Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell

 

 

Azincourt, fought on October 25th 1415, St Crispin's Day, is one of England’s best-known battles, in part through the brilliant depiction of it in Shakespeare's Henry V, in part because it was a brilliant and unexpected English victory and in part because it was the first battle won by the use of the longbow - a weapon developed by the English which enabled them to dominate the European battlefields for the rest of the century.

The book centres around Nick Hook who is an expert with the longbow.  It follows his journey from Southern England to across the Channel and one of the most famous battles in history.  Nick is not the most likeable character when we first meet him but he does grow on you and you will him to survive all his battles.

I have to say that the battle scenes are very graphic and sometimes you did need to take a breath but Bernard Cornwell has the amazing ability to make you feel like you are there amongst the soldiers.  You literally fight each step alongside Nick and the men and see each gruesome death but I think this is what makes it such an interesting read.

I do love an historical novel but this is the first one by Bernard Cornwell that I have read and I must say that I don't know why I have waited for so long.  It may be graphic but the story also captures your heart and imagination.  I love the story between Nick and Melisande as this shows a different side to the soldier we come to know in Nick but it also shows just how brutal a place a battlefield can be for a women.

As I said this is my first Bernard Cornwell novel but it won't be my last.