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Agincourt: A Novel Audiobook
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(4.00) - 7,205 listener ratings
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Plot Summary
The master of historical fiction has done it yet again. With "Agincourt", Bernard Cornwell takes the reader on an epic journey, following Nicholas Hook, a lowly English archer on a journey that starts in an otherwise quiet farming village in 15th century England and culminates in one of the most famous battles in history.
But before he can become one of Shakespeare's "Happy Few", Nick must overcome the schemes of duplicitous traitors, self serving priests and conniving neighbors on his way to a date with destiny.
As his readers have come to expect, Cornwell doesn't skimp on detail or historical accuracy, painting a rich picture of medieval life as a common soldier - the harsh training, foul living conditions, scant food and constant risk of death or disease in an age with only the most rudimentary grasp of medicine.
In the books' climactic final chapter, Cornwell describes the battle of Agincourt with the accuracy of a historian and the verve of a skilled writer. Medieval combat is described in all its' blood soaked detail, stripping away any romantic misconceptions the reader might have about the age of armor, battle axes and broadswords.
Bernard Cornwell was born in England in 1944, and adopted by a couple belonging to a religious sect known as the Peculiar People. After a brief spell as a teacher, he joined the British Broadcasting Corporation as a researcher for the popular news program "Nationwide". Denied a green card on entering the Unites States with his American wife, he took up writing, which required no permit, and began his career with the Sharpe series.
"The tale England's slog through France that resulted in Henry V's ascendancy. Actually a very good read with an eye for period detail by the author. The violence and courage inherent in the times comes through loud and clear -- quite a few soldiers get their eyes poked out with either an arrow, sword, or knife! Although it's historical fiction, it is rich with facts that make it a book I was eager to get through."
— Rich (4 out of 5 stars)
Publisher Summary
data-redactor-tag=""em"">Agincourt is classic Cornwell…[with] attention to historical detail, well-paced action, and descriptive writing that is a pleasure to read."" —data-redactor-tag=""em"">Bostondata-redactor-tag=""em""> Globe
Bernard Cornwell, the data-redactor-tag=""em"">New York Times bestselling “reigning king of historical fiction"" (data-redactor-tag=""em"">USA Today), tackles his most thrilling, rich, and enthralling subject yet—the heroic tale of data-redactor-tag=""em"">Agincourt. The epic battle immortalized by William Shakespeare in his classic data-redactor-tag=""em"">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 page one, proving once again and most powerfully, as author Lee Child attests, that “nobody in the world does this stuff better than Cornwell.""
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Quotes
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“Nobody in the world does this stuff better than Cornwell— action set six hundred years ago is a fresh and vital as six days ago, with rough, tough men at war, proving once again that nothing changes—least of all great storytelling.”
— Lee Child -
“A brutal and visceral tour through the medieval world, where life is balanced on the point of an arrow and where war is fought with every bit of sinew in one’s body. A brilliant and stunning epic of ordinary men facing insurmountable odds. It left me breathless.”
— James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author -
“[With] fierce and urgent vividity, Bernard Cornwell has brought this most crucial and bloody of Europe's fifteenth century battles into the sharpest focus. Agincourt had me utterly captivated, I relished every single second of it.”
— Simon Winchester, New York Times bestselling author of A Crack in the Edge of the World -
“If Bernard Cornwell was born to write one book, this is it. No other historical novelist has acquired such a mastery of the minutiae of warfare in centuries past. No one else could hope to take Shakespeare's Henry V, strip it of its rhetoric and tell the unvarnished truth about the Battle of Agincourt.”
— Telegraph (London) -
“Action packed…The crisply rendered battle scenes are adrenaline rushes of blood, thunder, and clashing swords that transport the reader back to the early fifteenth century.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The usual splendid stuff from the master of historical battle.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“His best book yet…[Agincourt] tears away the gloss of legend to reveal the raw truth of medieval warfare in all its shocking brutality, filth and gore.”
