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Sara Douglass
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The Wounded Hawk (The Crucible Series Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Sara Douglass (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 65 ratings

The Middle Ages. Finally, the Black Plague has passed and for a while it seems evil has been defeated. Europe recovers; prosperity returns, trade resumes, and people slowly recover from the effects of the plague. Then, just as the Church relaxes its guard, war spreads across Europe. Widespread heresies challenge the authority of the Church. Revolts and rebellions threaten to topple the established monarchies and overturn the social order of Europe. And then the plague returns, worse than ever.

Thomas Neville, a neurotic warrior-priest, eventually discovers the cause. The minions of the Devil have been scattered throughout European society during the confusion of the Black Death. His task is to discover the identities of these shapeshifters so that the Church can move against them, but it is a dangerous task. These are master shapeshifters, perfect at their craft, and Neville can never be certain of who he should trust.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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  1. Print length
    628 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tor Books
  4. Publication date
    April 1, 2007
  5. File size
    3.5 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Australian author Douglass's engrossing second volume in her historical fantasy trilogy (after 2004's The Nameless Day), simmering conflict between the lower classes and the gentry bursts into open revolt and sweeps across 14th-century Europe. At the center of the clash is Thomas Neville, former Dominican priest and chosen favorite of the Archangel Michael, who has ordered Thomas to locate Wynkyn de Worde's casket and use the contents to help defeat the hordes from hell that have invaded the world. Thomas has set aside his calling to the Holy Church to better search for the casket, becoming companion to Prince Henry of Bolingbroke and enemy of Richard II of England, both big players in the unfolding drama. Douglass seamlessly fuses the period's class struggle for freedom against tyranny with a disturbingly vivid look at the ambiguous battle between good and evil. Those who know their medieval history may carp that she takes too many liberties with such figures as John of Gaunt and Joan of Arc, but all will applaud the way she avoids the dull middle-book syndrome that commonly afflicts such series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The second book of the Crucible trilogy picks up where The Nameless Day [BKL Jl 04] left off. In fourteenth-century Europe, the first wave of devastation from the Great Plague is just ending. Soldier-turned-monk Thomas Neville has received his latest marching orders from the Archangel Michael, who has given Neville the divine mission of tracking down an army of demons posing as ordinary human beings and plotting a war on humanity and heaven. Now Neville sheds his cassock to join the ranks of English estate owners and infiltrate the society of power brokers, in which the demons remain cloaked. It is becoming less and less clear whom he can trust, or even whether he is on the right side of good and evil. Douglass puts her Ph.D. in history to good use in skillful attention to period detail and credible medieval action, so that her saga should please fantasy enthusiasts, history buffs, and even fans of the Left Behind series. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003GFIWMO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books (April 1, 2007)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2007
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.5 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 628 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0765342839
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 65 ratings

About the author

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Sara Douglass

Sara Douglass

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Sara Douglass was born in Penola, South Australia, and spent her early working life as a nurse. Rapidly growing tired of starched veils, mitred corners and irascible anaesthetists, she worked her way through three degrees at the University of Adelaide, culminating in a PhD in early modern English history. Sara Douglass currently teaches medieval history of La Trobe University, Bendigo and escapes academia through her writing.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
65 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Dave Potts
    5.0 out of 5 stars Sara Douglass was one of the best in combining history and fantasy in one blockbuster of ...
    Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Sara Douglass was one of the best in combining history and fantasy in one blockbuster of a trilogy. Her combination of medieval English history and apocalyptic fantasy is spellbinding. I highly recommend The Crucible Trilogy to serious fantasy readers. Also check out The Axis and The Wayfarer Redemption Trilogies.
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  • Alfred Schneider
    5.0 out of 5 stars The wounded hawk
    Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Another exciting book by Sara Douglass which once started is near impossible to put down. 2nd part to trilogy looking forward to the 3rd.
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  • Angel of the Springs
    4.0 out of 5 stars Second in the Trilogy
    Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2009
    Verified Purchase
    This is the second in the crucible series. The first was a step beyond reality although the background seems researched well. Honestly it gave me nightmares and I am not prone to them. When I began both books I began the nightmares. I am on the third now and can more see where it is going and the nightmares stopped. I have read Dan Simmons without problem and Steven King and others that should give you nightmares. This book is an alternate reality that is not so far off of the imaginary as to be unbelievable and that it is scary is not a detriment to the book or writer but an accomplishment in making this alternative reality real. I have always believed in the premise that anything that can be humanly imagined can be real. Hopefully, so far this is not, but it is written so well that you start to wonder...
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  • ALE
    5.0 out of 5 stars Love this writer.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Love this writer. Consistently good stories. Shame she died so young.
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  • Rick G.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great trilogy
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Great but you need to read the trilogy in order
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  • AMay
    5.0 out of 5 stars Better Than The First
    Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2005
    This book is absolutly amazing, exciting, beautiful, and deep. I laughed, cried, and got worked up over a charactors behavior. All the same charactors are there and some new ones come along. My personal favorite, who isn;t new but becomes a wonderful part if the story is Catherine. She's strong, independent, and has the grestest guy ever at her side. Then Mary, whom most people feel sorry for just gets annoying in a good way. YOu know she has to be there but you wish she would just go away. Then Neville is still there and jerky as ever. But he does have his sweet moments. The ending only makes me mad because like most books in a series it leaves you hanging. Sarah was brilliant to do that. Now her fans will be more excited to get the next one. For anyone who liked the first book this one will blow you away. Definatly her best book ever.
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  • Kelly (Fantasy Literature)
    3.0 out of 5 stars Better than the first, but not without flaws
    Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2006
    The middle book of the Crucible trilogy is better than the first, but not without its flaws.

