Book Review: Sharpe's Triumph by Bernard Cornwell
I can safely say I am enjoying the Sharpe series. The only issue is I am struggling to find more books in the series. I have just managed to grab book two, so we will get through this and worry about the rest as I find them.
Title: Sharpe's Triumph (Sharpe #2)
Author: Bernard Cornwell
Fluff:
Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803
India, 1803. Sergeant Richard Sharpe witnesses a murderous act of treason by an English officer who has defected from the East India Company to join the mercenary army of the Mahratta Confederation. In the hunt for the renegade Englishman, he penetrates deep into the enemy's territory, where he faces temptations more subtle than he has ever dreamed of. And behind him, relentlessly stalking him, comes his worst enemy, the baleful, twitching Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, who is determined to break Sharpe once and for all. The paths of treachery all lead to the small village of Assaye, where Sir Arthur Wellesley, with a tiny British army, faces the Mahratta horde. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wellesley decides to fight, and Sharpe is plunged into the white heat of a battle that will make Wellesley's reputation. It will make Sharpe's name, too, but only if he can survive the carnage and killing frenzy, for it is at Assaye that he finally realizes his ambition and has a chance to seize it. This significant new novel will follow the adventures of Richard Sharpe in India, beginning so excitingly in Sharpe's Tiger and culminating in the Battle of Assaye, which Wellington considered his most significant victory.
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Style: Paperback
Page Count: 368
Review
Well, this reads like the old TV show, which is great for me as I loved that Sean Bean series. Set about four years after Tiger, we join Sgt. Sharpe as he accompanies General Wellesley in a campaign against the Mahratta. Leading up to the actual battle of Assaye in 1803.
The main plot sees Sharpe teaming up with Colonel McCandless once more to hunt down a rogue British Officer who, earlier in the book, slaughters a whole platoon of men, with Sharpe being the only survivor. At the same time, we have the foul Sgt. Hakeswill trying to takedown Sharpe by framing him for a crime.
The story is nicely paced and exciting as it leads up to The Battle of Assaye, which we get to experience through Sharpe's eyes; it is rather horrific and cold as you watch the callous commanders send their troops in. These chapters stuck with me and prove how well-written they are by Cornwell.
But it isn't all great, the Sgt. Hakeswill's arc felt very unneeded. It seemed like a filler plotline rather than something to be worried about. I found it disappointing overall, especially with the fact that it brought to an end Colonel McCandless, who deserved a better ending. I am also left knowing that he will be back, though it was heavily hinted an elephant kills him. This is a minor complaint as it doesn't hugely impact the fantastic story, but Hakeswill's plot armour is too strong. I hope we get a break from him in the next novel.
I am now hunting for the following title: Fortress, which hopefully I will find quicker this time.
I hope you enjoyed the review. Feel free to comment below or seek me out on one of the social platforms I hang out on. Cheers to reading this.
