Azincourt

This its a fabulous audio book, and an instance where the narrator made all the difference. Not being a great lover of military history I suspect I would not have made it through a print version, but the audio version was full of excitement and the different characters were vivid and well defined.

Excellent historical novel but could have been written with a less graphical description of the horrors of war.

What an excellent read. A famous battle between the French and the English that should have been a decisive victory for the French. For historic detail you couldn't ask for better and the story races along at a cracking pace, building with tension to the vividly told battle sequence. From the arrival of the English army in France, we hear of their the long march to Calais, the highs and the lows involved with army life, the horrors of siege warfare, their problems with hunger and the wretchedness of a foot soldiers battle with illness. It's all there in well written, gruesome detail. Some of that detail was hard for me to read, being so violent, yet in spite of it all I can believe it to be an honest account of how things were for these two armies and the Kings who led them. It was the archers with their long bows who made victory for the English possible and it was the mud of the battlefield that helped bring down the heavily armoured French. Gutsy action and language, well researched facts have gone to make this Bernard Cornwell novel a must read for Historical Fiction fans.

True to history as fiction can be.

Cornwell delivers another of his remarkably immediate accounts of battle and warfare from below. This story is as powerful as any of his others but I did not feel my usual level of engagement with his characters. In part, this is because the formula that he applies is too apparent when used on a new series. I did not lose sight of the fictional nature of this tale even though I was deeply engaged by the history.

Once again Bernard Cornwell excells in this fascinating novel.Only one thing bothered me and that was that I had read a similar book before maybe from the same author.But my memory deserts me.

Exceptional historical fiction set in the reign of Henry V, this book gives an account of some of the key battles between England and France, culminating at Agincourt. Mr. Cornwell's excellence lies in his thorough and detailed research and in a style of writing that allows the reader to immerse themselves in the historical period. His descriptions of battles are relentless and, at times, perhaps a bit too graphic for some readers. His characters are utterly believable, his settings flawless, his story compelling. Highly recommended for those who enjoy solid historical fiction.

 Excellent page turner of a book.

Follows one Nicholas Hook, Archer, from trouble on the Lord's estate to trouble in London to joining the king's army in France. He survives these adventures, and the road leads to Agincourt (the title uses the spelling of the French village, rather than the usual English version).

Sometimes a little contrived - how two particular people happen to meet on a battlefield filled with 25,000 people is perhaps a little far-fetched, but you can forgive him that when it is such a rip-roaring read. Full of great historical detail but it's a good story that rolls along at a good pace too.

One of his best.

This is my first Cornwell book and I read it at the suggestion of my husband who is a big fan. I am a fan of GRRM and the Game of Thrones series. He figured I would like this book too. Which I did but...Cornwell and Martin are similar in terms of their gritty approach to describing events on the battlefield. And I'm fine with that. I want to read about bloody battles. It is part of the adventure. But Cornwell does not create a story line that appeals to me like Martin does. The novel is really for those readers who want to learn how a battle is fought during medieval times. There were long stretches of the book that went into lengthy details that bored me. I did however learn a great deal about archery. I do enjoy learning my history through novels. I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of medieval times but maybe not so much anyone without much of a stomach for warfare.

I don't think it's Cornwall's best but it's still decent, worth a read if you're interested in the era.

I listened to this book during my commutes this Feb/March. Like all Bernard Cornwell novels, this story was gritty and full of violence. The everyday tasks and annoyances of life in a darker time were in full view. Agincourt gives us an archer's view of this famous battle. Cornwell, as usual, gives us a very detailed look at what a battle must have been like when experienced in the front lines. Great care is given to the details of period armor and weapons, what they were specifically used for and how things like soil condition could turn a battle. The historical elements are also profound. Priests are just men, some are good and some are evil. Yeah, that sounds about right. As far as the archery goes, he hit all the right chords. When you know the things a middle ages archer would worry about on a daily basis, it makes that person slightly more relatable. As always, I look forward to more novels from this fun author.

A very enjoyable read. Great story. While this is fiction it does fill in some historical gaps of my own. Now I want to watch again the film Kenneth Branagh directed and acted in, Henry V by Shakespeare.

