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The Saga of Roland Inness #7
A Question of Honour
In this rousing conclusion to The Saga of Roland Inness, King Richard has called up Roland and the legendary Invalid Company to serve in his grinding war against King Philip of France. It's a conflict where brutal mercenaries ravage the land and take no prisoners and where a king's favour is for sale. As Roland leads the Invalid Company into harm's way, his old enemy buys his way out of exile and threatens all that Roland holds dear back in England. Can Roland and the Invalids survive the war in France with their reputations intact? It's A Question of Honour!
330 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2019
374 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Wayne Grant
15 books99 followersWayne Grant grew up in a tiny cotton town in rural Louisiana where hunting, fishing and farming were a way of life. Between chopping cotton, dove hunting and Little League ball he developed a love of great adventure stories like Call It Courage and Kidnapped.
Like most southern boys of that era he saw the military as an honorable and adventurous career. Every living male member of his family had served in the Army covering World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam, so it was a natural step for him to attend and graduate from West Point. He just missed Vietnam, but found that life as a Captain in an army broken by that war was not what he wanted.
After tours in Germany and Korea, he returned to Louisiana and civilian life where he began a 10 year career in government including four years as a senior official in the Pentagon during the Reagan administration. During those years he saw the Army reborn from its post-Vietnam nadir to the outstanding force it became and remains today.
The Saga of Roland Inness series began as the coming-of-age tale of a fourteen-year-old boy who possessed extraordinary talent with a longbow. It is a story of courage, loyalty, honor and treachery. Most of all, it a story of high adventure set in a time so filled with drama it has spawned legends that fascinate people to this day. It is the time of Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood, Eleanor of Aquitaine and William Marshall, legendary figures all--some real and some fictional.
The Saga of Roland Inness begins with four books--Longbow, Warbow, The Broken Realm and The Ransomed Crown. These four books are the coming-of-age story I set out to tell. Having told that tale, I fully intended to move on to other stories, but something unexpected happened. Readers all over the world found something special in Roland Inness and his companions and wanted more. I'd grown rather fond of my boy with the longbow as well and knew there were more stories to tell. So the Saga continues. A Prince of Wales, the fifth in the series was published in November, 2017. A new Roland Inness adventure will be out in fall, 2018.
If you would like to know more about the author or get updates on new books, visit his webpage at www.waynegrantbooks.com or the Longbow Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Longbowbooks/ .
Like most southern boys of that era he saw the military as an honorable and adventurous career. Every living male member of his family had served in the Army covering World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam, so it was a natural step for him to attend and graduate from West Point. He just missed Vietnam, but found that life as a Captain in an army broken by that war was not what he wanted.
After tours in Germany and Korea, he returned to Louisiana and civilian life where he began a 10 year career in government including four years as a senior official in the Pentagon during the Reagan administration. During those years he saw the Army reborn from its post-Vietnam nadir to the outstanding force it became and remains today.
The Saga of Roland Inness series began as the coming-of-age tale of a fourteen-year-old boy who possessed extraordinary talent with a longbow. It is a story of courage, loyalty, honor and treachery. Most of all, it a story of high adventure set in a time so filled with drama it has spawned legends that fascinate people to this day. It is the time of Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood, Eleanor of Aquitaine and William Marshall, legendary figures all--some real and some fictional.
The Saga of Roland Inness begins with four books--Longbow, Warbow, The Broken Realm and The Ransomed Crown. These four books are the coming-of-age story I set out to tell. Having told that tale, I fully intended to move on to other stories, but something unexpected happened. Readers all over the world found something special in Roland Inness and his companions and wanted more. I'd grown rather fond of my boy with the longbow as well and knew there were more stories to tell. So the Saga continues. A Prince of Wales, the fifth in the series was published in November, 2017. A new Roland Inness adventure will be out in fall, 2018.
If you would like to know more about the author or get updates on new books, visit his webpage at www.waynegrantbooks.com or the Longbow Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Longbowbooks/ .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 28, 2020
Brilliant.
I have loved this Saga from the moment I read Longbow... Reading of all the places I live so near to is brilliant.
I do hope we get a update on how Roland is doing in the not to distant future.
I'm sad it's the end of the Saga but look forward to seeing what comes next!
