Sharpe's Battle
The Battle of Fuentes de Onoro, May 1811
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4.6 • 154 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the twelth installment in the world-renowned Sharpe series, chronicling the rise of Richard Sharpe, a Private in His Majesty’s Army at the siege of Seringapatam.
Quartered in a crumbling Portuguese fort, Richard Sharpe and his men are attacked by an elite French unit, led by an old enemy of Sharpe’s, and suffer heavy losses.
The army’s high command blame Sharpe for the disaster and his military career seems to be ruined. His only hope is to redeem himself on the battlefield. So with his honour at stake, against an overwhelming number of French troops, Sharpe leads his men to battle in the narrow streets of Fuentes de Oñoro.
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.
Customer Reviews
Sharpe's Battle
Usually a huge fan of this author, and this series, BUT --
This particular book, Sharpe's Battle, is very subpar -- especially when it comes to the actual writing. It almost seems as if it was written by a different, far less capable, author. I am no stickler for grammar, BUT whoever wrote this overuses the word "but" to a distracting degree -- description and dialogue (of all characters). This is just the most egregious example of repetitive overuse of words. It's irritating and once you notice, which you will, it completely ruins the read.
Extremely disappointed.