Scan barcode
A review by kathydavie
Sharpe's Havoc: Richard Sharpe and the Campaign in Northern Portugal, Spring 1809 by Bernard Cornwell
5.0
Seventh in the Richard Sharpe military fiction series revolving around a lieutenant promoted up from the ranks. The action encompasses a retreat from Soult out of Oporto just before Wellesly arrives.
It's an interesting contrast between the "superior" upperclass blue blood values and those of scum from the gutter. Cornwell is a bit heavy-handed in it but he certainly gets the point across beautifully. I can't read his Sharpe series without wanting to find my own pistol!
Cornwell keeps the tension on as we skulk, scurry, and fight. I can almost smell the gunpowder and I could swear my ears were ringing from the fury of battle. Cornwell describes the life so well that my feet ache, my body freezes, and I wallow in the comfort of a hot cup of tea.
If you've ever been frustrated by an idiot boss or commander, you will adore Lieutenant Sharpe!
Trapped in Oporto by duty and Captain Hogan's command to rescue the runaway Miss Savage, Lieutenant Sharpe again finds himself cut off from the rest of the army as the French pour into Oporto. By lucky chance, or the grace of the gods, he finds rescue and reinforcements in Lieutenant Jorge Vicente of the 18th and together they escape into the vineyards.
Thanks to his civilian interests, Vicente is able to guide Sharpe to Vila Real de Zedes thus escaping the French and finding Miss Savage. The newly-married Miss Savage, er, Mrs. Christopher. Unfortunately for the new Mrs. Christopher, it is war and Col. Christopher must be about his duties. He orders Sharpe and Vicente to remain at Vila Real de Zedes to protect his bride...and his newly-acquired property as he and a French civilian ride off.
A week turns into three and Sharpe can't have the men lounging even if the French seem to be ignoring the property. It must be prescience that has them fortifying a ruined tower on a hill on the property as shortly after another visit by Col. Christopher—and the loss of his telescope to him, a troop of French soldiers attack.
It's the memory of Christopher's reaction to the remark about the Judas tree that has Sharpe on edge and the only thing that warns them. And it's Sharpe's keen observations and quick intellect that get them off the hill and across the river making it possible for their surprise attack.
Lieutenant Richard Sharpe is in the second battalion of the 95th Rifles and Captain Hogan of the Royal Engineers has been delaying paperwork and snitching funds to keep Sharpe and his Rifles protecting him as they map the countryside.
The Riflemen include Dodd, Sergeant Patrick Harper, Williamson, Tarrant, Pendleton, Dan Hagman, Harris, Cresacre, Cooper, Sean Donnelly, and Sims.
Lieutenant Jorge Vicente and Sergeant Macedo with what remains of his 18th regiment, the second of Porto aids Sharpe and his men in escaping the city.
Lt. Colonel James Christopher has been sent out by the Foreign Office to determine if the Portuguese prefer the French or would be willing to fight with the English. Captain Argenton is a French officer with information about a possible mutiny amongst the French army if Marshal Soult intends to crown himself king. Kate Savage holds the country house and its vineyards along with the port shipping business in trust for when she marries. Brigadier General Vuillard is a sadistic bully with no concept of honor although a Bonapartist through and through. Major Henri Dulong is second in command of the 31st LĂ©ger, a light infantry unit and famous throughout the army for his bravery and ruthlessness...and, a rare thing in the French army, honor.
Lieutenant Colonel Waters, the senior exploring officer, receives Sharpe's message about the three sunken barges. General Rowland "Daddy" Hill and General Sir Edward Paget (the battle in which he loses his right arm) battle under General Sir Arthur Wellesly to retake Oporto while Lord Pumphrey has arrived to take over from Christopher. And a brief mention of Lt. Col. Shraphnel and his contribution to the war effort.
The cover is an explosive radial gradient of oranges to browns with a French cavalry charge and a gun pointing toward them.
For it's Sharpe's Havoc that rains down upon both the French in Oporto and Col. Christopher at the bridge.
My Take
It's an interesting contrast between the "superior" upperclass blue blood values and those of scum from the gutter. Cornwell is a bit heavy-handed in it but he certainly gets the point across beautifully. I can't read his Sharpe series without wanting to find my own pistol!
Cornwell keeps the tension on as we skulk, scurry, and fight. I can almost smell the gunpowder and I could swear my ears were ringing from the fury of battle. Cornwell describes the life so well that my feet ache, my body freezes, and I wallow in the comfort of a hot cup of tea.
If you've ever been frustrated by an idiot boss or commander, you will adore Lieutenant Sharpe!
The Story
Trapped in Oporto by duty and Captain Hogan's command to rescue the runaway Miss Savage, Lieutenant Sharpe again finds himself cut off from the rest of the army as the French pour into Oporto. By lucky chance, or the grace of the gods, he finds rescue and reinforcements in Lieutenant Jorge Vicente of the 18th and together they escape into the vineyards.
Thanks to his civilian interests, Vicente is able to guide Sharpe to Vila Real de Zedes thus escaping the French and finding Miss Savage. The newly-married Miss Savage, er, Mrs. Christopher. Unfortunately for the new Mrs. Christopher, it is war and Col. Christopher must be about his duties. He orders Sharpe and Vicente to remain at Vila Real de Zedes to protect his bride...and his newly-acquired property as he and a French civilian ride off.
A week turns into three and Sharpe can't have the men lounging even if the French seem to be ignoring the property. It must be prescience that has them fortifying a ruined tower on a hill on the property as shortly after another visit by Col. Christopher—and the loss of his telescope to him, a troop of French soldiers attack.
It's the memory of Christopher's reaction to the remark about the Judas tree that has Sharpe on edge and the only thing that warns them. And it's Sharpe's keen observations and quick intellect that get them off the hill and across the river making it possible for their surprise attack.
The Characters
Lieutenant Richard Sharpe is in the second battalion of the 95th Rifles and Captain Hogan of the Royal Engineers has been delaying paperwork and snitching funds to keep Sharpe and his Rifles protecting him as they map the countryside.
The Riflemen include Dodd, Sergeant Patrick Harper, Williamson, Tarrant, Pendleton, Dan Hagman, Harris, Cresacre, Cooper, Sean Donnelly, and Sims.
Lieutenant Jorge Vicente and Sergeant Macedo with what remains of his 18th regiment, the second of Porto aids Sharpe and his men in escaping the city.
Lt. Colonel James Christopher has been sent out by the Foreign Office to determine if the Portuguese prefer the French or would be willing to fight with the English. Captain Argenton is a French officer with information about a possible mutiny amongst the French army if Marshal Soult intends to crown himself king. Kate Savage holds the country house and its vineyards along with the port shipping business in trust for when she marries. Brigadier General Vuillard is a sadistic bully with no concept of honor although a Bonapartist through and through. Major Henri Dulong is second in command of the 31st LĂ©ger, a light infantry unit and famous throughout the army for his bravery and ruthlessness...and, a rare thing in the French army, honor.
Lieutenant Colonel Waters, the senior exploring officer, receives Sharpe's message about the three sunken barges. General Rowland "Daddy" Hill and General Sir Edward Paget (the battle in which he loses his right arm) battle under General Sir Arthur Wellesly to retake Oporto while Lord Pumphrey has arrived to take over from Christopher. And a brief mention of Lt. Col. Shraphnel and his contribution to the war effort.
The Cover
The cover is an explosive radial gradient of oranges to browns with a French cavalry charge and a gun pointing toward them.
For it's Sharpe's Havoc that rains down upon both the French in Oporto and Col. Christopher at the bridge.