Agincourt

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Charles Keating

Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Agincourt is classic Cornwell...[with] attention to historical detail, well-paced action, and descriptive writing that is a pleasure to read." (Boston Globe)

Bernard Cornwell, the New York Times best-selling "reigning king of historical fiction" (USA Today), tackles his most thrilling, rich, and enthralling subject yet - the heroic tale of Agincourt. The epic battle immortalized by William Shakespeare in his classic Henry V is the background for this breathtaking tale of heroism, love, devotion, and duty from the legendary author of the Richard Sharpe novels and the Saxon Tales. This extraordinary adventure will captivate from minute one, proving once again and most powerfully, as author Lee Child attests, that "nobody in the world does this stuff better than Cornwell."

©2009 Bernard Cornwell (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"The greatest writer of historical adventures today." ( Washington Post)
"Nobody in the world does this stuff better than Cornwell. (Lee Child, author of Nothing to Lose)
"Readers who haven't discovered Bernard Cornwell don't know what they are missing....He may well be the best historical novelist writing today -- and Agincourt may well be his best novel yet. (Vince Flynn, author of Extreme Measures)

Too much profanity .

While some profanity would be realistic it was certainly overdone here . Other than that it is a good story .

simply excellent

Cornwell's ability to blend history with a fictional narrative that is emotionally engaging is without equal. i love all of his work and this one is as good as any of his others.

Astounding!

Medieval history both fascinates and pains me. There’s just so much war and pain and disaster in human history. But the human spirit is strong. This book demonstrates that strength while mercilessly detailing the horrors of battle.

I don’t like reading about war, but I became attached to some of the characters the moment I met them in the story. Their outrage, sorrow, hopes, and moments of happiness became mine as I listened, frequently holding my breath. There’s never a dull moment.

This is an astonishing book. The Audible version is great, the narration smooth and seamless.

Highly recommended.

Great except for the music

I really enjoyed the book and everything about it except the music. It really got in the way.

Loved This Book

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. Hearing the story of an actual historical battle from the perspective of someone who is there is intriguing. I started with The Saxon Tales, but this story is one of my favorites from Bernard Cornwell.

the Saxon series is better

Cornwell is an amazing author. I have read over 21 of his books. This was an amazing book. I found myself yelling, just kill him to the Perils and the useless priest .

History and Intrigue all in One

Very entertaining way to learn about this historic battle. The characters are well developed and the story keeps you wanting more. My husband hasn't read a book in 10 years yet 15 minutes of listening to this and he was hooked. Loved it.

Excellent and Dramatic Piece of Historical Fiction

As a confirmed fan of Bernard Cornwell, I was not surprised that this novel is not only expertly well-researched but also extremely well-told. It's the story of the battle at Agincourt, one of England's most stunning war victories as they battled French forces despite having one-third the size of France's army and is the dramatic battle upon which Shakespeare based his play, Henry V.

In this story, the hero is a young archer named Nicholas Hook, who interferes with a priest's rape and murder of a young girl and as such is named an outlaw in his country. But, his skill at archery and his heroics during the battle of Soissons (when the French notoriously killed and raped their own citizens) keep him in good stead with King Henry and he becomes one of England's treasured archers. During the battle of Soissons, he rescues a young woman (Melisande) from being raped and falls in love with her. She accompanies him and prays for his well-being while he faces French men at arms who are led by none other than her father.

The narrator, Charles Keating, does an extraordinary job with a multitude of characters, accents, and voices.

This is an exciting historical novel and I highly recommend it.

Great story/narration marred by god awful music

Cornwell, as always, is king of the battlefield prose and Charles Keating does superb with the narration and voice acting, but there is some truly distracting music cues set throughout the recording with TERRIBLE placement. Lose the music and you have a terrific audiobook. Really a shame.

Great Historical Read

Great story. Fast moving, full of action and historically accurate. Definitely recommend and would read/listen to again.