The Agincourt King by Mercedes Rochelle, is a fantastic novel. Bringing the build up to the great battle of Agincourt alongside the battle itself and the immediate aftermath, Rochelle weaves a tale of strategy, chaos and emotion.

We see the events through the eyes of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester and sundry English and French nobles, and get a real sense of the chaos and the uncertainty that followed the build-up and the subsequent fight at Agincourt.

Fantastic historical fiction.

I have read many books about the Battle of Agincourt, and I can honestly say that this book ranks as one of the best. on the subject. I loved how the author introduced the names of many aristocratic key players on both the English and the French sides. It's a pity that the names of the thousands of foot soldiers who died on the day will never be known.
Sections of the book were written in the first-person, narrated by relatives of the key protagonists during the periods before, during, and after the battle. This clever writing technique brought the various bloody, and sometimes emotional, scenes to life. The levels of violence, fortitude, and grim deaths are almost unimaginable today.
A thoroughly unputdownable book and highly recommended.

This is the fifth book in The Plantagenet Legacy series. Despite not having read the others in the series, I found this quick to engage with and the events of the novel culminating in the Battle of Agincourt, are easy to follow. This is because Rochelle writes the events through the eyes of Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester showing the role of the English, and from a third person voice for the French side, which pieces it together.

Her writing is snappy and energetic, laying down the history in digestible chunks, and focusing on the politics, characters and events, rather than heavy description. The historical background is immersive, showing the events leading up the Battle of Agincourt, what happened afterwards and key players of the 13th century.

At times, it can feel a little like non-fiction due to the summary style batches of history but the energy and the narrative framework using the 1st person change it into fiction. The battle scenes are also full of action and violence which drives the narrative along.

This is a snappy and informative novel, rich in historical detail and a well-written account of the events around the famous and fascinating Battle of Agincourt.