Reviews - Sharpe's Command

47 reviews for:

Sharpe's Command

Bernard Cornwell

3.65 AVERAGE

jakefrostick's review

3.5

adventurous medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

alison_h's review against another edition

3.0

adventurous fast-paced

revolta's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous funny inspiring fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

milo_afc's review against another edition

4.0

Teresa FTW. Okay this has full on ignited my Napoleonic interest again - a by-product of my roman empire being the French Revolution. Sharpe a likeable rogue as ever and it's great to see the switch to a more typical war story after the espionage of Sharpe's Assassin.

Haven't caught up with most of the original series so going to go back and revisit both the books and the show I think - this was such an enjoyable listen on borrowbox!

oneeasyreader's review

2.0

While I am sure Cornwell enjoys his job and I have no objection to him making money from it, Sharpe’s Command does feel like he needed some cash to renovate the indoor lap pool at Chatham.

Stumbling to Victory

The basic premise of the Sharpe series is that Sharpe wins by the end of the same book. There are exceptions that run as a thread. He unexpectedly gains great wealth, but has to lose it in order to maintain a relatively lowly position for the series. Loved ones come and go due to death or desertion, leaving him “in play” for a future damsel in distress. Notwithstanding those minor points, the Sharpe books tend to be centred around successful British actions, which make them successful actions for Sharpe.

Here, we have a bridge that has to be destroyed, and destroying it requires the capture or destruction of certain Frenchie forts. Of course that happens, but its a weird stumble through setpieces, as Sharpe rushes through a series of objectives. While they lead to the final objective, there’s a lack of tension as to how Sharpe gets there. Ironically, it’s perfect that this book comes chronologically after Sharpe’s Company. In that book Sharpe tells us he will be in the Forlorn Hope, so he is – because he always wins! But how he gets there is what made that book “tense” – how will he achieve the very clearly stated goal in the face of several obstacles?

In Sharpe’s Command, Sharpe kills Frenchies again, but it is offhandly (and in somewhat unworldly numbers – he’d hardly have achieved a better kill rate if his detachment had been armed with an Bren Gun). Sharpe proves to be a poor commander rescued by luck:

It was hard to argue with that. Sharpe knew he had miscalculated, that his fifteen rifles could never have defeated both French companies. It had been sheer pride and overconfidence that had persuaded him that he could win, and in the end he had only been saved by Teresa and her partisans.

and while deus ex machinas that appear by the next chapter are hardly new to the series, it sticks out more because they are just things that happen, and less clearly obstacles to the main goal, just manufactured situations:

'We have to fight them off ourselves,’ he said, and wondered if he would have done better to have stayed in the church.

I do nit want to overstate these plot issues. Sharpe’s Command works fine mechanically and you can construct a thread: Sharpe reacts to changing circumstances and proactively aids the British attack on the bridge. It is just that it failed to grab me.

Failings of (having a good) Character

He was a tall man, not young, but not old either. Sharpe guessed El Héroe, if it was indeed him, must be around forty years old.

The first general statement is that Sharpe’s Command occurs in the midst of some of the first Sharpe books written, so there are real limitations in character development and deaths. This means that at least one death lacks a proper build up as they didn’t exist beforehand, yet Cornwell has to kill someone. Admittedly Sharpe barely cares about the death himself.

More specifically, Lieutenant Love’s inclusion in the first half of the book feels like more blatant historical fan service than every appearance by the Duke of Wellington in the series so far. Crowbarring him in actually makes the main plot less clear – I have no idea what really developed from it.

As for the main antagonist “El Héroe”, he solely exists to develop another character’s renown by way of a final showdown. The problem is that he is a flat, pathetic coward. It felt a bit smarmy by Cornwell to point out in the historical note that there were Spanish partisans that helped the French – that wasn’t the problem! The issue is that his actions belied his apparent position of power. It is not that it is inexplicable how he could have become a leader, rather that all the plausible explanations just mean he’s not a very interesting enemy. He exists to get dunked on by others and describing him as the primary antagonist is hardly a spoiler as that is clear from the moment of his introduction.

‘I shall demand one from the British,’ he said, ‘along with rifles. Why you no give me rifles?’
‘I’m giving you something better,’ Sharpe said, ‘rifles with riflemen.’

Sharpe’s Command is perfectly readable. The action scenes are competent, the dialogue good is not sparkling, the Frenchies lose again. I would just say I am a lot happier that I picked it up from the library rather than paying for it.

[Separately, there are a number of editorial/proofing errors - I haven't let it influence the rating and later editions will clear some of these up, but it perhaps speaks to the relatively casual approach to the book]