Famtastic Bernard outdid himself!

I ordered this book thinking it was a detailed look at the Battle of Agincourt, certainly one of the most celebrated battles in all of world history. It was soon clear, however, that this work of historical fiction actually touches only briefly on the battle itself. There are currently two other books named Agincourt which provide a more in depth, scholarly analysis.The book focuses on an English archer named Nicholas Hook, who through a confrontation with a crooked priest becomes an outlaw and is forced to leave his home in England. He becomes a mercenary, spends some time fighting in a French civil war before returning to England and ultimately becoming part of the army of Henry V which invades France in 1415, leading to the climactic Battle of Agincourt. Historical events are all seen through the eyes of young Hook.While I was already somewhat familiar with the history of the era, the book does contain some very interesting and enlightening information on the composition and fighting techniques of the armies of the period, especially as related to the siege of Harfleur which takes up a large part of the book.All in all, however, while the Battle of Agincourt does take place near the end of the book, it plays only a minor role in the story. This is a very mediocre piece of historical fiction, written quite simply and could easily be enjoyed by a junior high student who might benefit from an introduction to this historical period.

Interesting historical novel, well written, and he gives you
the real history after the end of the novel.

The first of Bernard Cornwell's books I have read. I enjoyed it quite a lot. Haven't really read much historical fiction but this is certianly my cup of tea and I'll be looking into more of these books. The build up to the final battle was good and I felt that the author conveyed the sense of being an archer in a medieval army very well.Sometimes the story felt a little clumsy and predictable, the inevitable attempt of the dodgy priest on Hook's wife and the battle between John Cornwailles and Lanferrelle, but these didn't cause me too much grief.

Cornwell has done it again. Well researched, captivatingly told, and beautifully spun into a tale of one yeoman archer in king Henry's army.

I have always loved anything on Medieval history, even historical fiction. However, with this book, it is about as close to historical fact that a fiction book can be. It is meticulously researched and most of the characters in the story were actual soldiers in the battle on public record in France. I loved this book and the story it shows. If there is one book you are going to read on Medieval warfare, fact or fiction, this HAS to be it. Warning: it is very vulgar and gruesome, but that is how combat was back then.

I'm halfway through this book and find it hard to put down, very interesting story and will keep your interest. I read Cornwell's book on Stonehenge as well, another great historical fiction book. Agincourt took my interest from seeing the Henry VIII film based on Shakespear's work, the movie was fantastic and this book so far is as well. For those into historical fiction, I think you would enjoy this book, it has some interesting information on how the archers lived and applied their craft.

Cornwell turns to the now legendary Battle of Agincourt as inspiration and foundation for his novel Azincourt, using the archer, Nick Hook (an actual historical archer who was at Agincourt) as the vehicle for this story. The story itself attempts to illuminate the actual events that led to King Henry V's resounding victory over the French, using a fictional backdrop of Hook's family feud, a damsel in distress, and the guidance of Saints Crispin and Cripinian (who speak to Hook) as the plot arc. On a personal level, I wanted very much to enjoy this story. The subject matter is one I've researched extensively and have found of fascination for decades. I'm afraid, however, my enjoyment was overshadowed by Cornwell's heavy hand illustrating gore, and several technical inaccuracies which, for the average reader, wouldn't be an issue, but for me twanged in the way of a badly-tuned instrument. An entertaining read, but not a memorable one.

Having read the other reviews, I have very little to add. I enjoyed the book except for two aspects: the extreme violence and church bashing. Yes, both were true. War is hell, but I don't find hell entertaining. It is a personal failure on my part, I suppose. As for the church bashing, one does not need to look far to see failure within the church -- failure at the criminal level -- but one does need to look between the trees to see it. In this analogy, the trees are the good things that the church as done.

Had those two aspects been in balance, then I would have rated this book a five. Bernard Cornwell did his homework (as far as I can tell) and crafted a great story that put flesh on an historic event that would otherwise have been left to dry military history. I appreciated his historical notes at the end, in that they showed what in the story was according to record and what wasn't. I especially liked that even the protagonist's name was drawn from historical documents. Well done, Mr. Cornwell.

