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Lord Edward's Archer #6
Wallace's War
Gerald Warbow wants nothing more than to enjoy, as his grey hairs grow, to enjoy his life as a landowner, father and grandfather but King Edward 1st needs his master archer and even though the Scots had been defeated at Dunbar, Warbow and his men go off to Flanders to fight the French. When Sir Andrew Murray and William Wallace inflict a humiliating defeat on the Earl of Surrey at Stirling Bridge then Gerald Warbow is sent to begin the war that will see the Scottish and English armies clash at Falkirk.
289 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 25, 2022
130 people are currently reading
69 people want to read
About the author
Griff Hosker
309 books431 followersI was born in 1950 in Lancashire and attended a boy’s grammar school. After qualifying as an English and Drama teacher in 1972, I worked in the North East of England for the next 35 years. During that time I did write, mainly plays, pantos and musicals for the students at the three schools in which I worked.
When I stopped teaching I set up my own consultancy firm and worked as an adviser in schools and colleges in the North East of England. The new Conservative Government ended that avenue of work and in 2010 I found that I had time on my hands; having started work at the age of 15 I found the lack of work not to my liking and used the time to research the Roman invasion of Britain and begin to create a novel. The result was The Sword of Cartimandua.
My decision to begin writing was one of the best I have ever taken.
griff-signature-360x57
When I stopped teaching I set up my own consultancy firm and worked as an adviser in schools and colleges in the North East of England. The new Conservative Government ended that avenue of work and in 2010 I found that I had time on my hands; having started work at the age of 15 I found the lack of work not to my liking and used the time to research the Roman invasion of Britain and begin to create a novel. The result was The Sword of Cartimandua.
My decision to begin writing was one of the best I have ever taken.
griff-signature-360x57
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 26, 2024
I continue with my binge-reading of King Edward’s reign as told by his (fictitious) war companion and chief strategist when the arrows begin to fly. I will let a selection of quotations give you a sense of what was happening and how Hosker chooses to tell his story.
"The nagging doubt that sometimes woke me in the night was that King Edward had not completed his task in Scotland. After Dunbar would have been the time to complete his conquest of that land. He had taken the stone of Scone but the vast majority of Scotland was still without the iron grip of English-manned castles. Had King Edward made a rare mistake?"
"I never enjoy being on campaign abroad nor do I like the muster. We shall not be the first to arrive and those that have will have secured both the best camps and the best grazing. We may well have to cool our heels whilst we await some tardy lord and then we have to load our horses on the cogs that will be there. That is never easy and there is always a risk that we lose a horse or two. While they will be replaced by the king’s officers, none of them will be as good as the ones we have. When we do land in Flanders then we will have to use tents or hovels.” I leaned over to him, “Jack, I am now an old man who does not like to sleep on the ground. I will be both irritable and unreasonable. I warn you now because I know that I will not be able to control my bad moods. Know that my words will be harsh but they are just a means of venting my anger.” “You are not old, Sir Gerald. You draw a bow as well as the best of your men and I know that any harsh words you use will not be intended to hurt. That is not your way.”"
You can tell by the book’s title what you are in for…the last major conflict for an independent Scotland. But the difference in Hosker's retelling is that you get a view from the daily life of ordinary people. In some ways it is similar to Cornwell's Sharpe series, in that we see the gritty things, not just the great strategic decisions. I have enjoyed the details of everyday life that he includes.
"“We have free rein to do as we wish and I intend to ride hard for Fruges when we land.” Gwillim, Mordaf’s deputy, looked dubious, “The horses will just have landed after a sea voyage of what might be a couple of days. Will they be ready, my lord?” “We have at least a week here and we can make them ready. Water them, graze them and groom them. Speed is our only chance. We have to take two villages and take them quickly. The priorities are to lose neither man nor horse and to gather and gain as many horses as we can.” Jack had been listening and he asked, “Why the need for horses, my lord? Surely, we will have to lead them.” Mordaf looked on Jack as a son he might have had and was more patient than I was. He explained, “We deny the French horses and that will delay pursuit as well as news of our presence. Secondly, it gives us animals to take plunder. From what Sir Gerald has said we can take and keep what we like. That part of France is rich and we will take not only purses but goods that can be sold back in England.”"