    Thomas Neville, our protagonist, is slightly more bearable this time around, having shaken off some of his old vows and old prejudices. It's a beautiful thing watching him come to love his wife Margaret, and reexamine some of his beliefs.

    Meanwhile, Richard II is ruling cruelly and ineptly, Thomas's boyhood friend Bolingbroke is beginning to make his play for the throne, and in France, Joan of Arc urges a reluctant king to act against the English. Douglass has taken some liberties with chronology, but it doesn't matter much, as her timeline works for the story and she explains in a foreword that she *has* used some creative license, so it doesn't jar at all.

    What does jar a bit is the head-hopping; we seem to bounce from POV to POV several times per scene. Also, the scheme that Bolingbroke and Margaret execute, with traumatic results for Margaret, just doesn't quite make sense. I feel like I was supposed to either find it reprehensible or decide it was worth the eventual outcome, but instead? It just doesn't make sense. I can't figure out why these characters would have chosen that route.

    On the positive side: Douglass builds to a big bang here. The secret that Thomas discovers is as shocking as it needs to be, and raises many questions about what will happen in the third book.

    Finally, one more quibble. When Douglass sets her mind to it, she can write gorier scenes than many writers of outright horror. (I'm thinking of the miscarriage from Hades' Daughter.) I got almost to the end of The Wounded Hawk and was pleased to think that she'd kind of toned down the gross-out.

    Then I read the epilogue. Let's just say that Douglass reassigns Edward II's gruesome death to another figure--and describes it. In detail. In excruciating detail. Yes, the guy was a vicious character. But I don't want to read about that happening to *anyone*.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant use of historical facts in a supernatural context
    Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2004
    Thomas Neville, once a priest in the Dominican order, is married to Margaret; they have a daughter he loves dearly, but he doesn't love his wife because the Angel Michael told him she was demon spawn like all daughters of Eve. Thomas' mission is to find Wynkyn de Worde's casket and use the book inside to send the demons back to hell. He doesn't know who to trust but believes King Richard II is a demon and that Duke Hal Bolingbroke, the next in line for the throne, should rule.

    Over time his feelings for his wife turn to love, an emotion that Jesus sanctified in a vision to him. The king and his lover Robbie Devere are bankrupting the country, turning the peasants against him. When the king exiles Bolingbroke without charging him with anything the nobles turn against their monarch as well. Just when it looks like Bolingbroke will achieve his dreams, Thomas learns the secret that he and his wife share that if revealed could cost them both Bolingbroke and Margaret their lives.

    Fans of Judith Tarr's historical fantasies will love THE WOUNDED HAWK, a brilliant epic novel that uses authentic historical facts in a supernatural context. This romantic fantasy answers many of the questions in THE NAMELESS DAY but there are still more yet to be answered in the next book THE CRIPPLED ANGEL. Although not a religious book, the author provides a unique take on angels, demons, Christ and God. The tortured hero is torn between his love for his wife and the veneration of an angel; he knows it is his destiny to choose mankind's path, a decision he fears but will make when the time comes. This superb tale will appeal to speculative fiction readers.

    Harriet Klausner
    7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Janet Jackson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This trilogy is gripping. So many unexpected twists and turns, couldn't put it down.
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  • LYNNE P EBERT
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wow what an imagination
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    A must read, this Lady had a wonderful ideas for a great story. I could not put it down. .
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