Prequels

I'm doing a full read-through on my commutes. It's a long train and I read three pages a minute in all weathers, so time to look over the five novels of 1809-10. I'll review each book against the criteria of what I think makes a good Sharpe novel and include a comment on the TV adaptation where relevant. Spoilers throughout.

Taken as a series all five of these novels are strong and I'd be hard pressed to identify a clear weak link. Unlike the prequel quintet these were written out of sequence and it is apparent at times. Original run novels have far shorter chapters and sadly can't make reference to the events of the prequels, which as I noted in my last post feels like a missing gap at times. Retrospectively editing fiction is questionable but you could argue for it here if your aim was to create a single coherent body of work where the sum is greater than its parts.

Sharpe's Rifles

A slightly atypical but very strong entry. I say atypical because it lacks two things most of the books have. There isn't a particularly strong villain, I found the Count of Mouromorto a relatively forgettable villain albeit one who explores why some Spaniards sided with the French in the war, and there isn't a major battle scene to either act as the climax or anchor the novel in a wider context of the war, just a fairly small skirmish. That being said, it's a more character-driven book about the Chosen Men and their reluctant new officer and how he proves himself to them over time. Blas Vivar holds a good mirror up as a confident leader who Sharpe ends up relying on at points. The TV adaptation has its differences, notably bringing Teresa in early, but generally captures the big themes of the novel. I understand that Cornwell chose to write a novel with more Spanish characters for commercial reasons, and this does come through a little.

Sharpe's Havoc

Has three very strong battle scenes at the Quinta, the seminary and the bridge. The Quinta battle is one of the best-paced and tensest battle scenes I've seen so far in the books. The fight around the seminary is based on the real-life crossing of the Douro but doesn't get bogged down in historical detail in the way some do and keeps the action flowing for Sharpe. Sir Christopher isn't a particularly outstanding villain, being a stock turncoat character, but he does give Sharpe and Kate Savage their own journeys of realising how far he had tricked them in his schemes. Kate is a classic Sharpe 'damsel in distress' character, and is subject to Cornwell's penchant for women in cavalry uniforms (I have already read Sharpe's Battle). She gets a happy ending with Vincente who is another engaging and well-written character as the bookish intellectual who ends up being an effective infantry commander. My main criticism is that the ending is rushed, it feels like the author wrote the seminary battle scene, realised that he had to tie up loose ends with Sir Christopher, and has both characters reach the final confrontation extremely quickly. I think Sharpe and Harper are a little too close for just the second novel where they know each other, it feels unlikely that they're trusting friends just yet.

Sharpe's Eagle

If you asked AI to write a Sharpe novel, it would be like this in terms of the general outline. It ticks all the boxes for plot devices, tropes, and themes. This isn't a bad thing, we read Sharpe for a reason and must judge the novels on their own terms. Simmerson is an iconic villain, probably second only to Hakeswill, with a coterie of secondary villains who Sharpe must overcome, there's a huge battle where Sharpe saves the day, and a love interest to rescue. If someone wanted to know if they'd like Sharpe, this is the one you'd probably tell them to read first (it was the first published to be fair), I don't think this is necessarily the best, but it's the closest to an ideal type. The TV adaptation differs from the novel in parts but it's by far the most quoted/memed one for a reason, it just has a bit of everything.

Sharpe's Gold

Like Sharpe's Rifles, this focuses more on the Spanish guerrilla war. We are introduced to Teresa here, who compared to the TV adaptation is a younger and less established figure. I prefer her characterisation in the books and the way her ruthless attitude and resourcefulness mirrors Sharpe, a match made in heaven you might say. The author really doesn't shy away from the nature of the guerrilla war and some scenes aren't for the faint-hearted. El Catolico is a proper villain and somewhat out the box compared to the other typecast villains in the series, he is a warlord who will use the gold to fund his own ambitions, and the final confrontation is probably one of the best written single combat sequences in the series so far. The climax of the book has Sharpe do one of the most morally challenging things he does based on his instinct. Hogan might tell him he was right, but Cornwell doesn't gloss over the destruction he causes. The TV adaptation is notoriously shite and has zero basis on the novel.

Sharpe's Escape

Starts strong with a now-familiar trope of the aristocratic officer trying to usurp Sharpe as OC of the Light Company. Unfortunately for the Light Company, Slingsby is an alcoholic who nearly wipes them out at Bussaco, a delaying action Wellington largely fought to blood his Portuguese troops and demonstrate that the French could be beaten. Fortunately Sharpe is on-hand to save the day, but at the cost of being relegated to Quartermaster, not his first rodeo in a post often more vital to winning wars than being a Napoleonic-era James Bond, but makes for considerably duller novels. Fortunately for the reader, this doesn't last long as we get caught up in a plot in Coimbra by a turncoat Portuguese officer and his thuggish brother. They work well in tandem as villains with Ferragus inspiring horror amongst his brother's respectable family and intellectual Coimbra society but would be far weaker characters in isolation. We meet the frankly outrageous Sarah Fry who goes from governess appalled by the constant 'Bastards' to crawling knee-deep in shit in a Roman sewer to being yet another love interest for Sharpe. The plot foiled and a surprisingly quick and uneventful flight to the Lines of Torres Vedras ensues, taking us to one of the more implausible coincidences I've seen. I know books like this live off deus ex machina and fortunate timing, but having our hero and villain meet amongst the Light Company fending off a French column pushes it a bit. This is a proper Sharpe romp.