"He leaned in while waving an arm in the direction of King Edward’s Headquarters, “There are too many pretty knights with the king. They wear fine mail and have colourful liveries but you and Guy reek of war and they do not.”"
"“This William Wallace is unpredictable. We found that when we hunted him. He has a natural cunning and, it seems to me he has the ability to use the land as an ally. The king should be here. We cannot stop Wallace. All we can do is annoy him. We poke him with a stick and hope we can get out of his way when he reacts.”"
"Some of my archers were doing as I had done and were hurling rocks to break the ladders. The wisdom of building a wall eight paces high was now clearly to be seen. The ladders that the Scots were using could not cope with the weight of mailed men and were breaking under the weight."
I should mention before closing that there are many characters involved in these tales but Hosker takes the time and has the skill to make what they say (and how they say it) characteristic of that person, his class, and vocation. Brilliant!
"I will take Jack and go with William and Edward. If we need you, I shall send Jack back to you.” I saw my son’s face frown, “Is this well done, father? There are others who could do this. William and Edward are more than capable of discovering if you are right.” “Aye, my lord, we have crept into the camp before and we can do so again.”" “No, Edward, I shall be with you. Fate threw Wallace and me together in the forest north of Carlisle and I will not be the one who severs the thread that binds us together. All will be well. Now, do as I command.”
"The nagging doubt that sometimes woke me in the night was that King Edward had not completed his task in Scotland. After Dunbar would have been the time to complete his conquest of that land. He had taken the stone of Scone but the vast majority of Scotland was still without the iron grip of English-manned castles. Had King Edward made a rare mistake?"
"I never enjoy being on campaign abroad nor do I like the muster. We shall not be the first to arrive and those that have will have secured both the best camps and the best grazing. We may well have to cool our heels whilst we await some tardy lord and then we have to load our horses on the cogs that will be there. That is never easy and there is always a risk that we lose a horse or two. While they will be replaced by the king’s officers, none of them will be as good as the ones we have. When we do land in Flanders then we will have to use tents or hovels.” I leaned over to him, “Jack, I am now an old man who does not like to sleep on the ground. I will be both irritable and unreasonable. I warn you now because I know that I will not be able to control my bad moods. Know that my words will be harsh but they are just a means of venting my anger.” “You are not old, Sir Gerald. You draw a bow as well as the best of your men and I know that any harsh words you use will not be intended to hurt. That is not your way.”"
You can tell by the book’s title what you are in for…the last major conflict for an independent Scotland. But the difference in Hosker's retelling is that you get a view from the daily life of ordinary people. In some ways it is similar to Cornwell's Sharpe series, in that we see the gritty things, not just the great strategic decisions. I have enjoyed the details of everyday life that he includes.
"“We have free rein to do as we wish and I intend to ride hard for Fruges when we land.” Gwillim, Mordaf’s deputy, looked dubious, “The horses will just have landed after a sea voyage of what might be a couple of days. Will they be ready, my lord?” “We have at least a week here and we can make them ready. Water them, graze them and groom them. Speed is our only chance. We have to take two villages and take them quickly. The priorities are to lose neither man nor horse and to gather and gain as many horses as we can.” Jack had been listening and he asked, “Why the need for horses, my lord? Surely, we will have to lead them.” Mordaf looked on Jack as a son he might have had and was more patient than I was. He explained, “We deny the French horses and that will delay pursuit as well as news of our presence. Secondly, it gives us animals to take plunder. From what Sir Gerald has said we can take and keep what we like. That part of France is rich and we will take not only purses but goods that can be sold back in England.”"
"He leaned in while waving an arm in the direction of King Edward’s Headquarters, “There are too many pretty knights with the king. They wear fine mail and have colourful liveries but you and Guy reek of war and they do not.”"
"“This William Wallace is unpredictable. We found that when we hunted him. He has a natural cunning and, it seems to me he has the ability to use the land as an ally. The king should be here. We cannot stop Wallace. All we can do is annoy him. We poke him with a stick and hope we can get out of his way when he reacts.”"