I have loved this Saga from the moment I read Longbow... Reading of all the places I live so near to is brilliant.
I do hope we get a update on how Roland is doing in the not to distant future.
I'm sad it's the end of the Saga but look forward to seeing what comes next!
February 5, 2020
I’m sad to see the Saga of Roland Inness end. Like the previous 6 books, this final book in the series had tight writing, the right amount of historical background and detail, and characters I could cheer for and root against!
I also appreciate that this series finale didn’t do what a lot of series finales do - tie everything up with a neat little bow. The author put a period on the end of the sentence without getting carried away, which is another testament to the excellent writing.
Speaking of excellent writing:
“Siege towers, catapults, mangonels, and burrowing sappers all had their place in assaulting a walled fortress, but once the order was given to storm the place, the issue would be decided as battles had been decided for thousands of years—by men facing other men with murder in their hearts. And so it was on the wall at Gamaches. The French, knowing their cause was in peril, fought with desperate ferocity. The English, knowing they must pay a butcher’s bill to win the day, matched their fury, even as their comrades fell around them.”
I found this series in 2018 after a brief conversation with the author Wayne Grant and his wife on a visitor center bus to the Neolithic passage tomb of Newgrange in Ireland. He was finishing up a research trip in preparation for writing the 6th book in the series that focuses on his Irish character Declan O’Duinne. Although I don’t usually read series because I’m such a slow reader and have so many books on my TBR pile, I looked him up after getting to the hotel that evening and downloaded the first book. I was completely drawn in and couldn’t wait to read the next one!
So while I’m sorry to see this series end, I’m looking forward to the author’s next endeavor he mentions in the endnote of this book - a series set “in the early years of the American Republic (1800-1815).”
Until then however, you’d do well to travel back to 12th century England and join in the adventures of Roland Inness & Co.!
I also appreciate that this series finale didn’t do what a lot of series finales do - tie everything up with a neat little bow. The author put a period on the end of the sentence without getting carried away, which is another testament to the excellent writing.
Speaking of excellent writing:
“Siege towers, catapults, mangonels, and burrowing sappers all had their place in assaulting a walled fortress, but once the order was given to storm the place, the issue would be decided as battles had been decided for thousands of years—by men facing other men with murder in their hearts. And so it was on the wall at Gamaches. The French, knowing their cause was in peril, fought with desperate ferocity. The English, knowing they must pay a butcher’s bill to win the day, matched their fury, even as their comrades fell around them.”
I found this series in 2018 after a brief conversation with the author Wayne Grant and his wife on a visitor center bus to the Neolithic passage tomb of Newgrange in Ireland. He was finishing up a research trip in preparation for writing the 6th book in the series that focuses on his Irish character Declan O’Duinne. Although I don’t usually read series because I’m such a slow reader and have so many books on my TBR pile, I looked him up after getting to the hotel that evening and downloaded the first book. I was completely drawn in and couldn’t wait to read the next one!
So while I’m sorry to see this series end, I’m looking forward to the author’s next endeavor he mentions in the endnote of this book - a series set “in the early years of the American Republic (1800-1815).”
Until then however, you’d do well to travel back to 12th century England and join in the adventures of Roland Inness & Co.!
December 23, 2019
Good final book of series. Sad to see it end.
I trust that Wayne Grant will soon return with a brand-new hero.
I trust that Wayne Grant will soon return with a brand-new hero.
December 15, 2022
Best Historical Novels Ever
If you like historical novels you can't go wrong with the Inness sagas. Great storyline, great characters and great use of genuine and mythical characters of the time.
I loved the fact that the written off soldiers from medieval war were given their own regiment and took on the able bodied in a time when disabled people were written off.
Add to this great descriptions of the landscape, and surroundings and you have novels as good as any by Bernard Cornwell or Conn Iggulden. I have read 100'a of historical books and these are superb!
They will suit anyone who loves a good historical movie!
Only given 5 ***** as I couldn't give more. Well done.
If you like historical novels you can't go wrong with the Inness sagas. Great storyline, great characters and great use of genuine and mythical characters of the time.
I loved the fact that the written off soldiers from medieval war were given their own regiment and took on the able bodied in a time when disabled people were written off.
