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A review by icarusabides
Sharpe's Eagle by Bernard Cornwell
3.5
Bloody Simmerson, a loathsome figure in the show and a truly despicable one in the book but there's no doubting Cornwell's skill in drawing the character so well. Lt Col Sir Henry Simmerson to give him his proper name is the man who raised the South Essex regiment using his own money to fulfill his dreams of being brought glory by the shining red coats and gleaming gear of his very own real life toy army. An incompetent commander obsessed with flogging his own men to achieve perfection who is very quickly out of his depth as an avoidable blunder during a routine mission to destroy a bridge leads to the loss of the King's colour.
It soon falls to Sharpe to restore the pride of the South Essex in his new role as commander of the Light Company, all the while finding a way to avoid being scapegoated by the odious Simmerson as the army marches into Spain to face off against a formidable French force.
Every ounce of Sharpe's motivational skills are needed as he battles to turn the very green troops of the South Essex Light Company, formerly a local militia group, into a proper fighting force capable of standing in line against the best land army Europe has seen. A task made no easier by mounting tension throughout the battalion as Simmerson's leadership and punishment doctrine continues to cause division across the board.
There are some very good set pieces throughout Sharpe's Eagle, the chaos of the rout at the bridge and Sharpe rallying the remaining companies is great but the battle outside Talavera between the combined armies of England and Spain against the French is Cornwell at his absolute best. It's a battle told primarily through the front line skirmishing of Sharpe and his light company but Cornwell always makes the overall action of the day clear as columns of French troops march on the entrenched army of Wellesley. Sharpe's perspective provides a wonderfully clear and vivid into skirmishing tactics during such a battle with the light company engaging the French Voltigeurs between the lines of the two massed forces.
Sharpe as a character is at some of his absolute best in this book. He's formidable and heroic throughout and despite a tinge of melancholy early on he's probably at his happiest point to date in the series here. The sullen Sharpe of Rifles and Havoc is more or less gone and instead the determined tactically adept officer with a flair for inspirational leadership comes to the fore. Of course there's the usual undone by a beautiful woman plot line that this series cannot unfortunately do without but that aside it's a very good read.
It soon falls to Sharpe to restore the pride of the South Essex in his new role as commander of the Light Company, all the while finding a way to avoid being scapegoated by the odious Simmerson as the army marches into Spain to face off against a formidable French force.
Every ounce of Sharpe's motivational skills are needed as he battles to turn the very green troops of the South Essex Light Company, formerly a local militia group, into a proper fighting force capable of standing in line against the best land army Europe has seen. A task made no easier by mounting tension throughout the battalion as Simmerson's leadership and punishment doctrine continues to cause division across the board.
There are some very good set pieces throughout Sharpe's Eagle, the chaos of the rout at the bridge and Sharpe rallying the remaining companies is great but the battle outside Talavera between the combined armies of England and Spain against the French is Cornwell at his absolute best. It's a battle told primarily through the front line skirmishing of Sharpe and his light company but Cornwell always makes the overall action of the day clear as columns of French troops march on the entrenched army of Wellesley. Sharpe's perspective provides a wonderfully clear and vivid into skirmishing tactics during such a battle with the light company engaging the French Voltigeurs between the lines of the two massed forces.
Sharpe as a character is at some of his absolute best in this book. He's formidable and heroic throughout and despite a tinge of melancholy early on he's probably at his happiest point to date in the series here. The sullen Sharpe of Rifles and Havoc is more or less gone and instead the determined tactically adept officer with a flair for inspirational leadership comes to the fore. Of course there's the usual undone by a beautiful woman plot line that this series cannot unfortunately do without but that aside it's a very good read.