Agincourt

I bought both this and The Archer's Tale after craving good historical fiction and believing the wonderful critic reviews that say Cornwell is one of the best. I wanted good gory military action and riveting characters to root and mourn for when some inevitably die. I don't care as much as some readers do about historical accuracy, so long as I can be immersed, and I actually prefer cursing and grit in my books.Nonetheless, I found this novel tedious and wonder if I read the same book as everyone else. Cornwell's battle scenes are overwhelmingly praised. Why? I found they read more like a step-by-step guide of warfare rather than an immersive gritty experience. Speaking of grit, where was it? The negative reviews claiming this had too much vulgarity and mentions of war crimes and the like is a huge reason I bought it, but other than some references to common war crimes of the 15th century I found little of this. Additionally, Cornwell's character development is sorely lacking; though I've seen the same complaints from other readers in reviews of his other books, I had to mention it here. Nick Hook is about as exciting and interesting as a wet rag. I'll give Cornwell this: he managed to make an archer uninteresting, and I didn't think that was possible. Archers are bad*ss by default.Overall, I really wanted to love this and just couldn't stand it. Cornwell knows his history and weaponry, but because his writing was so tame and uninspired, none of that mattered to me. History is supposed to be exciting. This book was anything but.

While in novel form, this book sticks closely to the history of this battle, well known from its treatment in one of Shakespeare's "histories". The hero, Nick, is actually a real person -- his name was taken from the muster rolls of King Henry's army -- and he was an archer, like the character, but the plot is fictionalized. As in all the author's historical works, there's a historical note at the end that explains just how much is fact and where fiction begins, an excellent expedient for the reader trying to learn history from the novel (not recommended but we are all vulnerable to a well written novel with historical background).English King Henry V decides to invade France and assert his claims to the kingship of that country. He raises an army and lands it in France in the summer of 1415. However, he found the fortified port of Harfleur a tough nut to crack and only captured it after a bloody and protracted siege. A sensible man would have been satisfied with that and turned back, but not Henry! He decided to make a demonstration by marching overland to Calais, British held at the time, and embarking from there. It was on that route that the French interposed a greatly superior force and set the stage for the battle, which turned into a surprise victory for the English and a disaster for the French.Mr. Cornwell creates a gritty and believable account of how that really happened. While in 1415, the Code of Chivalry was still regarded as binding by most soldiers, their actual behavior in battle was brutal. I'm sure that's correct, and it lends credence to the role of archers (not upper crust knights, but more middle class professional soldiers) in the outcome of the battle as well as the slap in the face it became to French notions of warfare.While the book inevitably loses a little suspense to the fact that most readers will recognize that the English won this battle, I found it a readable and engaging account for readers who don't mind explicit accounts of the terrible wounds and suffering experienced by the troops on both sides. The author deploys his usual meticulous research on the weapons and tactics of the period, including early use of siege artillery and one surprise: the French crossbows had performance as good as the English longbows, handicapped only by a lower rate of fire. Why the French didn't make as full use of them as they could have is one factor in how the battle turned out.

Bernard Cornwell does a fine job of personalizing history. He places his central, quite believable character in the middle of the action. He also provides interesting details, such as the aiming and releasing of each arrow. Only a few events are manufactured when needed to explain the course of the battle. I only wish the author would produce more specific histories like this instead of embedding them in his series, which I also enjoy. More maps and illustrations would be useful, especially since skipping back and forth on a Kindle is difficult, nearly impossibleOf course, the writing is biased. We are encouraged to believe the English are in the right and everything works out in the end.

To start, no one writes battle scenes better than Bernard Cornwell. Agincourt is no exception. The fascinating and fast-paced story of Nick Hook is a terrific read. The character starts the novel believing that he is cursed, and his actions throughout the story prove not only his redemption but that he has the favor of the two saints whose feast day Shakespeare made famous. With that said, Cornwell maintains a much warmer regard for Christianity here than in the Last Kingdom Series. (A change of pace that I enjoyed.) In all, I highly recommend this book and Cornwell as an author. This is a great take on one of the most glorious battles in all of British history.