— Juliet Barker, author of Agincourt: Henry V and the Battle That Made England
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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A Publishers Weekly bestseller
Agincourt Listener Reviews
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" Not quite as good an Lords of the north, but really enjoyable. "
— Terri, 2/17/2014 -
" I thoroughly enjoyed the book, including the historical piece at the end that clarified how much of the story was historical. The novel was a well woven and exciting personal journey of one archer threaded across other key figures. Lots of interesting detail of the daily toil, desperate struggle, and sheer squaller they had to endure. Worth the time spent reading. "
— Stephen, 2/12/2014 -
" I could not put it down "
— Joe, 2/11/2014 -
" Was recommended to me..... not the usual sort of book I read, very graphic in description of battle.. very gruesome...... I loved it! "
— Cathy, 2/4/2014 -
" I must confess that I haven't yet read Henry V, nor seen any of the films and I can't remember doing about this in history at school, so this was all new to me! However, I am a fan of Cornwell and love the way he brings history to life. And of course, anything which displays how wonderful England is is right up my street! "
— Fiona, 2/4/2014 -
" I couldn't finish it. It was well-written, had an engaging storyline, etc., but was a bit TOO historically accurate for me. I realize that this was just a crappy time to live, especially if you happened to get in the way of a war. And I probably could have handled the gore in the book (burnings, hangings, eviscerations, etc.), but after the umpteenth rape of whatever woman/child got in the way I had to put (throw) it down. If that doesn't bother you, it's probably a good read. If you're overly sensitive like me, I wouldn't recommend it. "
— Jill, 1/29/2014 -
" Enjoyable historical fiction set in the time of the Battle of Agincourt. More of a guilty pleasure than a serious read but so what. "
— David, 1/25/2014 -
" Azincourt is an entertaining book, but isn't among Bernard Cornwell's best works. "
— Alexandre, 1/20/2014 -
" A great read seemed to be over way too quickly. Fantastic historical detail as expected, but as expected a real boys own adventure so if you are not a fan of author in general you might not like this. "
— Chris, 1/11/2014 -
" I just picked this up. I'm looking to build a stack of historical fiction appropriate for high school. "
— Declan, 1/8/2014 -
" Bernard Cornwell est un excellent raconteur et c'est avec beaucoup de plaisir que j'ai suivi les aventures de Nick Hook. "
— France, 1/5/2014 -
" Good fictionalized history, not great. Gives the reader a good appreciation for living in the Middle Ages. Too long in the tooth when it comes to describing the actual battle. "
— John, 12/25/2013 -
" This was almost as good as The Last Kingdom and it was fascinating. "
— Michael, 12/21/2013 -
" Great story...but wow, the violence! And I have a pretty high tolerance for that sort of thing. "
— Sara, 12/10/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this novelization of Henry V's invasion of France and the struggles the English endured. Great characters, terrific battle scenes, a good story. "
— C., 10/29/2013 -
" As with all the other Bernard Cornwell books I've read, I really enjoyed this book. It reminds a bit of the Archer's Tale, as the lead character is an English archer, but this tale deals with the battle King Henry V and his "happy few" fought against a French army at least five times their size. "
— Kris, 6/19/2013 -
" I think this is the best Bernard Cornwell i have read in a long time "
— stan, 1/8/2013 -
" Fun and mostly historically accurate. Cornwell does a nice job of painting the battle from the perspective of an archer who has fled from being condemned for hitting a priest. "
— Scott, 11/11/2012 -
" Listened to the audio book. Great book. "
— Kevin, 10/29/2012 -
" Ok, and obviously well researched, but Cornwell has lifted the plot completely from his own "Harlequin". "
— Simon, 4/6/2012 -
" awesome! Couldn't put it down! "
— Deb, 7/29/2011 -
" This legendary campaign and climactic battle are teh stars of this novel. "
— Steve, 6/28/2011 -
" I like the author, particularly the Sharpe series. His ability to give the flavor of the times is especially good. The power of the church during this time is interesting. "
— D., 6/22/2011 -
" A lot of history, but too many bloody battle scenes for me. "
— Gina, 6/12/2011 -
" love the history, hate the filth... "
— Sarah, 5/25/2011 -
" It was like a medieval road "movie", with a couple of significant stops on the way. Loved it. "
— Nick, 5/18/2011 -
" An, 'I can't put this book down' type of book. The only downside..it was very graphic. Well written. If you liked 'Gates of Fire' about the 300 warriors who held off over 100,000 Assyrians at Thermopolae you will like this book. "
— Frank, 5/12/2011 -
" Audio Book. Very good. Bernard Cornwell is great at describing battles. "
— Jake, 5/6/2011 -
" Typical Bernard Cornwell. Starts with some appalling violence then settles into a wonderfully researched study of a fictional archer's journey to the battle of Azincourt. It offers a very reasonable explanation why the French hordes against the English few, never stood a chance! "
— Tony, 4/30/2011 -
" An enjoyable read. A big fan of Shakespeare's Henry V, so was certainly drawn to the subject matter. It wasn't quite what I was expecting but kept me interested throughout. I enjoyed it enough to seek out other books by Cornwell. "
— Rich, 4/19/2011 -
" Great mix of history and fiction. "
— Bob, 4/12/2011 -
" A compelling medieval era brought to paperback life with colorful archetypes and enjoyably narrated battles -- all with nary a paragraph of academic exposition, at least until the afterward -- all make for an easily recommended work of historical fiction. "
— Stuart, 4/10/2011 -
" Very enjoyable story. I enjoyed learning about the details of the history of the era. Negative spot: the graphic nature of the kills and brutality. I suppose this was accurate. But I can't bring myself to enjoy it. "
— Vinny, 4/8/2011
About Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell, born in London, worked for the BBC and Thames Television before coming to the United States to write full time. His sweeping historical novels, including the acclaimed Richard Sharpe series and many more, make him a number one bestselling author in the United Kingdom and around the world. He is the author of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales series, which serves as the basis for the hit television series The Last Kingdom.
About Charles Keating
Charles Keating has won three AudioFile Earphones awards for his audiobook narrations. His credits include works by P.D. James, Mark Haddon, Charmian Hussey, and Terry Brooks. He is British actor of stage, screen and television in addition to being an audiobook narrator. He has acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company, played Rex in ITV’s celebrated Brideshead Revisited miniseries, and had roles in television shows including Sex and the City, Another World, All My Children and As the World Turns. In 2001, he played the role of Carney/Oscar Wilde in the Lincoln Center Theater Performance of A Man of No Importance, and in 2007, he played the role of Clement O’Donnell in the Guthrie Theater production of The Home Place.