Agincourt is a stunning battle in the Earth's history of battles.
I cannot even explain it properly.

Each time I come across the battle, read something about the battle, happen upon a television show about the battle, I am stunned and shake my head.
Agincourt is undefinable except for what it is.
Agincourt.

Bernard Cornwell is a fantastic writer.
He wraps this battle into a campaign of Henry V into France in his quest to then capture the French throne.

Nick Hook is an outlaw English archer in the service of Henry.
Hook finds begins to find himself in the middle of the slogging English campaign through France.
Hook finds himself in the midst of long, drawn out marches, arduous sieges, deplorable troop conditions, vicious battles, bloody and muddy, yelling skirmishes.

Yet the real star of the book is Cornwell who weaves it all together in vivid place and time as the English army moves forward into France and keeps you, the reader, on horseback next to young Hook.

This is a book to read - and not put down.
The book will make you hold your breath, gasp at the brutality of the skirmishes and shake your head that men really, actually and truly lived and died through all of that.

The book will make you always remember the English longbow.
And never forget Agincourt.

Sword Song: The Battle For London is the fourth book in Mr. Cornwell's Saxon Chronicles series.

I read this book first, not knowing any better and because it was the only Cornwell book at the library that wasn't a Sharpe's book. After reading this book, I hurriedly reserved the first book of this series at the same library.

In a nutshell, The Battle for London follows the main character, Uthred as he walks the line between loyalties to King Alfred and the invading and very powerful Danes.

Uthred is Alfred's main war general/leader and he is quickly charged to invade and wrest London from possession by the Danes who have come down from the north along the Thames and taken the city.

Uthred is a wonderful character - he is someone you have to meet to understand.
I sure like Uthred a lot, but would certainly fear him he were against me and I would do all I could to have him and his men with me - which is just what this tremendous book is about, Uthred and the warring parties that both want the same thing for very different reasons.
And the is Uthred in the middle of it.

The book is packed with wonderful details of life in this period of time, huge hand-to-hand battles, naval skirmishes, invasions and sieges of cities and some great and very vivid characters.

This is a ripping read and if you are a fan of historical fiction, history, war stories and/or memorable characters, this is for you.

Make no mistake, Uthred is the reason to read it.
...make sure he knows that, if you can.

Bernard Cornwell's homepage.