JAMES23's Full Review: Bernard Cornwell - Sharpe's Fury: Richard Sharpe a...
There is a theory that if an author makes too many trips to the same literary well for ideas that he may soon run dry. One wonders if Bernard Cornwell is aware of that theory in regards to his literary creation Richard Sharpe. His latest Sharpe Novel Sharpe’s Fury isn’t a disaster, but one wonders if the bucket was only half full when he pulled it up. Like some critics of Tom Clancy and Stephen King have noted one wonders if Cornwell is just going through the motions here.
Sharpe’s Fury is the twenty-first in the series that cover the exploits of Richard Sharpe, London street urchin turned Napoleonic swashbuckler. It is set at the siege of Cadiz and the battle of Barossa in 1811. After the first Sharp novel Sharpe’s Eagle Cornwell quickly took the series in the first ten novels through the Peninsula Wars and on to Waterloo with Sharpe rising in rank from a mere averaged up from the ranks Lieutenant to a Colonel. Realising the popularity of the character he returned and began to “fill in the gaps” covering battles and exploits he had missed the first time round, including a trilogy set in India covering Sharpe’s earlier exploits. After this though it now becomes a bit of a trial to managed to get Sharpe and his men into the area of every battle fought in Spain and Portugal.
In this instalment it is May 1811 and yet another crisis faces the British forces facing Napoleons armies in Spain and Portugal. The French and the British have conquered most of Spain and their allies have been driven back to Portugal and are besieged outside of Lisbon. The Spanish Government reluctant allies of the British control only the post city of Cadiz and a few miles surrounding it and are besieged by a French army.
The Spanish Government is divided into two factions, one set on continuing the fight alongside their new allies the British and Portuguese and driving the French from their soil. The other suggests making peace with the French and turning on the British the traditional and ancient enemy. To make matters worse this faction has acquired some rather personal and embarrassing documents belonging to the English ambassador in Cadiz, The Duke of Wellington’s brother, and is intent on using them to further their cause. Enter Sharpe and his band of ruffians.
The first problem Cornwell faces is getting Sharpe, his trusty Sergeant Harper and their riflemen out of besieged Lisbon and through French controlled Spain to Cadiz so they can undertake their acts of daring do. Cornwell develops a rather ingenious if not totally plausible deux e machina here to move his central characters to where he and history needs them to be.
Sharpe, Harper and their men are part of raiding force sent out from Lisbon under a rather pompous British Brigadier to destroy a bridge over the Guadiana River to prevent the French from using it. They succeed but in the process Sharpe Harper, the pompous Brigadier and a small contingent of men re trapped on the wrong side of the river. The escape form the pursuing French by floating down stream on the bridge remnants and after a few minor adventures are swept out to the open sea where they are rescued in the proverbial nick of time by a passing Royal Navy warship. Naturally the ship is bound for Cadiz.
Once in the besieged Spanish capital, Sharpe and his men are dragged into the political intrigue that is rife in the city. The ambassador being Wellington’s brother knows full well of Sharpe’s unique skills and asks his help in either stealing back or destroying the incriminating and embarrassing papers. This our stalwart hero and his merry band of riflemen temporarily turned cat burglars do after much daring do on the roof tops and back alleys of Cadiz, including a tense fight in the catacombs beneath the cathedral.
Crisis averted Sharpe and his men find time to march south and observe the battle of Barossa where a small British army from both Cadiz and Gibraltar defeats the larger French army and lifts the siege. As at the earlier victory at Talavera they manage to do this while their Spanish allies sit and take no part in the battle.
As always Cornwell has easily mixed real historical characters with fictitious ones and weaved real events with his own. The battle of Barossa did take place and The British and Portuguese army under General Sir Thomas Graham did defeat the French under Marshall Victor, while Spanish troops under General Lapena took no part. Sir Arthur Wellesley’s brother Henry was ambassador at Cadiz, although history does not record him being careless with his personal papers and letter and therefore needing the services of a former London urchin and thief.
Among the fictional characters we are introduced to the aforementioned pompous Brigadier, a high class courtesan, there always has to be a lady in distress in a Sharp novel, a vicious Spanish Priest who is more than willing to break a commandment or two to further his political agenda, a one legged Spanish Admiral who still hates the English for his defeat at Trafalgar and a vicious French Colonel who Sharpe has a score to settle with. All are weaved into the tale with Cornwell’s obvious skill and attention to detail.
As with all his other novels this one is meticulously researched, including g visits to Cadiz and walking the ancient battlefields. This detail and knowledge is evident throughout the book including a very descriptive section on the ancient catacombs under the cathedral.
Despite all this I still only half enjoyed this novel. The story seemed all too similar to earlier Sharpe tale Sharpe’s Sword complete with political intrigue spies a high class courtesan in need of rescuing, evil Spanish priests or this case a monk and as a finale a major battle, in this case Salamanca (1812). This causes me to question if Cornwell has taken one too many trips to the well.
However as I’m a fan of Richard Sharpe I’ll take whatever I can get these days, especially considering Cornwell has promised future adventures.
The next installment in the New York Times bestselling Richard Sharpe series will be published to coincide with a new movie that will debut on BBC Ame...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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