Add to this great descriptions of the landscape, and surroundings and you have novels as good as any by Bernard Cornwell or Conn Iggulden. I have read 100'a of historical books and these are superb!
They will suit anyone who loves a good historical movie!
Only given 5 ***** as I couldn't give more. Well done.
December 9, 2020
A hungry boy with a bow and a series is born
The Roland Inness books are such a gift to readers who love historical fiction and all ages will appreciate the thoughtful character development and historical background that is the basis for each story. I think Disney needs to make a television series out of these remarkable medieval tales. There is a lot of violence and deception, but these are overshadowed by the main characters who are trustworthy, honest, thoughtful, strong, determined and accomplished. Aren't these the traits we need for our youth in the difficult times we live in today?
The Roland Inness books are such a gift to readers who love historical fiction and all ages will appreciate the thoughtful character development and historical background that is the basis for each story. I think Disney needs to make a television series out of these remarkable medieval tales. There is a lot of violence and deception, but these are overshadowed by the main characters who are trustworthy, honest, thoughtful, strong, determined and accomplished. Aren't these the traits we need for our youth in the difficult times we live in today?
March 25, 2021
Always an entertaining read
Having now read the entire Roland Inness Saga, as well as literally hundreds of works of historical fiction focused on a five-century time frame between 900-1300, I think I can safely proclaim Wayne Grant my king of the time period. If you really want to nitpick, his characters are maybe a bit too polarized (his villains lacking a hint of empathy and his heroes a bit too noble), but the man can flat tell a riveting story. No Country No King was an excellent first edition of the Inness legacy continued in America (two generations later). Definitely hope there's more to come in that series!
Having now read the entire Roland Inness Saga, as well as literally hundreds of works of historical fiction focused on a five-century time frame between 900-1300, I think I can safely proclaim Wayne Grant my king of the time period. If you really want to nitpick, his characters are maybe a bit too polarized (his villains lacking a hint of empathy and his heroes a bit too noble), but the man can flat tell a riveting story. No Country No King was an excellent first edition of the Inness legacy continued in America (two generations later). Definitely hope there's more to come in that series!
March 6, 2023
Exceptional
I wasn’t going to read the first book Longbow but I thought I’d whilst waiting for my hip operation , and I can honestly say was the best decision I made the books are amazing the characters you believe in and though there are sad deaths that make you go noooo the rest of the book will build you up again
Thoroughly recommend these books you won’t be disappointed only when you finish them all and want more but there isn’t any , make sure when you read the last book you read everything after there’s a clue there that might make you realise who this author might be !
Thank you for writing these exceptional books they were amazing
I wasn’t going to read the first book Longbow but I thought I’d whilst waiting for my hip operation , and I can honestly say was the best decision I made the books are amazing the characters you believe in and though there are sad deaths that make you go noooo the rest of the book will build you up again
Thoroughly recommend these books you won’t be disappointed only when you finish them all and want more but there isn’t any , make sure when you read the last book you read everything after there’s a clue there that might make you realise who this author might be !
Thank you for writing these exceptional books they were amazing
April 9, 2020
I've enjoyed every book in this series. I connect with direct, no-frills writing styles like Wayne Grant. His knowledge of warfare in those bygone times is both starkly portrayed and realistic. I've put him on a pedestal along with other authors like Matthew Harffy, David Gilpin, Ian Ross, Bernard Cornwell and Conn Iggulden. Farewell Sir Roland and Sir Declan and Millicent plus the mighty Invalid Company.
August 3, 2021
Satisfying conclusion
I enjoyed the characters Grant created, particularly Inness and O'Duinne. The series properly tracked the maturation of all characters and continuity between instalments was believable. And I have to agree with Grant's conclusion that continuing the series beyond 1299 (after Richard's death) would not have made for enjoyable reading, especially as it relates to these characters.
Will I read the next series (Inness Legacy)? More than likely.
I enjoyed the characters Grant created, particularly Inness and O'Duinne. The series properly tracked the maturation of all characters and continuity between instalments was believable. And I have to agree with Grant's conclusion that continuing the series beyond 1299 (after Richard's death) would not have made for enjoyable reading, especially as it relates to these characters.
