No. 21, the final installment of the Richard Sharpe series.[return][return]Normally, when a series reaches a planned climax (in this case, the Battle of Waterloo), any books that come after are usually anticlimactic and have nowhere near the story-telling tension. Cornwell, however, true to form, spins a fascinating adventure tale of 5 years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars.[return][return]It s 1820, Napoleon is now in exile on St. Helena, and Sharpe, since the end of the war, has been living with Lucille on her farm in France. They receive an unexpected visitor from Sharpe s past in Spain Louise Parker, now the wife of one of Sharpe s Spanish comrades and friend, Don Blas Vivar, the Count of Matamorto, who is missing in Chile. Don Blas had been sent there as governor to put down the rebels who were fighting for Chile s independence from Spain; he disappeared shortly after.[return][return]Frustrated by what she sees as a lack of cooperation on the part of the Spanish authorities in locating Don Blas, she presses Sharpe to search for him in Chile, cost no object and with a nice, hefty fee for Sharpe. Reluctantly, believing that Don Blas is dead, Sharpe agrees. The money certainly would be useful for badly-needed repairs on the farm. And Don Blas is a friend.[return][return]Naturally, wherever Sharpe goes, there goes ex-Sgt. Patrick Harper. The two set off in a Spanish warship, the Espiritu Santo. The Espiritu Santu is headed towards Chile in hopes of fighting the admiral of the rebel fleet, the famous English naval captain, Lord Thomas Cochrane. [return][return]But on their way to Chile, they stop off, as many did, at the island of St. Helena, there to have a somewhat uncommon and puzzling interview with Napoleon himself, who asks Sharpe to carry a framed picture of himself as a memento to an admirer in Chile, an English officer. Captivated by Napoleon despite himself, Sharpe agrees.[return][return]Upon landing in Chile, Sharpe and Harper set off in what appears to be a dead-end quest for Don Blas if not to find him living, then to bring his body back to Spain for burial and for closure for his wife.[return][return]That is the background for this remarkably good tale. What makes this book even more intriguing is that the naval adventures of Lord Cochrane in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars formed much of the basis of the early books of the highly successful, naval mirror image of Cornwell s series, the Aubrey-Maturin series written by Patrick O Brian; Jack Aubrey s exploits were based directly on Cochrane s. In fact, the last book of O Brian s series more or less covers the same events. However, in the Aubrey-Maturin series, Aubrey again takes Cochrane s role in a very fictionalized version of events; Cornwell sticks to history.[return][return]It s a glorious finale to a brilliant series. Highly recommended.
Cochrane was too large a character to not be based on fact, I instantly had to look him up. I felt that for Sharpe, it was a good adventure, but he knows better than this. It seemed as though he almost wanted an excuse to fight once more and be useful, but couldn't admit it to himself. If there had been more of it in the book, more of a restlessness, as though Richard was his own little Napoleon willing himself off an island, then I would have felt the ending more justified. For Sharpe, he's been screwed over too many times by people in higher places, he wouldn't have fallen for some rogue with a story as easily as he did in this. A few lines, a short confession, Harper noticing that Sharpe really lived for this, it was all he was good at, would have made all the difference. The last tale with Sharpe and one I would recommend reading, for it is exceptional and the story is interesting and gripping, but it wasn't exactly necessary. The others developed Sharpe's character, they carved him in to the man he is today. This, however, felt... almost an excuse to drag Richard off again. But for those who love Sharpe, they'll find the same excitement (although a lack of romance, he's all married now, whatever Lucille) but there is something missing.Not sure what, but something...
What do You think about Sharpe's Devil (2013)?
I've read over a dozen of Cornwell's books, and admittedly his Sharpe's series are my least favorite. If you like historical fiction, you may want to break down and try his Saxon series (about Uhtred) starting with The Last Kingdom. From having read a number of his books, they vary in quality. Even among the Saxon series there are highs and lows. You read enough of his books and you begin to notice Cornwell has his stock characters that appear from series to series. His trilogy on King Arthur, starting with The Winter King starts slow, but is probably his best work. I love his Merlin, and how he uses natural phenomena in nature to make people think he is a magician. His Grail Quest series which takes place during the Hundred Years War is also a pretty good read.
—Karla
It is five years since we last saw Sharpe and Harper. Now he is called out of retirement to find out what heppened to an old comrade, and finds himself in Chile during that country's war of independence.Cornwell does a fairly good job of showing the two old soldiers as old soldiers. They are a little slower, a bit wiser and certainly a bit less gung ho.Unfortunately the story that it all hangs off is a bit weak, and as with Sharpe's Waterloo, they find themselves largely spctators in somebody else's grand adventure. The writing is standard Cornwell, but one feels that he was getting a little bored with the theme, tried to spice it up a la Flashman-style historical adventure, realised it didn't really work and then went off to do Sharpe's adventures in India before heading off to other times and places and characters. Base on this outing, he was probably right in that assessment.Rated PG for some moderate war violence and low level coarse language. 3/5
—Nathan
Well this is the last of the major Sharpe novels. I've read them all chronologically from beginning to end including the short stories, so I've been living and breathing Sharpe for about 5 months almost to the the day. It'll be weird not going to bed and enjoying his exploits.This novel takes place about 5 years after Waterloo, with an aging, but still tough as nails Sharpe, and a very tubby Harper. The majority of the story takes place in Chili with Sharpe looking to find out just what has happened to Blas Vivar at the behest of Doña Louisa Vivar. Sharpe has to overcome the corruption and pompous attitude of those in power with his natural bullish approach as well as the usual insane luck.Sharpe gets to meet Napoleon and yet even though he's been fighting what he represents for a good 20 years of his life, he can't help but be attracted to Bonnies natural charisma. Of course Napoleon is able to read Sharpe like a book and take advantage of his good nature. However the main point being driven home is that Sharpe never fought for his country or the pompus bureucrats in London, but for his company and fellow soldiers. As Cornwell never fails to repeat a couple of times a book, he's a a damn good soldier and that's all he's known.Well, I just have a quick short story to finish off the Sharpe novels completely and then I'll probably switch into a a different genre. I've now read about 35 historical fiction books based in the Napoleonic era back to back, from the Hornblower series to the Sharpe novels. Someone mentioned I should also read War and Peace, but I think I need a bit of a break before tackling that one.
—Phil
