Review: Bernard Cornwell

AGINCOURT By Bernard Cornwell

Summary: Nick Hook, a forester who is uncommonly good with a yew bow, begins the novel trying to commit a murder. He fails miserably, not because of lack of talent, but because of his bad luck "curse". (There's no need to remember the details about the "curse", because Cornwell himself forgets it before long.) Nick's life revolves much around a blood feud, religion, and his ability as an archer. The blood feud is a three-generation war between the Hook family and the Perrill family. It is because of the feud (and an uncomfortable, specific scene) that Hook must leave his home and join the Army as an outlaw to fight for England against France as an archer. Throw in the fact that Hook hears the voice of two saints, along with some other convoluted religious themes and a beautiful, French woman for all elements of the novel!

Release: I was lucky enough to score this title from work as an advanced copy from the publisher. Agincourt will be released on 20 January 2009.

Thoughts: I'll abstain from a historical-accuracy check, because--truly--who wants to hear that? It's my opinion that we read a novel to be entertained (and, certainly, the One Hundred Years War is not one of my stronger suits). The main problem I find with historical fiction is that so much time must be taken educating the audience. Sometimes Cornwell takes an extraordinary time describing the most mundane things to set up the time period. Yes, the armor of the period is interesting--but Hook never wears any, so why do we spend so much time hearing about all the details?

Agincourt is a great read. I tore through it in just two days, because I just had to know what was going to happen. Reflecting, though, it's harder to pinpoint why I was so driven to finish. In fact, looking back, it's much easier to find the irritating points!

The strongest characters are not the main characters. Hook is fairly static after he begins to ascertain for himself what he truly believes. Instead Sir John, Father Christopher, the Lord of Hell, and King Henry were where the interesting quirks of characterization occurred.

The themes with religion--especially in as murky of a time as the Middle Ages--is a great idea. An idea that is difficult to tackle. Cornwell started out strong, if simply, by offering examples and counterexamples (the evil, rapist priest versus the unceremonious Father Christopher); however, about two-thirds of the way through the novel, one realizes that no great conclusion or revelation or climax will ever be reached with the theme. Even Hook's two saints get cloudy. Seemingly celestial, Saint Crispin confesses a wish for revenge in the final battle... (Does this indicate that saints aren't always required to be pure or is Hook only imagining the voices, Mr. Cornwell?)

For not wanting to spoil, I'll be cryptic here: The tie-in between Sarah and Melisande was not strong enough, not weaved into the story well enough. Also, random near-rapes grew very irritating!

Also, any novel should only be allowed to contain the phrase "like a gelded boar" one or fewer times.

Despite these issues, Agincourt is interesting. Once Hook is propelled from his home into the violent world of the army, the action does not stop. The battles, fighting, and theme of brothers-in-arms are Cornwell's tried and true strong points. In these arenas, Cornwell can flex his literary muscles well.

In short: I'd recommend Agincourt to those interested in the Middle Ages, historical fiction. People looking for a fun read that goes quickly, because Agincourt delivers on gore and entertainment what it lacks in conclusion for its higher themes and ideas.

Keywords: Historical fiction, middle ages, action, adventure, brothers-in-arms, war.