Sharpe's Battle: Richard Sharpe & the Battle of Fuentes De Onoro, May 1811 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #12) [Hardcover]

Bernard Cornwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1995

The newest novel in a series of novels about the Napoleonic wars continues the adventures of the courageous British captain Richard Sharpe as he faces a powerful and dangerous enemy--Napoleon's armies and General Guy Loup.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From a previous book in Cornwell's acclaimed Sharpe series, Sharpe's Devil, we know that Richard Sharpe, up-from-the-ranks captain in the Duke of Wellington's army, lived at least until 1821. So this tale, which finds the English soldier pitted against the vicious General Guy Loup in 1811, during the Napoleonic Wars, lacks some suspense. Still, there's the tantalizing question of how Sharpe gets out of some very dangerous scrapes, both on and off the battlefield. Once again, the captain faces lethal enemies (Loup; a French spymaster), dangerous "allies" (an arrogant Spanish general; a nasty Irish peer) and tricky political situations (opposition among the Allies-Britain, Ireland, Portugal-to making Wellington supreme Allied leader). Some loyal friends show up as well, notably Sergeant Patrick Harper, with his seven-shot gun, giant frame and even larger spirit. In this 13th volume in the series, Cornwell's superb storytelling and skill at historical re-creation are in top form as he masterfully presents the carnage, clamor, stink and "sublime joy" of battle.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Cornwell's latest adventure starring Richard Sharpe in the Napoleonic Wars was created to coincide with the Masterpiece Theatre production of three titles in the Sharpe series. But regardless of the motive, Cornwell's fans will be elated to see their hero back in battle again, fighting the French and the hierarchy of Wellington's army. The encounter takes place in 1811, shortly after the destruction of Almeida (recounted in Sharpe's Gold, 1983). It is still Almeida that is under contention, for the French have mounted a massive campaign to supply the scant forces that still hold the fort. On another front, Sharpe is waging a private battle (which nearly gets him court-martialed) against the ferocious French Wolf Brigade. Vintage Cornwell. Denise Perry Donavin

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harpercollins; 1st U.S. edition (June 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060176776
• ISBN-13: 978-0060176778
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,257,217 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

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Feels Like it was Written From a Script, February 18, 2000

By 

"ajaxb" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sharpe's Battle (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #12) (Paperback)

'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).

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best Sharoe books yet!, September 3, 2003

By 

David Hassall (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sharpe's Battle (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #12) (Paperback)

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

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Sharpe's Battle: Not Cornwell's Best, But A Lot Of Fun, March 16, 2000

By 

Cody Carlson (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sharpe's Battle (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #12) (Paperback)

'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.'