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Free Lance #2
Joust of Honor
Grade 3-6–In this series by the creators of The Edge Chronicles, an unnamed knight journeys through a generic medieval-fantasy countryside with his sturdy horse, Jed. In this second volume, they enter a tournament held at the castle of shifty-looking Duke Wolfhound. Free Lance wins his first jousts, and he feels he has a chance to win–until the duke offers him a sack full of gold to throw the final joust and lose to the duke's loutish henchman. Immediately afterward, the duke's beautiful niece begs the knight not to throw the match, because if he does, her uncle will force her to marry the henchman. The knight finds himself in a dilemma–and more tricks and betrayals lie ahead. The prose, and the story, are unchallenging, but will be popular with middle-grade readers–or middle-school marginal readers–who want an easy read with lots of fast-moving battles and action. The book is filled with Riddell's comic-book-style line drawings that instantly distinguish the good guys from the bad.–Walter Minkel, New York Public Library Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
- GenresFantasyYoung Adult
137 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
66 people want to read
About the author
Paul Stewart
223 books918 followersPaul Stewart is a highly regarded author of books for young readers – from picture books to football stories, fantasy and horror. Together with Chris Riddell he is co-creator of the bestselling Edge Chronicles, which has sold more than three million copies and is available in over twenty languages. They have also collaborated together on lots of other exciting books for children of all ages. The Far-Flung Adventure series includes the Gold Smarties Prize Winner Fergus Crane, and Corby Flood and Hugo Pepper, both Silver Nestle Prize Winners. Then there are the Barnaby Grimes books, two Muddle Earth adventures, and the sci-fi Scavenger and fantasy Wyrmeweald trilogies. For younger readers there is the Blobheads series, while for the very young, Paul has written several picture books, including the Rabbit and Hedgehog series, In the Dark of the Night and, his latest, Wings.
Other authors by this name disambiguation Note:
Paul Stewart - business and management books
Other authors by this name disambiguation Note:
Paul Stewart - business and management books
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 2, 2015
JOUST OF HONOR (called FIELD OF BLOOD in the UK) is another great one from the creators of THE EDGE CHRONICLES. #2 in the FREE LANCE series isn't nearly as strong as the first one, but it's still a great read. The one thing holding it down was its predictable ending and unsatisfying conclusion. But still wonderful language and illustrations, and a compelling story. Great series for boys in the "reluctant reader" category.
My favorite line from JOUST OF HONOR: "Noisiest of all was the jester, a tiny fellow with bells on his hat and a voice more shrill than a princess caught on the privy."
My favorite line from JOUST OF HONOR: "Noisiest of all was the jester, a tiny fellow with bells on his hat and a voice more shrill than a princess caught on the privy."
July 13, 2012
This is the second Free Lance book in the trilogy, the tricky second novel!
This series is all about short stories, nominally of the "for boys" genre, but I'm sure it would appeal to the whole species equally. The entire series is written in first person, which is not to everyones' taste, but works quite well for these little tales. They read as if the knight, Free Lance, is recounting his adventures to you over a pint, having met you in some tavern. He is a modest type, so does not try and ram his chivalric behaviour down your throat, but nevertheless it is there, subtly and avoidably impressive by the nature of the deeds.
This story is about a jousting tournament he attends, outwardly a display of the great honour and grace of knights, hosted by a duke. But, as he says, "It might look glamorous from the outside, but inside it was rotten." A tale of corruption, rigging, moral mazes and a fair bit of horsey hijinks.
Whilst the story is a fairly well-trodden affair, well executed, these books are very rich in illustration. The partnership between Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell has produced some excellent work. Each series seems to have a different balance of illustration versus text. The latest series, Wyrmeweald, is very light on illustration, very scant, primarily a written story. The Edge Chronicles and Barnaby Grimes are an about average mix for a book with illustrations. This series, has substantial illustrations on pretty much every double page spread - so much so that I would say the book is about 50/50, text against the illustrations. This gives the book more of the feel of a fully illustrated storybook. So they are particularly suitable for younger children, or adults like me on the commute to work.
A simple medieval tale, well told; wonderful illustrations.
This series is all about short stories, nominally of the "for boys" genre, but I'm sure it would appeal to the whole species equally. The entire series is written in first person, which is not to everyones' taste, but works quite well for these little tales. They read as if the knight, Free Lance, is recounting his adventures to you over a pint, having met you in some tavern. He is a modest type, so does not try and ram his chivalric behaviour down your throat, but nevertheless it is there, subtly and avoidably impressive by the nature of the deeds.
This story is about a jousting tournament he attends, outwardly a display of the great honour and grace of knights, hosted by a duke. But, as he says, "It might look glamorous from the outside, but inside it was rotten." A tale of corruption, rigging, moral mazes and a fair bit of horsey hijinks.
Whilst the story is a fairly well-trodden affair, well executed, these books are very rich in illustration. The partnership between Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell has produced some excellent work. Each series seems to have a different balance of illustration versus text. The latest series, Wyrmeweald, is very light on illustration, very scant, primarily a written story. The Edge Chronicles and Barnaby Grimes are an about average mix for a book with illustrations. This series, has substantial illustrations on pretty much every double page spread - so much so that I would say the book is about 50/50, text against the illustrations. This gives the book more of the feel of a fully illustrated storybook. So they are particularly suitable for younger children, or adults like me on the commute to work.
A simple medieval tale, well told; wonderful illustrations.
March 26, 2021
This was an easy and entertaining read. I liked the simple storyline. The ending was kind of predictable but I didn’t mind. I think this is a good book for children and anyone looking for a quick fix to knock off there reading challenge. :)
December 16, 2022
Again another very short read, I like it though,it is a shame it wasn't longer ....but I dont think you should think it is a children's story cos it is NOT , actually I don't know what target audience this is. slightly older than middle age maybe
December 12, 2012
This was a pretty good follow up to the first book, though I wonder why it was spaced so far from the last volume. In any case, the adventure was good and the story had enough intriguing twists to keep me interested. I enjoyed it and intend to read the last volume in the series as well.
July 13, 2011
Cute serious. Perfect for boys reluctant to read anything. Nice and short. Jousting and bloodshed? What boy wouldn't like it?
July 13, 2011
Cute series especially for boys who don't like picking up books. Nice and short and full of action.
May 21, 2012
Great little book about knights and jousting. Some humor and of course a princess.
Perfect for 3-4 grades who want a little adventure book.
Perfect for 3-4 grades who want a little adventure book.
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December 6, 2013Awesome
February 14, 2014
These books are funny and very quick reads. Loved it!
June 30, 2015
Fun illustrations and an exciting story. The third graders couldn't wait to read it each day.
March 3, 2018
A satisfactory wee story and Chris Riddell's illustrations are always a joy.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews