Richard Sharpe was born and raised in the gutter, a nobody without prospects and a petty criminal. Joining the army to escape a murder charge, he finds himself under the harsh suns of India, and the harsher eye of his commanding officer, Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington to be. The year is 1799, and the British conquest of India is underway.
This is where we find Sharpe at the beginning of Sharpe's Tiger, the first book (chronologically) in a series of (currently) around twenty novels charting his struggle against his twin enemies of bureaucracy and the French to achieve fame and fortune.
For now though, Sharpe is a lowly private, the lowest of the low. Well respected by his fellows for his competence and charisma, his good looks earn him a beautiful woman and the enmity of his thoroughly unpleasant sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill. Set up for a crime and flogged half to death, Sharpe is rescued from the triangle for a secret mission, to infiltrate the city of Seringapatam, and rescue a British Colonel who has vital knowledge.
One of the most impressive features of all the Sharpe books is the detailed research and wealth of historical fact that slips in to a book that also combines breakneck action and stunning heroism. You really get immersed in the world, and Cornwell has a real talent for introducing background detail without slowing the pace down. He also doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of the army at the time, the abuse and corruption that existed, and the awfulness of the punishments meted out upon the unfortunate men.
The main characters are well fleshed out, and even the less important characters don't feel like simple stereotypes. Admittedly there are definite 'goodies' and 'baddies', although there are surprisingly more nasty characters in the British Camp, such as the incompetent, lecherous drunken Captain Morris who connives with Hakeswill to have Sharpe beaten to death in order to sell his woman to a brothel.
The character of Sharpe is developed from earlier books, but this is a chance to see some of the past that has been hinted at before. He is a determined and ruthless man, respectful of strength but utterly scornful of any failing. We also get to see some other historical figures, like the Scottish Major General Sir David Baird, who is quite a character. His arguments and abuse of Wellesley are an example of a humourous interlude which keeps the pace of the book a little lighter.
The pace of the action is another of Cornwell's strengths. He has the ability to describe the brutality and confusedness of hand to hand combat, while also keeping us appraised of the overall situation of the fight. His simple descriptions of the heroic acts that ordinary soldiers perform illustrates how the impossible was regularly demanded of the redcoats, and they pulled through almost every time.
If you are a fan of the Sharpe series already, then this will be a great addition to your collection, it fills in a lot of detail about the young Sharpe and is I think one of the better books in the series.
If you haven't read any of the books yet then this is definitely the place to begin, I am sure you will be working your way through the rest of the series in no time.
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Excellent review, couldn't agree more with your analysis, and I've read them all! This is one of the outstanding ones of the series.
hiker 05.04.2006 19:50
Haven't read any of the Sharpe books - but am a fan of the TV adaptations. What's not clear from this review - apart from basic details such as publisher, price (either cover or actual paid or best-found we know it's a movable feast but guidelines still help) - is quite where it comes in the series. I take it that by "(chronologically)" - you mean it's the earliest if Sharpe's life, but that it's been published somewhere else in the series. I think that could be made a little clearer...and if you're suggesting this as the starting point, and the books have been published 'out of order' (from a character timeline) then hints as to where next wouldn't hurt either. All that said, I might have been a teensy bit harsh in my rate. Lx
workangel 05.04.2006 18:32
I think Sharpe books are very much a mans read - but i liked the review very much. Caro
Advantages: Fills in some of the missing background to the "later" books, Pretty compelling read Disadvantages: Not as fresh as some of the others in the series.
Apr 5th, 2006
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