Go with God and Fight Like the Devil. A fascinating hero and the pursuit of a sword with mythical power - this is the remarkable new novel by Britain's master storyteller, which culminates at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.The Hundred Years War rages on and the bloodiest battles are yet to be fought. Across France, towns are closing their gates, the crops are burning and the country stands alert to danger. The English army, victorious at the Battle of Crécy and led by the Black Prince, is invading again and the French are hunting them down.Thomas of Hookton, an English archer known as Le Bâtard, is under orders to seek out the lost sword of St Peter, a weapon said to grant certain victory to whoever possesses her. As the outnumbered English army becomes trapped near the town of Poitiers, Thomas, his men and his sworn enemies meet in an extraordinary confrontation that ignites one of the greatest battles of all time.
September, 1356. Across France, towns are closing their gates. The crops are burning and the countryside stands alert to danger. The English army-led by the heir to the throne, The Black Prince-is set to invade. The French, along with their Scottish allies, are ready to hunt them down. But what if there was a weapon that could decide the outcome of the imminent war?
Thomas of Hookton, known as le Batard, has orders to discover the lost sword of Saint Peter, a blade with mystical powers said to grant certain victory to whoever possesses her. The French seek the weapon too, and so Thomas's quest will be thwarted by battle and betrayal, by promises made and oaths broken. As the outnumbered English army becomes trapped near Poitiers, Thomas, his troop of archers and men-at-arms, his enemies, and the fate of the sword all converge in a maelstrom of violence, action, and heroism.
Rich in color and characters, in great adventure and thrilling conflict, 1356 is the magnificent tale of how the quest for a holy relic with the power to change history leads to an epic battle.
A highly entertaining, wonderfully colourful story, now revealed to be written by one of our favourite historical novelists.In mid seventeenth-century England, the nation was in upheaval. In the Dorset countryside, one sunlit afternoon, a young girl - illicitly bathing in a stream - first fell in love with a passing stranger. Her parents called her Dorcas, but he called her Campion and that's what she longed to be, then and forever.She had one gift left for her by her unknown father - a pendant made of gold, banded by tiny glowing stones and at its base was a seal engraved with an axe and the words: St Matthew. So when she flees before the unbearable, worthy suitor who is forced upon her after her forbidden meeting, she takes this and the delicate lace gloves with her, and hopes to find her father, and her lover.There are four of these intricately wrought seals - each owned by a stranger, each holding a secret within. And when all four seals are united, then the holder will have access to great wealth and power. That is Campion's inheritance.But to claim this and find again her summer love, she must follow the course her father's legacy charts for her. It is a road full of both peril and enchantment.A Crowning Mercy was first published in 1983 under the name Susannah Kells. It has been out of print for 10 years. HarperCollins are delighted to be able to re-publish it.
data-redactor-tag='em'>Agincourt is classic Cornwell…[with] attention to historical detail, well-paced action, and descriptive writing that is a pleasure to read.' —data-redactor-tag='em'>Bostondata-redactor-tag='em'> Globe
Bernard Cornwell, the data-redactor-tag='em'>New York Times bestselling “reigning king of historical fiction' (data-redactor-tag='em'>USA Today), tackles his most thrilling, rich, and enthralling subject yet—the heroic tale of data-redactor-tag='em'>Agincourt. The epic battle immortalized by William Shakespeare in his classic data-redactor-tag='em'>Henry V is the background for this breathtaking tale of heroism, love, devotion, and duty from the legendary author of the Richard Sharpe novels and the Saxon Tales. This extraordinary adventure will captivate from page one, proving once again and most powerfully, as author Lee Child attests, that “nobody in the world does this stuff better than Cornwell.'
An extraordinary and dramatic depiction of the legendary battle of Agincourt from the number one historical novelistAgincourt, fought on October 25th 1415, St Crispin's Day, is one of England's best-known battles, in part through the brilliant depiction of it in Shakespeare's Henry V, in part because it was a brilliant and unexpected English victory and in part because it was the first battle won by the use of the longbow - a weapon developed by the English which enabled them to dominate the European battlefields for the rest of the century.Bernard Cornwell's Azincourt is a vivid, breathtaking and meticulously well-researched account of this momentous battle and its aftermath. From the varying viewpoints of nobles, peasants, archers, and horsemen, Azincourt skilfully brings to life the hours of relentless fighting, the desperation of an army crippled by disease and the exceptional bravery of the English soldiers.