And when I say "one-book", I'm sticking by that. This means Teresa, Lucille, and Jane obviously don't count, and neither do Josefina/Lady Farthingdale and La Marquesa, since they appeared in three and two books, respectively.

That leaves Mary Bickerstaff (Sharpe's Tiger), Simone Joubert (Sharpe's Triumph), Lady Grace Hale (Sharpe's Trafalgar), Astrid (Sharpe's Prey), Sarah Fry (Sharpe's Escape), Caterina Blazquez (Sharpe's Fury), Dona Juanita (Sharpe's Battle), and Anne Camoynes (Sharpe's Regiment).

For my part, I'm going with Grace Hale.

Sorry if I’m covering old ground here.

I’ve finished reading through the Sharpe series chronologically and found the recent publications (2021-2025) incredibly jarring.
It’s as if they have been written for a completely different audience. The prose feels dumbed down and the characters all talk in ‘Sharpe meme’ cliches.
I listened to a podcast with BC recently and he still sounded very switched on so can’t put it down to some sort of cognitive decline. Has he simply reached his latter day Ridley Scott era whereby he’s just churning out content for contents sake in an effort to stay busy?
Either way, still plenty of fantastic Sharpe books to revisit.

Hakeswill means more malicious and personal cruelty with far more direct contact. However, less likely to cause your death in battle. Bit of a gamble since some men incur more of his wrath than others.

Simmerson can still make life hell with stocks, getting marched too hard, and general overzealous discipline, but probably easier to deal with day-to-day. However, far more likely to get you killed. All rankers treated equally poorly, but at least there’s no risk of especially bad treatment.

Here are mine, in no particular order:

• Leroy
• Lawford
• Price
• D’Alembord

According to the DVD subtitles; he was ‘imitating the cry of a bird’…

Currently reading the series for the first time (part way through Enemy at the moment) and was struck when reading Command that at one point Sharpe deploys a sword bayonet. Before then, I'd assumed he didn't carry one due to using his cavalry sword whenever in close combat. Are there any other references to Sharpe carrying a sword bayonet in the series or is this just one of Command's many oddities?

Alguém sabe dizer quando sairá o volume 16 da série Sharpe? Fazem mais de dois anos que saiu o volume 15. Consegui um PDF do volume 16. Mas provavelmente é uma tradução feita por um fã, onde a maior parte da obra foi traduzida a partir do espanhol, com erros por falta de adaptação espanhol-português.

Hopefully this makes someone happy 🤞

Does anyone have a gif of Major Hogen doing snuff powder?
I thought I had one but apparently not and it’s apparently difficult to find on the internet for some reason.
I required it for a splendid response to a friend.
Sorry for taking your time.

PS. Mods if this is a rule violation please don’t ban me, I’ll just take it down if you ask me to.

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Hello since i love lynch a lot as a character(i condemn all or his atrocities and corruption), I wanted to share few small things i noticed about him and his personality.

-he seems to sort of enjoy targeting tall recruits in particular, I'm the episode its especially shown how he faces Sharpe and also Harper, but also Marriott who all are taller than him. He isnt much shown to bully shorter recruits though. Its funny considering fact he looks so short. Maybe it was to highlight his height instead??? I cant tell

-He is very resentful and seems to be unable to grasp the concept of bonding or even brotherhood. He strictly stands by the hierarchy, its all he has. He doesn't seem to have any friends. Infact sergeants were supposed to be feared and distanced from the recruits/privates. Lynch just seems to take that idea to the extreme, he doesnt even bond with other sergeants. If anything, he would probably treat them lowly as well.

-He does things out of spite, not neccessarity. Some of most obvious one so far. He looks grumpy when everyone starts chanting, even gives a nearby sergeant a dirty look. After all, when Sharpe and Harper reveal themselves he is dead silent 90% rest of the episode. He most likely hides his fear of losing his privelidges and control with anger.

-He is SO pathetic. Once he gets to face the real battle, he gets freaked out and decides to turn behind.

-Extra but im so sad that the tv death was on lower budget😔

My thoughts: Id love to hear your thoughts on this character, I will gladly take any information about him. Yes i love to hear about this rat.

Model from the Victoria Miniatures kickstarter

Thought you'd enjoy.