Will I read the next series (Inness Legacy)? More than likely.
September 19, 2021
A fast paced action book series with a well developed setting (based loosely on actual English history), and realistic characters with foibles, emotions and unique identities. The books were easy reading and fun. Each book had a satisfying conclusion and could be read alone or better after the previous book in the series. Recommended.
November 10, 2022
Terrific Series Concludes
I'm really going to miss this rich assortment of characters that carried the readers through six terrific novels full of intrigue, treachery, ambition and greed of many offset by the honor, loyalty, and heroism by a significant few. The concept and development of "the invalids" was particularly impressive.👏👏
I'm really going to miss this rich assortment of characters that carried the readers through six terrific novels full of intrigue, treachery, ambition and greed of many offset by the honor, loyalty, and heroism by a significant few. The concept and development of "the invalids" was particularly impressive.👏👏
May 8, 2020
Sad to finish the series...it was a good one.
Great finale to a very engaging series. Great characters, deplorable and guys, and just enough historical content to recreate the era. Hoping Grant has more books.
Great finale to a very engaging series. Great characters, deplorable and guys, and just enough historical content to recreate the era. Hoping Grant has more books.
May 26, 2020
A fun story to read
I love books about long bows and this period in history This by far is one of the better ones I also love strong characters and friendships with a sense of honor. I strongly recommend this book Great read!
I love books about long bows and this period in history This by far is one of the better ones I also love strong characters and friendships with a sense of honor. I strongly recommend this book Great read!
January 22, 2021
Loved it!
Mr. Grant, I was completely blown away by this series! I laughed, cried and cheered through every book. Declan and his totally Irish temperament had me giggling. Thank you so much for the adventures.
Mr. Grant, I was completely blown away by this series! I laughed, cried and cheered through every book. Declan and his totally Irish temperament had me giggling. Thank you so much for the adventures.
March 3, 2021
Totally Brilliant
Read the series twice, still amazing. Excellent storyline. Action packed throughout. You actually live through the characters. I will be extremely sad should this be the final book in the series. Thank you.
Read the series twice, still amazing. Excellent storyline. Action packed throughout. You actually live through the characters. I will be extremely sad should this be the final book in the series. Thank you.
April 7, 2020
Bittersweet
I loved The Saga of Roland Inness and hated for it to end. I cared for so many of the characters and despised a few as well. I will miss them but never forget them.
I loved The Saga of Roland Inness and hated for it to end. I cared for so many of the characters and despised a few as well. I will miss them but never forget them.
January 16, 2021
A fitting ending to a great series. All I can say is wow. All 7 novels held me captive. I am sad to see Roland's adventures come to an end. Great writing, characters, battles, ets.....
January 25, 2022
The "rousing finale" felt flat to me.
April 17, 2022
loved the whole series
loved the whole series and will have to read again at some point, looking forward to more from this author
loved the whole series and will have to read again at some point, looking forward to more from this author
October 13, 2022
Absolutely loved it. Need a book 8, 9.. 20 built around Oren and Finn
November 11, 2023
A fitting conclusion to an excellent series
Thank you Wayne Grant for taking liberties with history to make a brilliant tale. I shall wait a while and reread the whole lot.
Thank you Wayne Grant for taking liberties with history to make a brilliant tale. I shall wait a while and reread the whole lot.
March 9, 2024
A wonderful conclusion to a great series. My only complaint is there are not more books to read. I do hope Wayne does decide to revisit a much older Roland again one day as he hinted he might.
November 25, 2024
Great
It all come together and family and comrades are like the best in families. Very good reading hope you enjoy
It all come together and family and comrades are like the best in families. Very good reading hope you enjoy
November 30, 2024
- a really good series after the first book.
November 1, 2019
This is not my favorite book of the series at all, but it is still important.
When I first began, I felt frustrated - I can’t stand Richard the Lion-sized Ego-hearted. He may have been a great warrior, but he was a rotten king unworthy of leading anyone. The same goes for Phillip.
France and England both needed a good spanking and to learn the meaning of “mind your own business”. I spent hours of my childhood knee deep in history books recounting their various wars and I am unimpressed.
It makes me sick in my soul to think about the millions upon millions of precious lives lost at the expense of someone else’s carnality. Some wars are absolutely necessary to protect freedom and family (like WWII), others are a gut wrenching waste of the most precious gift - life.
Mr. Grant has through the character of Roland given us a heartbreaking view into the lives of those who lived in this dark time when the strong preyed upon the weak and took whatever they wanted, not caring about the cost.
Why send Roland to France? This is the LAST book in the series, isn’t this a bit of a distraction? At first I was very focused on the setting (a setting that already angers me), but Grant has earned my trust, so I continued. And then I began to understand - the answer is in the title.
This is the last chapter of Roland, this is the summation of his story. And this is the character of Roland summed up in one word - honorable.
Throughout all of the moments horrific chaos Roland is thrust into against his choice, he often comes back to One Event that set things in motion to lead him down the path of a warrior.
A noble hearted boy made a choice to hunt an illegal deer in order to feed the family that he loves. He chose to do the right thing in the face of horrible circumstances - famine - and in the face of potential consequences.
He lost his father, but he never lost himself.
I can’t imagine living in Roland’s world, he rarely gets a chance to choose his circumstances. He goes through hell multiple times. He loses people he loves. He faces cold, heat, injury, exhaustion, fear, hunger, and being away from his loved ones over and over again.
And over and over again, despite his rotten circumstances, Roland stays honorable. He understands honor in a time when men boasted about it and then trampled it under their warhorses. He protects the weak, encourages the broken, maintains fair justice, uses self control, and does not make decisions out of pride or ego. He is the embodiment of a good leader, humble and intent upon helping those who follow him to rise ever higher. When someone is in need he is there.
This marks Roland’s entire journey, this marks him as a man. A series of moment by moment decisions to do the right thing when it would be so easy not to. To remain humble and teachable. To give second chances. To keep going when others would want to quit. To embrace and celebrate a good moment instead of letting fear and anger steal it from him.
His honor does not leave him in the dust, it makes room for him. He stands before kings and mighty rulers. He makes friends where others would make enemies. He restores instead of breaking.
And it all comes back around full circle to him in this book. In his times of need, Roland’s choice to do the right thing always paves the way for help to come, for a door to open.
Roland stands apart as someone who can be counted upon, and the investment he has sown into others he reaps in full in this book.
Even his final decision to kill De Ferrars (Yeah, spoiler alert but it’s not like we didn’t all know that was gonna happen) comes from a desire to love and protect.
Roland had chosen for the sake of his family to release his desire for revenge - again, honorable - but his enemy makes it apparent that Roland has no choice but end him permanently for the SAKE of the Inness family. He ends De Ferrars for that reason.
Many characters get termed “heroes” who are not worthy of that title. God’s grace can save anyone, but good night! No one should be looking to these types of people/characters as role models.
Roland is truly a character worthy of being a role model. He is honorable, he is kind, he is just. And I am going to miss him.
A Question Of Honor - well done, Roland. Well done.
When I first began, I felt frustrated - I can’t stand Richard the Lion-sized Ego-hearted. He may have been a great warrior, but he was a rotten king unworthy of leading anyone. The same goes for Phillip.
France and England both needed a good spanking and to learn the meaning of “mind your own business”. I spent hours of my childhood knee deep in history books recounting their various wars and I am unimpressed.
It makes me sick in my soul to think about the millions upon millions of precious lives lost at the expense of someone else’s carnality. Some wars are absolutely necessary to protect freedom and family (like WWII), others are a gut wrenching waste of the most precious gift - life.
Mr. Grant has through the character of Roland given us a heartbreaking view into the lives of those who lived in this dark time when the strong preyed upon the weak and took whatever they wanted, not caring about the cost.
Why send Roland to France? This is the LAST book in the series, isn’t this a bit of a distraction? At first I was very focused on the setting (a setting that already angers me), but Grant has earned my trust, so I continued. And then I began to understand - the answer is in the title.
This is the last chapter of Roland, this is the summation of his story. And this is the character of Roland summed up in one word - honorable.
Throughout all of the moments horrific chaos Roland is thrust into against his choice, he often comes back to One Event that set things in motion to lead him down the path of a warrior.