A unique novel, looking at one the greatest battles, a battle that was a turning point in history, from many points of view, by a master storyteller.Bernard Cornwell has been thinking about this subject for years. He has long wanted to write a book about a single battle, the events that lead up to it, the actual days in the battle and the aftermath from multiple viewpoints.Agincourt, fought on October 25th 1415, on St Crispin's Day, is one of the best known battles, in part through the brilliant depiction of it in Shakespeare's Henry V, in part because it was a brilliant and unexpected English victory and in part because it was the first battle won by the use of the longbow. This was a weapon developed in this form only by the English - parishes were forced to train boys from as young as eight daily - and enabled them to dominate the European battlefields for the rest of the century.Lively historical characters abound on all sides but in Bernard Cornwell's hands the fictional characters, horsemen, archers, nobles, peasants are authentic and vivid, and the hour by hour view of the battle is dramatic and gripping.
Bernard Cornwell's superb Civil War dramas have been compared with Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels. Basing Battle Flag on the Campaign of Second Manassas in August, 1862, Cornwell takes the listener from whispered negotiations to the roar of cannon fire. A Northerner fighting for the South, Nate Starbuck has distinguished himself as captain of his Confederate regiment. But his battles go beyond the rifle smoke. The enmity between Starbuck and his commander, the unscrupulous General Faulconer, is never far from the surface. And when Nate encounters his stern father, who is fervently supporting Northern troops, Nate must calculate his own price for victory. Their flags are powerful symbols of the loyalty and ideology at work as Confederate and Union regiments clash at Manassas. But history, as Cornwell shows, is also shaped by more personal motives. Ed Sala's performance captures all the drama of the Civil War-on the battlefields and in men's hearts.
Third volume in the bestselling Starbuck Chronicles. The battle for control of Richmond, the Confederate capital, continues through the hot summer of 1862.Captain Nate Starbuck, yankee fighting for the Southern cause, has to survive and win in the bitter struggle not only against the formidable Northern army but equally in opposition to his own superiors who would like nothing better than to see Nate Starbuck dead and dishonoured.Starbuck's courage is tested to the limit in his desperate manoeuvres to retrieve his own and the Legion's honour in this the thrid narrative of Bernard Cornwell's sweeping epic of the American Civil War.
Third volume in the Starbuck Chronicles. The battle for control of Richmond, the Confederate capital, continues through the hot summer of 1862.Available for the first time as a downloadable audio file.Captain Nate Starbuck, yankee fighting for the Southern cause, has to survive and win with his ragged Company in the bitter struggle not only against the formidable Northern army but equally in opposition to his own superiors who would like nothing better than to see Nate Starbuck dead and dishonoured.Starbuck's courage is tested to the limit in his desperate manoeuvres to retrieve his own and the Legion's honour in this the thrid narrative of Bernard Cornwell's sweeping epic of the American Civil War.
This is book three in the Starbuck Chronicles, Bernard Cornwell's exciting Civil War novel series.
After distinguishing himself at the Battle of Cedar Mountain, Confederate Captain Nate Starbuck is persecuted by his jealous and suspicious brigade commander, the grandiose General Washington Faulconer. Their simmering enmity flares to life at Dead Mary's Ford, where Starbuck must fight the enemy as well as his own commanding officer.
The outcome of this vicious fight drastically changes both men's fortunes and propels Starbuck into the ghastly bloodletting of the Second Battle of Manassas, a severe test of his ability to lead men on the very edge of disaster.
"The best thing to hit Civil War fiction...one of the finest authors of military historical fiction today."-Washington Times
Bernard Cornwell, an English journalist and novelist, has lived in America for almost two decades. The Starbuck Chronicles combine his extensive knowledge of military history and his considerable literary talents. This series puts you on the smoke-filled battlefields of the Civil War and in the company of its heroes and villains. Boston-born Nate Starbuck is a Copperhead. He has turned away from his northern family and is fighting for the Confederate Army. Charged by the excitement of war, he is a fearless soldier. But when he is accused of leaking military information, Nate finds himself labeled a spy by both the North and the South. Now nowhere is safe for him. Copperhead continues the saga begun in Rebel. As you follow young Starbuck, you'll see the brilliant strategies and unexpected blunders that shape the path of the Civil War. Narrator Ed Sala's performance conveys the passion and drama of this vivid historical series.
The second book in Bernard Cornwell's bestselling series on the American Civil War.Nathanial Starbuck is a Copperhead: a northerner fighting for the rebel South in America's Civil War.Expelled from the Faulconer Legion, Starbuck must travel a hard road before he can rejoin his comrades. He must join the shadowy war of betrayal and espionage, where nothing is certain and no one can be trusted. Starbuck's journey will take him through the savage prisons of Richmond, across the blood-sodden battlefields of Virginia, and into the deadly high command of the northern army.
