the first book in a trilogy about Thomas of Hookton, an expert archer, who pursues venegence and Holy relics in the 1300's. Great characters, very engaging.

Excellent Adventure

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This is an exciting tale of medieval times. There is a lot of focus on the battle scenes, and while they are riveting, I felt almost as weary as the soldiers by the book's end. The author doesn't shy away from depicting violence and brutality, which makes for some intense listening at times. But the characters are strong, and their noble struggles make you realize the terrible cost of war in any age.

Action-packed historical fiction

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Great narration, gray story. highly recommended. listened 4 times so far, never get dull. always captivating. Bernie is assuming my very favorite authors.

Cornwall is the bomb

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Enjoyed this story but a bit too reminiscent of Cornwell’s excellent ‘Agingcourt’ but wonderfully performed narration and the historical background is fun and informative

Fun story but a little too familiar

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I loved this book and went on to read the entire series. I highly recommend any of Bernard Cornwell's books. He is able to wind intricate tales and employ fabulous narrative. I spent many nights thinking "just 15 more minutes" till the middle of the night!

My favorite series by far

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The narrator skips complete sentences from the book. Please show some respect to the author or don't accept payment for your butchery.

Disrespectful narration.

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didn't realize until after I purchased it that this is the exact same story as "The Harlequin" but eight hours shorter. Checked online and saw that they were the exact same stories... go figure. but either way this is a great story. I'm now a long time fan of Cornwell, and Tim Piggot-Smith is a great narrator, best since Jonathan Keeble.

shorter version of The Harlequin

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Lots of faint echo and white noise sometimes I thought water was running in my house but it turned out to be this

Poor production values

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I've always loved Bernard Cornwell and this was a fantastic reading of one of my favorite books.

fantastic story!!

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An intriguing story, for sure, if you are enthralled by historical fiction -- but expect also frank and realistic battle descriptions. You'll never picture "war" the same again.

Includes the Violence of Hand-to--Hand Combat

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