As with all of Bernard Cornwell's books, Agincourt is an exciting adventure. My only complaint with his books is that they are fairly formulaic; same story, different battle. Fortunately for him and us, it is a good story.

For the most part, I read historical fiction to learn. This means I must choose my authors carefully and only go for those who do meticulous research and incorporate very little fiction into their works. Bernard Cornwell is such an author. Having read a few of his books before, I knew that he got the facts right and often fictionalized a real person as the main character for his stories. This makes for a terrific vehicle to propel the story as well as an emotional hook.Hook is right. Nick Hook is the main character in Agincourt and the story unfolds around him. He’s an archer (who really did serve with Henry V although of course his particular story is Cornwell’s fiction). Much is made of the English archer in this story. I knew about them…in the sense that I knew they existed, but didn’t understand why so much had been made of them in history. Now I know. It took years to make a proper archer; a lifetime in fact. Not only did one have to be super-hero strong, but accurate and determined. One had to have composure and a surety of self that bordered on arrogance. When those elements came together in one man, it was a menace. When thousands of those men came together it was a slaughter.Medieval warfare was a close and bloody thing, as was all warfare up until the invention of guns, cannon and bombs. At great risk to yourself, you mostly had to get right up on a person to kill him. Bows gave us distance and safety. Crossbows are good for fairly close work, but the longbow gave the English a higher degree of safety than did the French crossbows. In the historical note at the end, the author’s research estimates that an English archer could launch 12 arrows a minute with a high degree of accuracy. 6000 of them could loose 72,000 arrows in a single minute. No wonder the sight is often described as blotting out the sun.Those with weak stomachs will do well to avoid this novel (as a matter of fact, it was reviews warning me of such graphic violence that spurred me to download it in the first place – what the average woman hates, I often enjoy). The battle scenes pull no punches and describe killing blows over and over. It gets a bit wearing, but the technique is good to engage the reader’s emotions. In this day and age it is difficult to imagine such a battle. The hand to hand fighting required great skill and detachment. Ruthlessness and singleness of purpose. I don’t think they make men like that anymore. I think it’s been bred out of us.Another thing that makes it a difficult read, especially for women, is the constant rape that follows fighting. Those are the real victims. It didn’t matter who she was, if she had a vagina, it was violated. If she was lucky, the horde would kill her when they were done. If the scenes had gone on any longer than they did (raping is largely contained to the beginning, when two particular rapes set Hook in motion and give him some purpose), I would have had to skip over them.I liked the story of Hook and Millicent. It rang with some truth and wasn’t overly mushy. Romance was needed in this story to give us a reprieve from the constant suffering and brutality. I liked her character and the fact that she got a little bit of her own back in the end.That was also satisfying; the close villains (meaning, not the French who are the overall enemy of the piece) are drawn very well. The Perrills are the generations-long sworn enemies of the Hooks. They plague Nick throughout the novel and are right bastards. The commentary on the priesthood and church is a bit heavy handed at times, but mostly focused into a single character; Sir Martin Perrill, a priest, certifiable lunatic and a serial rapist. His sons Tom and Richard aren’t any better. The way they are constantly tormenting Hook and announcing their evil intentions is a bit stagey at times, but necessary to give us a rollercoaster to ride. The ups and downs are very effective to grab our emotions and side us solidly with Nick. I did quite like the way he took down the last Perrill.But religion doesn’t get a totally bad rap. The device (other than his valuable skill with the longbow) to keep Nick alive in the face of unlikely odds is the voice of St. Crispinian that whispers in his ear from time to time, giving advice and warnings. Nick is one of the few archers who pray in Soissons, his first French deployment. When the French invade and slaughter every archer they can find, Nick escapes because of St. Crispinian’s advice.King Henry V is also a praying man. He feels that he has the divine right to the English throne as well as the French. I loved Father Christopher’s commentary about how he’s sure that the French priests are telling their men that god is on their side, too. The arrogant religious fervor of these times is galling to the modern atheist. It makes me shake my head at the weakness and stupidity of humanity. The fact that it still occurs today is astonishing. Can’t we evolve dammit!?Overall though, this was a terrific story told well, with lots of action and intrique. It’s bloody and brutal, but I learned a lot and gained some perspective regarding the times.

