Sharpes Fortress

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Cornwell is again masterful in his description of the action. The pace is brisk and siege is fully explored. I walked away from the book feeling as if I had a sense of what could have take place during the siege. The story unfold masterfully. This is HF action written at its best. As I have been devouring a Sharpe a week, it is perhaps time to comment, for after this third volume the hero of the series is at last leaving India…. Deliberately triggering the massive explosion that destroyed the fortress of Almeida (usually attributed to accident, combined with careless British handling of their munitions store); Sharpe's Fortress is the third historical novel of the Richard Sharpe series, by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1998. It is the last of the Sharpe India trilogy. It tells the story of Ensign Sharpe, during the battle of Argaum and the following siege of the fortress of Gawilghur in 1803. Richard Sharpe is now a brand-spanking new ensign. He is learning that he should have been careful what he wished for. None of the enlisted respect him since he came up from the ranks; the officers look down upon him as a dirty peasant. The poor guy can't win for losing! He's a tenacious fellow, though. Knowing his character from the rest of the series, I enjoyed seeing Sharpe begin to develop into the character I know and love.

On transfer to the 95th Rifles, Sharpe becomes a second lieutenant, equivalent in rank to an ensign, as the Rifles do not have ensigns. Sharpe's Fortress was published in 1998, and describes the first adventure of Richard Sharpe as an officer of the British Army. Once again, Bernard Cornwell description of the battle that was the taking of Gawilghur makes you feel like your are right there in the midst of everything. All the horror that is war is laid bare for the reader.Storming the walls of the inner fortress at Gawilghur and opening the gates to the besieging forces (in reality, this was achieved by Captain Campbell leading the light company of the 94th Scotch Brigade; in the novel, Campbell and his troops are the first to join Sharpe once they realise what he's planning); Sharpe takes part in a number of notable actions, either with the South Essex or on detached duty for Wellesley's spymaster, Captain Michael Hogan of the Royal Engineers. These include capturing a French Imperial Eagle at the Battle of Talavera in 1809 (fulfilling a promise to a dying captain he respects), and the storming of the breach at Badajoz. He also takes an active role in the first siege of Almeida, the battles of Bussaco, Barossa, Ciudad Rodrigo, Fuentes de Onoro, Salamanca, Vitoria, and Toulouse. Over this period, he rises in rank from lieutenant to captain to major, eventually taking unofficial command of the entire regiment. Sharpe's Irish friend Harper rises from rifleman to regimental sergeant major. That said, Sharpe’s tales have a much more contemporary flavor, and not only in the terseness of the language, carnage of the action and sometimes suspect sensationalism (as, when Indian janni “religious musclemen” drive enormous nails into the heads of condemned men with their bare hands). What I sense is the creeping of modern super-heroism into the adventures and misadventures of this child of a London whore avoided by every musket ball.…

In this installment, the character of Richard Sharpe is more fully developed. The character is forced to deal with emotions and the anger and disappointment that when your dreams do not unravel as planned. Cornwell had enjoyed C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower novels, which depict a Royal Navy officer's career from midshipman to Admiral of the Fleet and retirement. When he could not find a similar series for the British Army, he decided to write it himself. As a further inducement, he had fallen in love with an American woman who, for various reasons, could not leave the United States, so he relocated. He could not get a green card or work permit, so he wrote the first Sharpe novel to make a living. Along the way Sharpe has his normal run ins with scurrilous Officers and not forgetting his arch nemesis, Obadiah Hakeswill. He then joined BBC's Nationwide and was promoted to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland. He then joined Thames Television as editor of Thames News. He relocated to the United States in 1980 after marrying an American. Unable to get a green card, he started writing novels, as this did not require a work permit.Gazetted by General Wellesley as a captain after saving the Regimental Colour of the South Essex Battalion at Valdelacasa.

Wrapping up Sharpe's prequel India trilogy, and it did a very good job being engaging throughout and wrapping up the plots from the previous two books. It's worth noting that the female characters in this series (so far) are unbelievably bland and interchangeable and only exist so Sharpe can save them. Adventure novels, yada yada, but it could still be done better. Taking command of a regiment in driving off the advance of the French Imperial Guard at the Battle of Waterloo (the regiments who actually held off the Imperial Guard are in the novel as well); Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of British soldier Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series featuring Sean Bean in the title role.

Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He attempted to enlist in the British armed services at least three times but was rejected on the grounds of myopia.