Book Log 2013 #14: 1356 by Bernard Cornwell

Thomas of Hookton, the main character of the Grail Quest trilogy, returns in this book which is skips ahead from the last book in that series to the time right before the Battle of Poitiers. Thomas leads a group of mercenaries who, while in the service of a noble, are mostly allowed to operate independently.

As was the case in the first three books, Thomas becomes embroiled in the search for a religious relic, in this case la Malice, the sword St. Peter used to slice off the ear of the high priest's servant at Gethsemane. Both the English and the French are hunting for the sword, as it's believe that the side which possesses the sword will win what we now know as the Battle of Poitiers, a major battle of the Hundred Years' War.

As you'd expect, there are corrupt churchmen, cruel nobles, and a variety of fighting men who all add their particular color to the hunt for the sword and the eventual battle. But the actual story, the search for this sword, didn't do much for me, and I kind of felt like the book was forced a bit. I'd have rather had the book begin to explain how Thomas would become the "lord of a thousand acres" that's mentioned in Agincourt than go on another religious treasure hunt.