Customer Reviews

Sharpe's Battle (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #12)

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

'Sharpes Battle' is a hard read. The characters and the dialogue do not fit, they don't mesh with the relationships that Bernard Cornwell built up in his original books. Someone suggested that they felt Cornwell was forced into writing this for the television series and that may be true. This book is an addition to the original 11 of the series, that span the Peninsular & Napoleonic wars, and fills in an almost two year gap between the battles of 'Sharpes Gold' and 'Sharpes Company' (books 3 & 4). It was also written/published five years after book 11 ('Waterloo'), while the television series was in production. And it's the only Sharpes book written after 'Waterloo' that delves back to the original series - 'Sharpes Devil' takes place in 1820, after Richard Sharpe has retired from the army (and is a great ending to the stories of Sharpe and Harper), while 'Sharpes Tiger' goes back to his origins as an enlisted man in India.

If written by anyone other than Cornwell (and for a brief moment I wondered if Sharpes Battle had been ghostwritten), I would have given it five stars - because it is good. But it seems like Cornwells' heart wasn't in to writing this tale and so it falls short.

But, if you've read all the others, you gotta read this one. If you're new to the series, any of the original books are worth reading, in any order (I started with books 8 thru 11, and then 1 thru 7).

After finishing this book I thought it was one of the best of the series. This is the book that pits Sharpe against as Enemy like himself, Brigadier Loup is a great French commander, he commands an 'elite' Battalion known as the Loup Brigade. Like Sharpe's own rifles, these are a well-trained unit.

The book in general is typical Cornwell writing, you get a dose of history, a bit of romance and a whole load of heroism and action. Once you read a Sharpe novel the battle scenes get you gripped, you find yourself living it, smelling the acrid cannon smoke, tasting the foul, salty gunpowder of the muskets. This book is typical Sharpe and then some, the battle with Loup is like a clash of the titans, I recommend this book greatly, its one of the best of the series.

5 Stars

'Sharpe's Battle,' starts out with a bang and then gets bogged down to an ultimatley unsatisfying ending. While this book holds true to the spirit of the series and the attention to historical detail is first rate (a Cornwell trademark,) the wonderful story is sacrificed in Cornwell's attempt to illustrate the battle of Fuentes De Ornero. In other 'Sharpe' novels the battle scenes enhance the story but not so in 'Sharpe's Battle.' Fans of the series should enjoy it but those new to the world of Richard Sharpe would do well read the author's original series which starts with 'Sharpe's Rifles.'

Once again Mr. Cornwell takes us onto the battlefield of the French and the British (and Portuguese, German, Spanish, and Irish, et. al.). He does it with exquisite accuracy. Only one or two writers are able to make me feel the battlefield as can Mr. Cornwell. You can feel the dirt, the grit, heat, and the life of a soldier in 1811 in Portugal. Mr. Cornwell does an admirable job of letting you know what is being done and being used without distracting from the story. You pick up bits and pieces of historical information as you move through the story and only realize that you have learned something downstream. For instance the black armband of the Rifles' signified its wearer being a Chosen Man. This piece of information is slipped into your consciousness while describing a lost Green Coat (which had such an armband) and describing the importance of the loss to its wearer. It is done in a couple of sentences, but done. This is the way Mr. Cornwell conveys and colors his story. He describes Wellington, but does it in human terms and in the telling one learns about this man in some detail without realizing it. The battle scenes play on a screen in your mind as surely as a movie in a theater. Mr. Cornwell is at his best when describing battle itself. The Sharpe series is remarkable in many respects. And this book is certainly fine member of that family.

Bernard Cornwell outdoes himself in building a powerful plot to illustrate the stubbornness of the often-scarred Captain Sharpe. In many of the most complicated stories in this series, the plot seems like an attempt to fill pages. In Sharpe's Battle, the enemies are vivid, obnoxious, dangerous, and intriguing. Sharpe continually tries to do the right thing and is punished for his efforts. For me, those elements make this war story work a lot better.

French Marshal Massena has been pulling back from his failed thrust toward Lisbon. The question now becomes whether or not Viscount Wellington can march his troops into Spain. In Sharpe's Battle, Wellington chooses to besiege Almeida so that the French troops there cannot be resupplied or relieved by Massena.

As the book opens, the captured King of Spain has ordered his personal guards unit made up of exiled Irishmen to report to Wellington to fight. The troops are led by a man whose mother was famous for her support for Irish rebels. Wellington and Major Hogan are doubtful that this "gift" is anything other than a Trojan Horse designed to create problems from within.

