Sharpe's Gold (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #9) [Paperback]

Bernard Cornwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

A year after the victory at Talavera, Wellington's army, outnumbered and bankrupt, is on the verge of collapse. Its only hope lies in a cache of gold hidden in the Portuguese mountains, and the only man capable of stealing it is Captain Richard Sharpe-even if it means turning against his own side.

Editorial Reviews

Review

[Sharpe is] a hero in the mold of James Bond. -- The Philadelphia Inquirer

About the Author

Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series takes its hero to the battle of Waterloo-and beyond. Several novels are the basis of a television miniseries.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Reissue edition (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140294317
• ISBN-13: 978-0140294316
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #435,538 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

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a fast-paced novel with excellent protagonists, June 16, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sharpe's Gold (Paperback)

It is so difficult to find a CHRONOLOGICAL listing of the Sharpe's series. Amazon, show a chrono right here! All listings are ALPHABETICAL, which is USELESS! A library program called NOVELIST actually has a chronological listing. You really need it to read the series in proper sequence.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great story, September 3, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: Sharpe's Gold (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #9) (Paperback)

Out of all the Sharpe books I would say this isn't one of the best, it's got all the usual Sharpe features but it just lacks that certain something. Still though, it's an awesome book and well worth a read.

In this book Sharpe makes enemies with a powerful guerilla leader, El Catalico. El Catalico is a master swordsman and Sharpe is no match for him with a sword, and in the inevitable battle between these foes, Sharpe must rely upon his means of fighting.

The book is set during August 1810, you get some good education about what happened during that time Anglo-French war. Almeida, a huge fortress under British control is destroyed, you get a very detailed and highly visual description of the explosion that destroyed the fort in the book. The rest is in the book, but the story is great and well, typical Sharpe.

4 Stars

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An explosive adventure through tradegy and romance., October 27, 1999

By 

Paul Witter (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sharpe's Gold (Paperback)

Sharpe's Gold is one of Bernard Corwall's finest additions to the best-selling Sharpe series. The combination of mystery, suspense, tradegy, romance and sheer explosive adventurism sets the benchmark for Cornwall's writing. This episode in the long-run series is still one of my favories along with Rifles, Eagle, Company, Enemy, Regiment and Waterloo. An extremely gripping and exciting read which transports the reader back to 1810.