Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell.
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In his latest book, Cornwell focuses interest on Henry V's almost unbelievable triumph over the French.
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It must have been quite a quandary for him, deciding how to turn such a well-known story into something new and exhilarating.
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Thankfully, Cornwell is a master of words.
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The novel concentrates on individuals instead of the history-book version we’ve probably had stuffed down our throats. This creates impact and believability.
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Ordinary medieval men and women
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The tale follows Nick Hook, an English longbow man, and successfully places the victory at Agincourt into social perspective. We take a peep behind the lives of ordinary medieval men and women, at their faith, and the battle between the heretical Lollard beliefs and the Church.
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Corwell weaves all of these convincingly into the fabric of the story. Taking his past performance into account, it will come as no surprise that the battle scenes are strongly and persuasively portrayed.
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All in all this is a masterpiece well worth the read.
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End of - Book Review, Azincourt.
