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A review by richardrbecker
Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The battle of Agincourt has captivated me since I was a kid, being introduced to it by Shakespeare in Henry V, Act IV Scene iii(3) 18–67, The Illustrated Face of Battle by John Keegan, and several history books along the way. The very idea that 6,000 Englishmen could defeat 30,000 French knights and men-at-arms has always personified what courage really means.
Bernard Cornwell does a fine job of helping readers understand the battle from the inside out in this fictional account of what it might have been like for an English archer. He has a knack for helping people relate to history by taking them inside it through the eyes of a protagonist with a few unrelated but related dramatic tropes. In this case, Cornwell relies on Nicholas Hook, a forester and archer, to tell the tale.
After being wrongly accused of striking a priest (he did, but with just cause), Nick Hook escapes persecution by joining an expedition to Soissons, in Burgundy, as a mercenary archer. It's on this trip that he meets a love interest, starts hearing the voices of Saints Crispin and Crispinian in his head, and eventually joins the royal army under King Henry to regain his rightful crown of France. Cornwell further underscores the straightforward adventure plot with subplots — a longtime family feud that originally placed Hook's life in peril and a new "family feud" as his would-be love interest happens to be the illegitimate but loved daughter of a French noble.
Overall, it's a strong and enjoyable story, even if the villains seem like they are evil for the sake of being evil and his overuse of exclamation marks. Yes, few people talk. They like to shout! And all too often, they are shouting with the word "bastards" being their favorite descriptor. I'm not one to shy away from language, but Cornwell likely set a record with his use of the word. Egad.
If you can forgive him for that, then you will find the characters and plotting near-perfect for historical fiction. Some other elements and subplots are fun, too, even if they are tossed into the mix to spice up the story, serving no other legitimate purpose. But really, it's no big deal. It's a very entertaining account of history and a largely vivid description of the senseless violence that accompanies war. Here, Cornwell does a great job sharing details without glorifying them. War is an ugly thing, and it's clear he rightly detests it.
Bernard Cornwell does a fine job of helping readers understand the battle from the inside out in this fictional account of what it might have been like for an English archer. He has a knack for helping people relate to history by taking them inside it through the eyes of a protagonist with a few unrelated but related dramatic tropes. In this case, Cornwell relies on Nicholas Hook, a forester and archer, to tell the tale.
After being wrongly accused of striking a priest (he did, but with just cause), Nick Hook escapes persecution by joining an expedition to Soissons, in Burgundy, as a mercenary archer. It's on this trip that he meets a love interest, starts hearing the voices of Saints Crispin and Crispinian in his head, and eventually joins the royal army under King Henry to regain his rightful crown of France. Cornwell further underscores the straightforward adventure plot with subplots — a longtime family feud that originally placed Hook's life in peril and a new "family feud" as his would-be love interest happens to be the illegitimate but loved daughter of a French noble.
Overall, it's a strong and enjoyable story, even if the villains seem like they are evil for the sake of being evil and his overuse of exclamation marks. Yes, few people talk. They like to shout! And all too often, they are shouting with the word "bastards" being their favorite descriptor. I'm not one to shy away from language, but Cornwell likely set a record with his use of the word. Egad.
If you can forgive him for that, then you will find the characters and plotting near-perfect for historical fiction. Some other elements and subplots are fun, too, even if they are tossed into the mix to spice up the story, serving no other legitimate purpose. But really, it's no big deal. It's a very entertaining account of history and a largely vivid description of the senseless violence that accompanies war. Here, Cornwell does a great job sharing details without glorifying them. War is an ugly thing, and it's clear he rightly detests it.