The Banneret’s Blade: Trouble Brewing
Sir Roger de Bohun, the main character in Rothschild’s gripping and well-told novel, is a “banneret” (“a knight entitled to bring his vassals to the battlefield under his own banner,” according to the author) in the service of England’s King Edward III when the narrative opens in 1338 at the start of the Hundred Years War. Sir Roger has endured a fairly stressful relationship with the king, but as Rothschild’s story unfolds, the banneret is now a powerful and adventurous errand-runner, pursuing the king’s business (and the occasional romantic sub-plot) with military prowess and gruff humor through England, France, and Germany as international tensions continue to mount toward war. The author has done a large amount of period research, and his characters – especially Sir Roger himself – are very effectively brought to life as they (in Rothschild’s words) “ate and dressed and fought and farted.”
This is action-oriented historical fiction very much in the Bernard Cornwell vein, presented with irresistible vigor and wry humor. Strongly recommended.
