The Bloody Ground (The Starbuck Chronicles, Book 4) [Paperback]

Bernard Cornwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 18, 2001

In this fourth, final, and rousing installment of Nathaniel Starbuck's Civil War adventures, Nate is given command of a punishment battalion: a motley collection of cowards, thieves, deserters, and murderers. Setting off to Join General Robert E. Lee's army, Starbuck's men reach Harper's Ferry in time to take part in Stonewall Jackson's capture of the Union garrison. From there, the regiment moves on to the legendary horror of Sharpsburg, beside the Antietam Creek, forever to be remembered as the bloodiest single day of the war. There, Starbuck and his troop will have their courage and commitment tested as never before.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Cornwell's fourth novel about Nathaniel Starbuck, a Northerner in the Confederate Army, carries this Civil War saga to Antietam, which ruined Robert E. Lee's attempt to carry the war to the North. A British writer, Cornwell brings a fresh spin to the war by peopling his story with Northerners serving the South, Southerners serving the North, spies, turncoats, and real historical figures?including Lee and Stonewall Jackson. His characters are many, and the historical arena is complex, but complications never confuse the listener. The genius of Cornwell's narratives about Starbuck and Richard Sharpe, his British rifleman (e.g., Sharpe's Regiment, Audio Reviews, LJ 11/15/96), lies in his ability to place protagonists in such ever-deepening personal peril that readers cannot turn away. Indeed, the human drama of The Bloody Ground is so compelling that it overcomes the competent but often grating reading of British actor Hayward Morse, who gives Starbuck Jimmy Cagney's voice and makes senior Confederate officers sound like Al Capp's Jubilation T. Cornpone. Engaging listening for commuters; recommended for public libraries.?R. Kent Rasmussen, Thousand Oaks, Cal.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

About the Author

Bernard Cornwell is the author of the acclaimed New York Times bestsellers Agincourt and The Fort; the bestselling Saxon Tales, which include The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman, Lords of the North, Sword Song, The Burning Land, and Death of Kings; and the Richard Sharpe novels, among many others. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (September 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006093719X
• ISBN-13: 978-0060937195
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,468 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bernard Cornwell was born in London in 1944 - a 'warbaby' - whose father was a Canadian airman and mother in Britain's Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted by a family in Essex who belonged to a religious sect called the Peculiar People (and they were), but escaped to London University and, after a stint as a teacher, he joined BBC Television where he worked for the next 10 years. He began as a researcher on the Nationwide programme and ended as Head of Current Affairs Television for the BBC in Northern Ireland. It was while working in Belfast that he met Judy, a visiting American, and fell in love. Judy was unable to move to Britain for family reasons so Bernard went to the States where he was refused a Green Card. He decided to earn a living by writing, a job that did not need a permit from the US government - and for some years he had been wanting to write the adventures of a British soldier in the Napoleonic wars - and so the Sharpe series was born. Bernard and Judy married in 1980, are still married, still live in the States and he is still writing Sharpe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It lit a fire..., July 20, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Auckland, NZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bloody Ground (The Starbuck Chronicles, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

I love Bernard Cornwell's books - having discovered him, as many have, through Sean bean's TV portrayals of Richard Sharpe, I devoured the Sharpe books and then moved onto Starbuck.

I'm English, and prior to picking up 'Rebel', I had little knowledge of, or interest in, the American Civil War (we add the 'American' because we had a Civil War of our own). My the end of 'The Bloody Ground' I'd become an obsessive.

I've read a pile of factual books on the subject, and am getting Shelby Foote's huge hitory for my birthday, and I have to say, the story of this war is the greatest tale of the millenium. It has the grandeur of Greek myth, and yet it all happened.

I have not read a single thing in any other books since that makes anything in Cornwell's books seem false. Experiencing Bull Run and Sharpsburg with Starbuck is real enough for you to smell the powder.

I wish he'd write more. I know this series has had relatively poor reviews, by Cornwell's standards, but not series has ever captured mt imagination as powerfully. Perhaps those who bring extensive knowledge of the War to these books will be less impressed, but as an introduction to the most fascinating conflict since medieval times, this can't be beaten.

I also will defend Cornwell's telling of this from the Southern perspective - few Southern soldiers gave a damn about slavery, yet their memory often gets damned because, at its core, their cause was unjust. yet the South, fighting for the wrong cause, brought nobility, courage, brilliant and panache to the field, while the North, fighting for the righteous cause, was incompetent, brutal and clumsy - rarely winning by any other means than crushing the Confederates under weight of numbers and superior resources. Its hard NOT to root for the South - even though you know you shouldn't, and Cornwell makes this paradox the core of the series.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathlessly waiting for more, April 19, 2000

By 

Jeff Hubbard (Kent, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Bloody Ground (The Starbuck Chronicles, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

I cannot rate this book without talking about the brilliance of the whole series. Cornwell takes you from your reading room, and teleports you back to a simpler time. And you find out that it's not so simple. Set against the backdrop of the Eastern Theatre in the American Civil War, he portrays the massive carnage and greatest bravery in minute detail. You actually hear the cannons, and smell the rotting flesh of the wounded. Yet, the main plot does not take place amongst the gunfire outside. But, rather, within. It is a story of a soul, and his struggle with God, man, who he is, and what he stands for. Amidst the shouting, crying, blasting, and dieing...is a poor heart, searching for peace. I found Cornwell's protrayal of Nate Starbuck to be no less than perfect. I found myself rooting, questioning, hoping, and praying for this fictional character. For, I saw myself in Starbuck. The same questions, fears, and desires. When done, I walked away from this story with a different outlook on life, liberty, and what's truly important. As will you. Awesome series Bernard! I cannot wait until the saga continues...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fiction..., August 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Bloody Ground (The Starbuck Chronicles, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this series, even though I discovered it about a year after "The Bloody Ground" came out. To the potential customer, I'd say buy it. It has a wonderful plot and almost perfect descriptions. To the author, I'd say to continue the series. I'm Indian myself, and though I enjoyed the Indian branch of the Sharpe series immensely, I'd much rather prefer to see the Starbuck Chronicles continued.