Master of War Books

England, 1346: for Thomas Blackstone the choice is easy—dance on the end of a rope for a murder he did not commit, or take up his war bow and join the king's invasion of France.As he fights his way across northern France, Blackstone will learn the brutal lessons of war—from the terror and confusion of his first taste of combat, to the savage realities of siege warfare.Vastly outnumbered, Edward III's army will finally confront the armored might of the French nobility on the field of Crécy. It is a battle that will change the history of warfare, a battle that will change the course of Blackstone's life, a battle that is just the first chapter in a book of legend—Blackstone: Master of War.

'Heart-pounding action' THE TIMES . FRANCE: 1356. Ten years ago, the greatest army in Christendom was slaughtered at Crécy. Archer Thomas Blackstone stood his ground and left that squalid field a knight. He has since carved out a small fiefdom in northern France, but the wounds of war still bleed and a traitor has given the King of France the means to destroy the English knight and his family. As the traitor's net tightens, so the French King's army draws in. Blackstone will stand and fight. He will defy his friends, his family and his king. He may yet defy death, but he can't defy his destiny: MASTER OF WAR .

France, 1356: 10 years ago, the greatest army in Christendom was slaughtered at Crécy when Thomas Blackstone and his fellow archers stood their ground and rained death on the steel-clad might of French chivalry. Blackstone left that squalid field a knight. Now, Blackstone commands a war band and has carved out a small fiefdom in northern France. But the wounds of war still bleed and a traitor has given the King of France the means to destroy first his family, and then the English knight himself. As the traitor's net tightens, so the French King's army draws in. Blackstone will stand and fight—in pitched battle and in single combat. He will defy his friends, his family, and his king. He may yet defy death, but he can't defy his destiny as Blackstone: Master of War.

Provoked by the Dauphin's refusal to honor the terms of his father's surrender, Edward III has invaded France with the greatest army England has ever assembled. But the English lion's attempts to claw the French crown from its master are futile. After defeats at Crecy and Poitiers, the Dauphin will no longer meet the English in the field. Mired down in costly sieges and facing a stalemate, Edward's great army is forced to agree to a treaty. But peace comes at a price. The French request that Blackstone escort their King's daughter to Italy to see her married to one of the two brothers who rule Milan—the same brothers who killed Blackstone's family to revenge the defeats they suffered at his hand. Blackstone, the French are certain, will never leave Milan alive.

Episode five of the gritty historical fiction series, as Thomas Blackstone fights to enforce English rule on France at the height of the Hundred Years' War Winter, 1361. After two decades of conflict, Edward III has finally agreed a treaty with the captive French King, John II. In return for his freedom, John has ceeded vast tracts of territory to the English. But for five long years mercenary bands and belligerent lords have fought over the carcass of his kingdom. They will not give up their hard-won spoils to honour a defeated king's promises. If the English want their prize, they'll have to fight for it. As he battles to enforce Edward's claim, Thomas Blackstone will see his name blackened, his men slaughtered, his family hunted. He will be betrayed and, once again, he'll face the might of the French army on the field. But this time there will be no English army at his back. He'll face the French alone.

The Hundred Years War still rages on and the French army thirsts for Thomas Blackstone's blood. Blackstone battles to strengthen Edwards III's claim to the throne and confronts the might of the French army. But, when his friend turns assassin, Blackstone is faced with an impossible choice: to save the English prince or sacrifice his son. Will he abandon his sworn oath to protect the future King of England? Or will he protect his family at the cost of the nation?

Th seventh installment of David Gilman's gripping chronicle of the Hundred Years' War, following Thomas Blacstone, Edward III's Master of War.

Wartime intrigues in France could spell personal disaster for Sir Thomas Blackstone. The latest gripping adventure in David Gilman's critically acclaimed Master of War series set in fourteenth-century Europe. Bordeaux, 1367. Having angered the bloodthirsty Don Pedro, King of Castile, Sir Thomas Blackstone is thoroughly sick of his mission for the Prince of Wales, but must remain true to his oath. But this is the Hundred Years' War, and tensions are rising once more. With the Prince of Wales deeply unpopular in his Aquitainian lands, Blackstone, King Edward's Master of War, must return to French soil to help stem the tide of support for the King of France. Meanwhile, Henry, Blackstone's son, faces an incognito ride across France with his own motley band of outlaws and mercenaries. But the French are aware of the younger Blackstone's journey, and see a perfect way to target the Master of War… Reviews for David Gilman 'A gripping ride' Wilbur Smith 'Gilman does heart pounding action superlatively' The Times 'A gripping chronicle of pitched battle, treachery and cruelty' Robert Fabbri 'The level of suspense is ratcheted up to a truly brutal level' Sharon Penman

The thrilling new historical adventure in the Master of War series. Sir Thomas Blackstone must travel into enemy lands with a price on his head as he seeks to secure alliances and gold for the Plantagenets' war with France. 1368. Amidst the Hundred Years' War, alliances must be brokered. The Duke of Clarence, second son of King Edward III, journeys from Paris to marry the daughter of the powerful Lord of Milan. Little does he know that he is heading into a trap. Luckily the Duke is preceded on the road to Milan by Sir Thomas Blackstone, Master of War, on an urgent mission of his own. Blackstone must get his hands on the gold the Prince of Wales needs to wage successful war in France. But there is a price on Blackstone's head, and assassins willing to risk everything to claim it before he even gets to Milan. He must outwit a succession of ever deadlier enemies, and the Master of War has other foes to conquer: the ambitions of his son Henry, who has inherited his father's knack of getting into scrapes. Scrapes that could end in a hangman's noose... Reviews for David Gilman 'Page-turning and gritty' Daily Mail 'Heart-pounding action' The Times 'Gripping' Wilbur Smith 'Vivid and inventive' Sunday Times If you're a fan of historical fiction you'll be a fan of David Gilman' Weekend Sport ' Gilman is a master author' Army Rumour Service 'Marvellous. The Hundred Years War brought alive' For Winter Nights