Agincourt (Harper Collins Publishers)

One of Englands most dramatic victories, the battle of Agincourt is more than just history; its legend. Immortalized by Shakespeare in Henry V, the against-all-odds fight pitted the undermanned and overwhelmed English against their tireless French adversaries. And yet October 25, 1415 ended in surprising victory. In Agincourt, Bernard Cornwell brings to life the inspiring story of that band of brothers, who survives devastating hunger and disease only to face the torrential rain and mud of the treacherous French battlefield. Standing tall at the center of the battle is one of the common men responsible for the uncommon triumph: longbowman Nicholas Hook, an outlaw who must fight for his king, his country, and for the woman he loves. Following the whole campaign of 1415, from the disasters at the siege of Harfleur to the horrors of the field of Agincourt, this exhilarating epic of survival and slaughter is at once a brilliant work of history and a triumph of imagination - Bernard Cornwell at his best.