Obviously extremely well researched, this book leaves you not doubting for a moment that Cornwell knows his stuff. It is also written in a very captivating way, albeit revelling a little too much in the blood and guts I thought, with graphic descriptions of torture and killing. But I suppose it was a vicious time, too. As a linguist I naturally wonder whether the anachronism of the modern language takes away from the credibility of the story, but then again if it was written in the language of the time it would be fairly unreadable...

Bernard Cornwell is a master of action-adventure historical fiction. His Sharpe series, tracing the exploits of an infantryman through the Napoleonic Wars, is his most well-known work, but represents only about half of his output. Agincourt is one of the most famous battles, and victories, in British history. This event and this author were made for each other and it seems strange that it took so long to bring them together.The wait was worth it. Cornwell manages his narrative in a believable way to take us through the build-up and actual battle. The way men fought is well described and he does not shy away from the brutality of the age while convincingly portraying this as a time, like any other, when people got on with their lives as best they could.Cornwell clearly understands his history and cleverly weaves it into the narrative and action so we never feel we are being lectured.If there is a weakness, Cornwell, like many action writers, draws women sketchily and never quite knows how to bring them into the centre of the action. They end up as little more than plot devices. Having said that, you don’t read a Cornwell novel to get insights into man-woman relationships.

Cornwell's Agincourt is a one-off novel (not part of series) taking place during Henry V's chevauchee through France in 1415. It follows the fortunes of an archer named Nick Hook, who is plagued by enemies of his family and narrowly escaped a French atrocity at Soissons. Returning to England, he is enlisted in Henry's campaign, which began with the long siege and capture of Harfleur, and then a long trek through northern France as the army made its way toward Calais to evacuate back to England. Henry believed he was on a mission from god, however, and was making a statement claiming he was the rightful heir to the French crown.The French and Burgundians, meanwhile, put together a massive army, intent on crushing the upstart English king once and for all. By most accounts, the army opposing Henry was three to four times the size of sick, depleted English force. The armies met near the town of Agincourt, on a muddy field saturated by rain the night before. The mud bogged down French men-at-arms and cavalry in heavy armor, while the English longbowmen wreaked havoc upon the initial waves. As the body count mounted, the French struggled to get past the wall of corpses, and were defeated in detail. The result was one of those most one-sided and unlikely victories in the history of warfare.The battle took place on the feast day for the saints Crispian and Crispianan, coincidentally the patron saints of Soissons whose aforementioned destruction at the hands of French and English turncoats instigated the campaign. This leads to the only thing I really didn't like about the book -- those two saints would actually "speak" to Hook, saving his life on multiple occasions. I'm not really a fan of incorporating supernatural nonsense into historical novels, so this is a pet peeve more than anything else. Cornwell used a variety of resources for his historical background material, the most important was the book Agincourt by Juliet Barker, a book I read a few years ago and highly recommend.

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother" Henry VWhat would you do if you heard voices in your head telling you what to do, would you follow them?Nick Hook does and they lead him on a journey across England and France. He tries to make up for past mistakes, to make ammends and earn redemption in order to deserve a chance at life and at love. His bravery and strength make him the perfect archer in King Henry V's army and lands him at one of the most famous battles of all time- Agincourt!Great read for guys or girls, especially for history buffs and fans of Shakespeare's Henry V like myself. A thrilling read that kept me turning the pages. My only compaint is that I wanted it to go on...

Bernard Cornwell delivers an excellent retelling of Henry V 's fight with the French in the 15th century.

Cornwell's writing is simply amazing. He expertly weaves the lives of his characters around huge events that allows the reader to experience both parts of history without feeling manipulated. It goes without saying that Cornwell's descriptions of battle and strategy are excellent, but his writing is equally stunning in how he brings individuals from such a foreign time and place to life.

I have enjoyed this novel. I like the way it is written, enjoy the characters, and feel that it is written for either men or women.