Although this type of novel isn't really to my taste it was on the bookshelf so I thought that I would give it a go. It is based mostly in France though it begins in the tiny village of Hookton on the south coast in 1342. Following a raid on the village by French soldiers a sacred relic is stolen from the church - an unusual lance which Thomas, son of the local priest, vows to recapture. His adventures in France as an archer take him from Brittany to Normandy to Crecy and the author describes his part in the final battle there, obviously based on the real event whilst Thomas himself is a fictional character. His family history is also something of a puzzle and it is eventually revealed that he is a descendant of a notorious French family.
Cornwell's novel The Last Kingdom was televised recently and in an article in the Radio Times he describes that part of his technique when writing such action stories is to insert a battle here and there when the action slows down and to have a structural plan before he starts. He acquired his technique by dissecting that of writers such as C S Forester, but Cornwell is more than just a storyteller -he gives his characters enough detail to make them live on the page.
If you are a fan of this type of historical action story and enjoy realistic battle details you will enjoy this story and many of his others.
