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| Date first published | 6 October 2003 |  |
| ISBN Number | 0 007 14988 3 | |
| Page Count | 316 | |
| h/b= hardback : p/b= paperback | ||
Heretic
Storyline
Peace breaks out following the fall of Calais. Thomas of Hookton is tasked to find the Grail and his Cousin Guy Vexille.To do this Thomas and a small band of Archers capture the small Fort at Castillion d'Arbizon. Unwittingly Thomas arrives at a time of unrest and in releasing a girl condemned to death for being a Begherd (A heretic, who believes that everything is a gift from God) incurs the wrath of the Church. Becoming a raider he uses one of the opportunities to visit the old family home of Astarac, in a vain search for the Grail, but finds only more intrigue.
Whilst away from the safety of the fort Vexhille arrives in the area, with his lust for blood and vengeance, and only by the intervention of a totally unexpected disaster does he fail in his mission.
Will the Grail remain hidden or be found for the good of Mankind?
Review
This the third book in the trilogy is perhaps the weakest. One of Cornwells great strengths are his depictions of the great battles, and with this novel you get very little in the way of large scale battles. It may be that this is down to the fact that very little of this book is based on fact, and so more of it is made up and lacks the attention to detail that appears in say the Sharpe novels.
The other difficulty which this book has to get around is whether or not the Grail ever existed, and what if anything will Thomas find? Cornwell does come up at a logical solution, which is mentioned in one of the previous books.
Having read all three books, I am still not sure that I like Thomas. A hero, undoubtably, but would I like to meet him? The book(s) throw up an adversary whom it is easy to dislike, due to his uncompromising attitude. He may be a Churchman, but his dedication to duty and his lack of regard make Vexille someone to totally despise. With Thomas however, there is the question what makes him tick, why does he earn the respect of others. It could be something I've missed, but I don't think so. After all his quest for personal vengeance, would not necessarily endear him to others around him.
The other disappointing feature, and one which is uncommon in Cornwells books, is the escape of Jocelyn, who certainly deserved a steely come uppance, but who appears to escape the clutches of justice.
With no large set piece battles, the pace of the book is somewhat slower than normal, and although the tempo does rise with the chase through the forest and the assault on the castle in the latter part of the book it never quite reaches fever pitch, and is perhaps poorer for it.
The story though is logically thought through and at the end of the day it is rounded off and concludes the series, with most loose ends tide up.
Although I think the book lacks real pace, there is a very good story being told, and has the same attention to detail that you would expect from the author. The book gives an insight into the every day lives of normal people, whose lot in life seemed to consist of suffering. It is amazing to look back on what were called relics, the straw from the stable where Jesus was born, a thorn from the crown that Christ wore on the Cross, or even a splinter from the Cross. The fact that the Church was corrupt, and that potential Popes would try anything to gain ultimate power, shows why heretics had to be dealt with. The Church of the time was less about religion, but more about power (and the abuse of power). This comes across quite strongly in the book especially in the sub story about the creation of the 'Grail'.
The book is well written and edited, unlike some others that I have read recently, and is still a good read. Not Cornwells best by a long chalk but definitely well above average.
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