"Some of my archers were doing as I had done and were hurling rocks to break the ladders. The wisdom of building a wall eight paces high was now clearly to be seen. The ladders that the Scots were using could not cope with the weight of mailed men and were breaking under the weight."
I should mention before closing that there are many characters involved in these tales but Hosker takes the time and has the skill to make what they say (and how they say it) characteristic of that person, his class, and vocation. Brilliant!
"I will take Jack and go with William and Edward. If we need you, I shall send Jack back to you.” I saw my son’s face frown, “Is this well done, father? There are others who could do this. William and Edward are more than capable of discovering if you are right.” “Aye, my lord, we have crept into the camp before and we can do so again.”" “No, Edward, I shall be with you. Fate threw Wallace and me together in the forest north of Carlisle and I will not be the one who severs the thread that binds us together. All will be well. Now, do as I command.”
February 3, 2023
Excellent!!
This is an incredibly good story that is of the quality that almost forced me to continue reading.
The action was frequent and well-written. The pace slowed outside of the action, but still kept me reading. It was quite the equal to the best of the series so far.
Enjoy gentle reader but let the blood get up and remember there is always someone willing to take what you don’t protect!
This is an incredibly good story that is of the quality that almost forced me to continue reading.
The action was frequent and well-written. The pace slowed outside of the action, but still kept me reading. It was quite the equal to the best of the series so far.
Enjoy gentle reader but let the blood get up and remember there is always someone willing to take what you don’t protect!
February 13, 2023
Poor Gerald Warbow, he is getting old and yet King Edward I continues to make demands of him and both Scots and Welsh are revolting, yet again.
Knees that ache, a back that hates long rides on a horse and a new appreciation of taking an afternoon nanny-nap: oh I know the feeling and sympathise. No wonder King Edward’s archer is becoming so cynical, especially when the King ignores his warnings of simmering Scottish issues and goes off to make war in Flanders for what looks like prestige (the wool trade may have something to do with this intervention against French incursions into the lowlands, but Warbow shews no sign of seeing that).
This is the sixth in the series and is as enjoyable as the previous five. Over the series we have seen the hero grown and mature as an archer, a man, a husband and father and as a lord. I have great pleasure every time I get another Warbow book though, as he is now in his late 50s, I know that there will be a limit to how many more books the series will contain.
As a person who re-enacts as an English archer I often have problems with books that deal with the topic as the authors so often get it wrong. This is not so with Griff Hosker who knows what he is talking about, even down to the frequency hempen bowstrings had to be replaced. If he ever comes to New Zealand I hope he has the time to drop in at my butts and bend a bow with me. So, Hosker gets it right with the archery: I just wish the cover reflected this. As with some of the others in the series the cover shews a modern looking recurve bow rather than an English war bow – this one even has some very strange arrows and has them in a case attached to the bow. They say never judge a book by its cover, and this is so with this book.
William Wallace has been defeated at the Battle of Falkirk where cavalry threatened the Scottish schiltrons to stay put whilst the archers destroyed them but, despite Warbow and his men hunting him and the remnants of his army, he has escaped to France. We know he will return and, so, Gerald Warbow will fight again: I can’t wait.
Knees that ache, a back that hates long rides on a horse and a new appreciation of taking an afternoon nanny-nap: oh I know the feeling and sympathise. No wonder King Edward’s archer is becoming so cynical, especially when the King ignores his warnings of simmering Scottish issues and goes off to make war in Flanders for what looks like prestige (the wool trade may have something to do with this intervention against French incursions into the lowlands, but Warbow shews no sign of seeing that).
This is the sixth in the series and is as enjoyable as the previous five. Over the series we have seen the hero grown and mature as an archer, a man, a husband and father and as a lord. I have great pleasure every time I get another Warbow book though, as he is now in his late 50s, I know that there will be a limit to how many more books the series will contain.
As a person who re-enacts as an English archer I often have problems with books that deal with the topic as the authors so often get it wrong. This is not so with Griff Hosker who knows what he is talking about, even down to the frequency hempen bowstrings had to be replaced. If he ever comes to New Zealand I hope he has the time to drop in at my butts and bend a bow with me. So, Hosker gets it right with the archery: I just wish the cover reflected this. As with some of the others in the series the cover shews a modern looking recurve bow rather than an English war bow – this one even has some very strange arrows and has them in a case attached to the bow. They say never judge a book by its cover, and this is so with this book.