A noble hearted boy made a choice to hunt an illegal deer in order to feed the family that he loves. He chose to do the right thing in the face of horrible circumstances - famine - and in the face of potential consequences.
He lost his father, but he never lost himself.
I can’t imagine living in Roland’s world, he rarely gets a chance to choose his circumstances. He goes through hell multiple times. He loses people he loves. He faces cold, heat, injury, exhaustion, fear, hunger, and being away from his loved ones over and over again.
And over and over again, despite his rotten circumstances, Roland stays honorable. He understands honor in a time when men boasted about it and then trampled it under their warhorses. He protects the weak, encourages the broken, maintains fair justice, uses self control, and does not make decisions out of pride or ego. He is the embodiment of a good leader, humble and intent upon helping those who follow him to rise ever higher. When someone is in need he is there.
This marks Roland’s entire journey, this marks him as a man. A series of moment by moment decisions to do the right thing when it would be so easy not to. To remain humble and teachable. To give second chances. To keep going when others would want to quit. To embrace and celebrate a good moment instead of letting fear and anger steal it from him.
His honor does not leave him in the dust, it makes room for him. He stands before kings and mighty rulers. He makes friends where others would make enemies. He restores instead of breaking.
And it all comes back around full circle to him in this book. In his times of need, Roland’s choice to do the right thing always paves the way for help to come, for a door to open.
Roland stands apart as someone who can be counted upon, and the investment he has sown into others he reaps in full in this book.
Even his final decision to kill De Ferrars (Yeah, spoiler alert but it’s not like we didn’t all know that was gonna happen) comes from a desire to love and protect.
Roland had chosen for the sake of his family to release his desire for revenge - again, honorable - but his enemy makes it apparent that Roland has no choice but end him permanently for the SAKE of the Inness family. He ends De Ferrars for that reason.
Many characters get termed “heroes” who are not worthy of that title. God’s grace can save anyone, but good night! No one should be looking to these types of people/characters as role models.
Roland is truly a character worthy of being a role model. He is honorable, he is kind, he is just. And I am going to miss him.
A Question Of Honor - well done, Roland. Well done.
May 12, 2020
Review
One of the finest historical archery based series I have read. Accurate from a Boyer perspective and historically within broad general framework.
One of the finest historical archery based series I have read. Accurate from a Boyer perspective and historically within broad general framework.
November 2, 2020
Amazing book and a great end to the sieres.
October 27, 2019
I'm going to miss Sir Roland and Sir Declan
I've truly enjoyed this series-- the Saga -- and am rather sad to see it end. Grant writes beautifully, believably, and compellingly about a truly fascinating historical epoch populated by amazing personages -- some heroic, some dastardly, but all of them larger than life. I will miss the de Lavals and the Invalid Company. But I eagerly await Wayne Grant's next literary work, as it's guaranteed to be a truly great read!
I've truly enjoyed this series-- the Saga -- and am rather sad to see it end. Grant writes beautifully, believably, and compellingly about a truly fascinating historical epoch populated by amazing personages -- some heroic, some dastardly, but all of them larger than life. I will miss the de Lavals and the Invalid Company. But I eagerly await Wayne Grant's next literary work, as it's guaranteed to be a truly great read!
November 3, 2019
End of a satisfying saga
I have enjoyed this series of books. Roland Innes and his companions will live on in my memory until Mr Grant write another installment. His characters are believable and !likeable and the villain s are despicable. The time period is an exciting one.If you want your teenagers to find an exciting series to get lost in, I recommend this one.
I have enjoyed this series of books. Roland Innes and his companions will live on in my memory until Mr Grant write another installment. His characters are believable and !likeable and the villain s are despicable. The time period is an exciting one.If you want your teenagers to find an exciting series to get lost in, I recommend this one.
December 18, 2020
Great book, Great series!
Wayne Grant surely knows how to write a book that will keep you engrossed and capture your heart with his characters. He makes you feel like you’re right there with Roland. Enjoyed the whole series very much. Thank you Wayne Grant!
Wayne Grant surely knows how to write a book that will keep you engrossed and capture your heart with his characters. He makes you feel like you’re right there with Roland. Enjoyed the whole series very much. Thank you Wayne Grant!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews