I confess to not having read the first two in the series - but found that I could read this one with no trouble (there are hints at Blackstone's background along the way). Previous reviews have summed up the plot and characters so I will forgo re-hashing all again.

What attracted me to the story was the character of Sir Thomas Blackstone - for me he was a cross between Richard I, Sir John Hawkwood, Sir John Mandeville and William Marshall (plus a few others). All were larger than life men of their times - soldiers, adventurers - where fact was far more interesting than fiction - they were the type of real historical characters that make good fictional ones.

I like epic sagas where the main protagonist embarks on a quest / a mission / revenge for a past wrong. If this is your type of history, then you will enjoy reading this series.

Series Review

A Series that starts with a bang Master of War (click for original review), set in the Hundred Years War and introduces us to the life of former stonemason and now English longbowman Thomas Blackstone during the Battle of Crécy in 1346. With all the animosity on a battlefield you would expect it to be between the 2 foes, but the nature of alliances mean that the English and Welsh as ever have a fair bit of animosity… very similar to the French and Normans (no one got along then, or now), but it all makes for a great backdrop for war, where the hatred between England and France trumps all (and did it ever really get any better). The location allows the author to draw on the imagery of the stunning landscape and castles, to provide some truly epic battle scenes and scenery.

Book one is in the main a book about War, and the Growth of Thomas as a warrior.