The Tavern Knight by Rafael Sabatini Annotated

The Tavern Knight is a 1904 historical adventure novel written by the British-Italian writer Rafael Sabatini. It is set during the English Civil Wars.The Tavern Knight is Crispin Galliard, a soldier with a rough reputation who finally gets a long-awaited shot at vengeance after helping Charles II escape the forces of Oliver Cromwell.People new to Sabatini should start with Captain Blood or maybe Mistress Wilding. This is one of his earliest books, and while I enjoyed it, it's not up to the other things I've read by him so far.The start is jumpy, the characters aren't very likable, and you can see the plot twists coming. The ending is mean and convenient, and I can't understand why anyone would fall in love with the female lead. The book gives one character an easy way out rather than the confrontation that the reader expects.But I still love Sabatini's style, and the book was fun for me on that level. It's well-paced historical adventure with a few nice introspective moments and plenty of action. And there's something to be said for a book that, even when you know what's about to happen, can still make you gasp out loud when your suspicions are confirmed.