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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Cornwell’s worst Sharpe book. Whilst it’s good to have the character back it is riddled with inconsistencies. On one page Sharpe is a Major on the next he’s a Captain, the whole book is set before Sharpe was promoted to a Captain. Characters are back who are previously killed off and given different units and the whole story is incredibly anti-climatic. It’s unusual for Cornwell to not have gripping plots but this book really isn’t worth the time.
I enjoyed this one but there are a bunch of errors, which include a minor character's name changing before reverting back to the original name, and Sharpe's rank being higher than it ought to be - he should be a captain at this point in 1812, as he was promoted to major in late 1812 (Sharpe's Enemy). I also feel that the writing style has changed, no doubt due to the fact that Cornwell stopped writing Sharpe novels a long time ago and has only recently returned to writing about the character. (I also noticed the style change with last year's book Sharpe's Assassin).
Criticisms aside, the story is engaging and fun.
Criticisms aside, the story is engaging and fun.
A very poor installment. I understand Cornwell was ill for much of its writing, but the amount of redundancy and unclear prose is difficult to forgive. Much of the blame for that must necessarily attach to his editors, who it seems have let him down most severely in his illness.
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
fast-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
adventurous
fast-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fun book, not as formulaic as most of the series, enjoyable read (bonus points bc I have a regrettable special interest in this series)
There are some hilarious continuity issues though - Sharpe is a major despite this promotion happening in a book set later in the chronology, and people keep randomly calling him "Captain" - sometimes having called him "major" on the same page.
Glad to see another book with Teresa in though, and she's better written in this one - she's allowed to take her own revenge instead of her husband taking it for her.
Glad to see another book with Teresa in though, and she's better written in this one - she's allowed to take her own revenge instead of her husband taking it for her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Xenophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Colonisation, Classism