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A review by books_with_benghis_kahn
Sharpe's Escape: The Bussaco Campaign, 1810 by Bernard Cornwell
4.0
This is a classic solid Sharpe book that's just an almost perfect distillation of the essence of the series.
Big set piece battle? check
Loathsome evil villain who's in Sharpe's way? check
Incompetent British officer causing Sharpe headaches? check
A damsel in distress? check
Returning friends/allies? check
Boldness and cleverness in battle to get out of sticky situations? check
The book breezes by and is substantial evidence of Cornwell's improvement as an author, since it was published 24 years after the previous book chronologically and his first ever in Sharpe's Gold, which was easily the worst in the series so far and worse than this one in every which way. This was the second-to-last book Cornwell wrote in the mid 2000s before taking a 15-year break for the Last Kingdom books, and he was on an incredible roll with Sharpe -- these are just delectable fast paced military/adventure books that ooze personality. I'm just hoping that when I go back in time for more of his 1980s ones that they don't have as big a drop in quality as the first two.
Kudos to Rupert Farley, whose narration makes every second with the series an absolute joy.
Big set piece battle? check
Loathsome evil villain who's in Sharpe's way? check
Incompetent British officer causing Sharpe headaches? check
A damsel in distress? check
Returning friends/allies? check
Boldness and cleverness in battle to get out of sticky situations? check
The book breezes by and is substantial evidence of Cornwell's improvement as an author, since it was published 24 years after the previous book chronologically and his first ever in Sharpe's Gold, which was easily the worst in the series so far and worse than this one in every which way. This was the second-to-last book Cornwell wrote in the mid 2000s before taking a 15-year break for the Last Kingdom books, and he was on an incredible roll with Sharpe -- these are just delectable fast paced military/adventure books that ooze personality. I'm just hoping that when I go back in time for more of his 1980s ones that they don't have as big a drop in quality as the first two.
Kudos to Rupert Farley, whose narration makes every second with the series an absolute joy.