Master of War Series by David Gilman

I confess to not having read the first two in the series when I embarked upon read the third - Gates of the Dead by David Gilman - but found that I could read this one with no trouble (there are hints at Blackstone's background along the way). 

What attracted me to the story was the character of Sir Thomas Blackstone - for me he was a cross between Richard I, Sir John Hawkwood, Sir John Mandeville and William Marshall (plus a few others). All were larger than life men of their times - soldiers, adventurers - where fact was far more interesting than fiction - they were the type of real historical characters that make good fictional ones.

I like epic sagas where the main protagonist embarks on a quest / a mission / revenge for a past wrong. If this is your type of history, then you will enjoy reading this series.

Here is a bit of a synopsis of each book in the series to date:

Master of War - The Blooding:

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 armoured 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.

Master of War - Defiant Unto Death:

The Black Prince has launched a devastating raid deep into France, laying waste to everything in his path. In response, the French have mustered an army that outnumbers the English forces 10 to 1 and and are determined to drive their hated foe from the land after years of bloody conquest.  Sir Thomas Blackstone, the British archer knighted on the field of Crecy, has used the intervening years to forge his own war band and has hacked out his own fiefdom in central France. He knows the English are outnumbered, outmanoeuvred and exhausted... but that will not stop him from fighting his way to one of history's greatest military victories.  But the field of battle is not only arena in which Blackstone will have to fight for his life... Although Poitiers was a great victory for the English its aftermath will cost Blackstone dear.

Master of War - Gate of the Dead:

Tuscany, 1358: Thomas Blackstone has built a formidable reputation in exile, fighting as a mercenary amid the ceaseless internecine warring of Italy's City States. But success has bred many enemies, and when a dying man delivers a message recalling him to England, it seems almost certain to be a trap. Yet Blackstone cannot disobey – the summons is at the Queen's demand.  On his journey, Blackstone will brave the terrors of the High Alps in winter, face the Black Prince in tournament, confront the bloody anarchy of a popular revolt and submit to trial by combat.  And every step of the way, he will be shadowed by a notorious assassin with orders to despatch him to Hell.

Master of War - Viper's Blood:

1360. With the English army at the gates of Paris, Blackstone faces his deadliest mission yet in the fourth instalment of the Master of War.  Edward III has invaded France at the head of the greatest host England has ever assembled. But his attempt to win the French crown is futile. The Dauphin will no longer meet the English in the field and the great army is mired in costly sieges, scavenging supplies from a land ruined by decades of conflict.  Facing a stalemate – or worse – the English are forced to agree 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 he inflicted on them. Blackstone, the French are certain, will never leave Milan alive... 

Master of War - Scourge of Wolves:

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... Thomas Blackstone will 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.