I'm back
I haven’t been able to get onto Facebook or Goodreads for a while now, as I had a house guest, new computer woes, an upcoming visit with my British editor, who’s spending a few weeks in the States, and of course my usual squabbling with a too-familiar foe, ye old deadline dragon. Ever the optimist, I hope that life slows down a bit now.
Catching up on past historical happenings, October 25th was a busy date. In 1154, King Stephen died, thus clearing the way for Henry Fitz Empress to take the English throne at the young age of 21. The best verdict upon Stephen was one passed by a chronicler of the time, who said “He was a mild man, gentle and good, and did no justice.” Medieval kings needed to inspire respect and fear, and the amiable, easy-going Stephen, who wanted to be liked, struggled to do either. On the same date in 1400, the famed poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, died. And on October 26, 1415, the battle of Agincourt was fought, resulting in a disastrous defeat for the French and a resounding victory for one of England’s best soldier-kings, Henry V. I highly recommend Bernard Cornwell’s stand-alone novel, Agincourt, for those who’d like to know what it felt like to take part in medieval combat. Sometimes I suspect BC must do a little time-traveling on the side, so brilliantly does he fight historical battles, ranging from Uhthred’s shield wall to Richard Sharpe and his riflemen.
Catching up on past historical happenings, October 25th was a busy date. In 1154, King Stephen died, thus clearing the way for Henry Fitz Empress to take the English throne at the young age of 21. The best verdict upon Stephen was one passed by a chronicler of the time, who said “He was a mild man, gentle and good, and did no justice.” Medieval kings needed to inspire respect and fear, and the amiable, easy-going Stephen, who wanted to be liked, struggled to do either. On the same date in 1400, the famed poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, died. And on October 26, 1415, the battle of Agincourt was fought, resulting in a disastrous defeat for the French and a resounding victory for one of England’s best soldier-kings, Henry V. I highly recommend Bernard Cornwell’s stand-alone novel, Agincourt, for those who’d like to know what it felt like to take part in medieval combat. Sometimes I suspect BC must do a little time-traveling on the side, so brilliantly does he fight historical battles, ranging from Uhthred’s shield wall to Richard Sharpe and his riflemen.
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I agree, Terelyn. I first became a fan with his Richard Sharpe series, and I moved on to his Grail series and his stand-alones. But his Saxon series is by far my favorite. I practically stop strangers out in the street, urging them to read it. :-)
Sharon wrote: "I agree, Terelyn. I first became a fan with his Richard Sharpe series, and I moved on to his Grail series and his stand-alones. But his Saxon series is by far my favorite. I practically stop strang..."It was the Archer's Tale trilogy got me hooked. Just his descriptions of how they all trained and how the bows were made was fascinating. And I was learning something while I was being entertained....
I upset our Office Church Lady while I was reading the Grail series. The Enemy of God title was almost too much for her to take!
I liked his Grail series, too, Terelyn; it seems to be called different names on each side of the Atlantic. That is the advantage of reading on a Kindle; other people can't see what you're reading!
Loved the Archer's Tale trilogy, big fan of the Sharp books and while I have the Lost Kingdom on my shelves - haven't been able to crack it yet. I do not fear death - only not reading all the books that I want to read and leaving my daughter as many UFO's as my mum left me.
One of my favorite bumper stickers,Gin: So many books, so little time.
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I found myself combining his description of the battle of Agincourt with the scene from the Kenneth Branagh Henry V. And it was obvious why it was such a stunning defeat for the French.