Sharpe is leading his men across the countryside when he spots French troops murdering civilians. Two of the men stay behind to assault a girl, and Sharpe captures them. In contrast to the rules of war, Sharpe refuses to exchange them . . . having them shot instead in front of their commanding officer, Brigadier General Guy Loup, who swears revenge on Sharpe. Loup's brigade has been using terrorist tactics to offset the partisans, and Sharpe wants Loup's head as much as Loup wants Sharpe's.

Back with the army, Sharpe is assigned to "train" the new troops under the leadership of timid Wagon Master General Runciman. Soon, the troops are deserting like rats leaving a sinking ship, but Sharpe wants more out of them. Loup senses an opportunity and decides to attach the remote camp where the royal guard is housed with massed force . . . helped by a little inside information. In the aftermath, Sharpe finds that he was become a pawn in a political game between the Spanish allies and Wellington over who will lead the combined forces into Spain.

Will Sharpe be able to escape from the claws of the factions?

The book culminates in an absolutely thrilling account of the battle of Fuentes de Onoro which featured an uncharacteristic mistake by Wellington, some remarkable soldiering, and unbelievable hand-to-hand combat within a village on a hillside.

The book ends with some remarkable ironies that will leave you thinking for some time to come.

This book features great writing and an thoroughly engaging story to test all aspects of Sharpe's mettle.

Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe's Battle" is another fine entry in the Sharpe series. As with all of Cornwell's Sharpe books there are loads of action and excitement. "Battle" was written during the BBC series 1995 and is even dedicated to Sean Bean, the actor who played Sharpe.

It is Spain 1811 the British are trying to maintain their foothold in the Iberian Peninsula. Sharpe gets his company lost in the foothills and stumbles across a town that was wiped up by the French. Sharpe orders the execution of two French soldiers thus earning the enmity of the ruthless French Brigadier General Loup (the Wolf). Thus begins a story that includes characters such as: the evil spy-master Major Ducos, the hysterical ruminations of Wagon Master (General) Runciman, the tragic drunken Irish Lord Kiely, the impotent partisan El Castrador (that's right Castrador). Can you imagine a better cast of characters. What fun!

I disagree with some of the other reviews and found "Sharpe's Battle" great. I would recommend this story to anyone, especially Sharpe fans.

This is one of the best historical novels I have ever read. The only part I didn't like was the small history of what realy did happen at the end. It was a jolt back to reality.

Once again, Bernard Cornwell has written an exciting page-turner of a book. I found it very addictive - staying up late at night to finish it. I recommend it to all who enjoy a good historical action/adventure book in the genre of Horatio Hornblower.

I can't wait to read more books of the Sharpe series.

Though best read in it's chronological place in the Sharp's Series, it as a good stand alone read as well. Enjoy!

Sharpe faces repercussions after he executes two French soldiers caught committing a massacre. Not that Wellington wants to cashier the legendary rifle captain, but his testy Spanish allies are looking for any excuse not to make him overall commander against Napoleon, and Sharpe's reprisal could be just the excuse they need.

Meanwhile an Irish guards unit appears. Previously they were royal guards to the Spanish king, now a prisoner of Napoleon. Their appearance now, after years of occupation, is suspicious. Are these Irish troops loyal? Why were they allowed to leave? Do they really want to fight for the Protestant King George III? Or were they sent by the French to sow discord in the British army? Wellington and his intelligence chief, Sharpe's pal Hogan, conclude the latter, and want to ease them away from the front without offending the Spanish.

Hogan hopes to demoralize them and sends the no-nonsense Sharpe to train these parade-ground troops, but Sharpe thinks they have potential if properly led, and gets to like them. Their leader, though, is wrapped around the finger of a French spy ¬ Juanita, the scheming mistress of Guy Loup. He is the brutal and ambitious French commander of the two soldiers Sharpe executed, conductor of an atrocity filled terror war against Spanish guerrillas and civilians, and Sharpe's sworn enemy.

Marshal Massena maneuvers to finish Wellington by cutting off the British line of retreat, while Wellington commits a disastrous error threatening him with annihilation. The forces meet in a series of savage clashes. As usual, great battle detail, in a bigger battle than has so far served as the backdrop of the Spanish episodes. The hand-to-hand combat is described in chilling, smell-of-death detail. Also quite good is the depiction of how a dozen types of that era's units - infantry, riflemen, grenadiers, various types of cavalry and so on - intricately support each other in combat and how they are best used against the enemy.