I love reading historical fiction and this must be the best book of its kind out there. Cornwell has written many first class stories but this one took his writing to a whole new level. I bought Azincourt in paperback several years ago but had to add it to my kindle as well. The story is well known but the author puts his own spin on it to make it new and fresh and looking at it through the eyes of a simple archer puts a whole new slant on the story. The characters come alive for you and the battle scenes draw you in as if you were watching the fighting instead of just reading it. If you love historical fiction ( or even if you don't ) buy this book today it is absolutely fabulous.

I was really drawn to the story. One lucky life of medieval soldier among carnage of 100 years war. I enjoyed every minute of it. Book is written in light style even though it is a bit short on personal description. I know that time was horrific by our standards but can not believe a half of village were bastards of local squire. War was opportunity to get on with life and reach higher in society. It was a risky life. Everything in life is matter of split second and may be one wrong decision. There are no second chances.

A compelling fictionalised account of the lead up to and the conduct of the Agincourt campaign, drawing heavily on historical accounts and the work of modern historians. Sufficiently stimulating to lead me to read one of his major sources, Agincourt by Juliet Barker, which is an equally rewarding proper history of the same subject.

This is a battle that I do not know much about and I admit, I only bought it as it was on sale and I have yet to find a book by BC that I don't like.As with most of his novels, the story is intricate and fast paced, with several well developed characters. BS has a knack for creating characters that I can't help but like and root for. Azincourt is no different.The main bulk of the book tells the story of battles, which I believe, are notoriously difficult to write well. A lot of authors either rush the battle and leave you a little confused and not sure what really happened, or they go into way too much detail so you just end up skipping pages at a time to get to an interesting bit. BC nails the battles. They are gripping and nerve wracking but addictive and stressful. I read this book in less than 2 days, I literally couldn't get enough.What I enjoyed the most was that there were several plot lines running through the book and at what feels like crucial moments, he would switch to one of the other plot lines. You'd then get a few paragraphs about what was happening there then hop back to the "main" scene or to another plot line.Cornwell is fast becoming one of my favourite authors of all time.

Its like Barbara Cartland for blokes, you know what your getting loads of detail, the baddies get it in gruesome good style, and your never disappointed. 12 months from now I'll go back read it again and enjoy it just as much.

This book is a good novel based on a much lauded victory of the 100 years war, fought under medieval conditions and with a victory against huge odds. It plays nicely with the role of the lethal medieval nobleman weaving fact and fiction in a positive and believable manner. Cornwalls story telling is compelling as well as bearing a verisimilitude to history

Good characterisation, historic information was very interesting. A story not for the faint hearted at times, but then war is not either.A great read, but as I expected from Mr. Cornwell.

I am a great fan of Bernard Cornwell novels and have read his stories about the battles of Crecy and Poitiers. Unfortunately, I found Azincourt a bit too formulaic. The same kind of archer, the compulsory mutilation, the heroine who is naked and about to be raped when the hero intervenes and just too much blood and gore.

Good, historically relevant. Bit the same as the Grail Quest books. Thomas of Hookton even gets a mention.Thoroughly enjoyed it. Ggod stand alone but also follows on well from the Grail Quest from Crecy, to Poitiers to Azincourt.

This tale is well up to Cornwell's usual standard. He finds convincing causes for the actions of his very complex characters. Whilst it is in my opinion true that he seems to glory in expressing the goriest of soldierly conduct, his insight into the workings of human motivation is fascinating and entertaining.

This is one those books you start and cannot out down really excellent. Highly recommend for all lovers of period history.

A well-rounded story with a believable hero, Nick Hook. I appreciated the author's handling of religious sensibilities in the Middle Ages without trying to write out or explain away the spirituality of an ordinary person of the time.Cornwell's characterizations of the historical figures like Henry V are woven in well with the fictional characters.His great action scenes are so well written that even I could follow what was happening.The dialogue feels authentic.Altogether a satisfying read.

Cornwell’s writing style here is manifestly brilliant, fast and as accurate as a Hook arrow. Highly recommended as in my opinion are all his writings.

A very exciting read, could not wait to turn each page. Gripping from start to finish. A good insight to know about war in the 15th February.

I dont think this was among his best books. Too many phrases that are repeated. The book in many places was too slow. I kept waiting for the main storyline to kick in,but the battle of Azincourt only came in the last 3/4 of the book. But being a Cornwell book it livened up.