William Wallace has been defeated at the Battle of Falkirk where cavalry threatened the Scottish schiltrons to stay put whilst the archers destroyed them but, despite Warbow and his men hunting him and the remnants of his army, he has escaped to France. We know he will return and, so, Gerald Warbow will fight again: I can’t wait.
January 15, 2024
This book was nonstop action and intrigue! The storyline of this book puts the reader in the middle of the Wallace uprising, and how important this attempt at regaining Scottish indepenence from British rule was to both Scots, and to King Edward, who spent years fighting the Scots. Sir Gerald gets dragged all over at the whim of Edward, but always gets the job done, and gains more fame and reward for his and his army of archers. A well written and researched book, that was fun to read!
December 18, 2022
Warbow
One of my favorite characters rides again! Lord Edwards Archer Gerald Warbow, has a amazing respect from his men an its the way he treats them. No matter what be falls him, he stands tall cause he is Sir Gerald an BA KS down from no man. It's fantastic how Griff Hosker brings this amazing archer to life.
Waiting for the next installment!!!
One of my favorite characters rides again! Lord Edwards Archer Gerald Warbow, has a amazing respect from his men an its the way he treats them. No matter what be falls him, he stands tall cause he is Sir Gerald an BA KS down from no man. It's fantastic how Griff Hosker brings this amazing archer to life.
Waiting for the next installment!!!
December 23, 2022
Capable
Continuing the story of Gerald Warbow, told in the first person narrative. I like the theme of this story, a part of our history that has been grossly misrepresented by other mediums. A few grammatical errors were not enough to spoil the read!
Continuing the story of Gerald Warbow, told in the first person narrative. I like the theme of this story, a part of our history that has been grossly misrepresented by other mediums. A few grammatical errors were not enough to spoil the read!
January 17, 2023
Historical errors
Too many historical errors. Examples:
1. Why were Scots in Bernicia speaking Gaelic and not ingles.
2. What was Sir William Wallace's connection to Galloway?
3. Richard I was not the grandsire of Edward I
Too many historical errors. Examples:
1. Why were Scots in Bernicia speaking Gaelic and not ingles.
2. What was Sir William Wallace's connection to Galloway?
3. Richard I was not the grandsire of Edward I
March 8, 2023
Another Hosker Masterstroke
Do you like to be in story with the characters? Do you love a rousing story the invites you in, keeps you involved, and teaches you all at the same time?
If so this story series is written just for you.
Griff Hosker is truly a Master Storyteller!!
Do you like to be in story with the characters? Do you love a rousing story the invites you in, keeps you involved, and teaches you all at the same time?
If so this story series is written just for you.
Griff Hosker is truly a Master Storyteller!!
August 27, 2025
On going saga of Gerald Warbow and his continuing efforts on behalf of King Edward. This book covers a plethora of arena of conflicts at the time. Flanders, Scotland and once again those pesky Welsh. Good read and encourages one to read on so you have to get The Hunt which is book 7 in the series.
January 11, 2023
Another great installment
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Every bit as good as the earlier ones of the series. And the ending implies there will be more to enjoy.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Every bit as good as the earlier ones of the series. And the ending implies there will be more to enjoy.
July 5, 2023
Have just devoured the whole series, one after the other. Fantastic reading
November 3, 2023
Great series
Really a good book. Makes you think you are there . A good look at life and war at that time in history.
Really a good book. Makes you think you are there . A good look at life and war at that time in history.
December 28, 2023
Great story
As usual a great storyline and well written.
Always waiting for the next book to continue the saga of Sir Gerald.
As usual a great storyline and well written.
Always waiting for the next book to continue the saga of Sir Gerald.
October 18, 2024
loving this series
Just waiting for the next adventure of Gerald Warbow. Wonder how many volumes this can stretched to? Not complaining at all
Just waiting for the next adventure of Gerald Warbow. Wonder how many volumes this can stretched to? Not complaining at all
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews