3.5 Stars Random Ramblings In chronological order, Sharpe's Triumph, is the second book of the Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe" series. This volume was written as part of prequels written about the Main Character, Richard Sharpe. Plot summary Sharpe has now been promoted to sergeant and been reassigned to a battalion of the East India Company. While on a mission to buy stolen ammunition, he witnesses the mass murder of soldiers and civilians alike. He is tasked by Colonel McCandless, his prison mate from the previous book, to track down the leader of the mercenary group that killed the innocent English subjects. Along the way, Sharpe is involved in several battles, including the famous battle of Assaye in which a force of 15,000+ British soldiers face 100,000 mercenary fighters. The Good Cornwell writes excellent battle scenes. The action occurs quickly and you can almost taste the tang of gun powder in the air. The battle of Assaye as well as several other skirmishes are well described.Richard Sharpe continues to be a well developed character. He is an enjoyable anti-hero type character. While he fights for the British with some conviction, he is not afraid to fight, kill or steal from those he considers to be evil or unscrupulous. Again, this leads to more interesting plot developments as he is not bound by a strict moral code.The writing is superb and Cornwell's use of historical is superb. We meet many historical figure including the great Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. The Bad The Battle of Assyne was considered by Arthur Wellesley to be the greatest battle he ever fought. Coming from the man who had defeating Napoleon at Waterloo on his resume. While the battle scenes were excellent, the superb battle should have taken an entire book. Given the enormous odds of defeat and the David vs. Goliath numbers, the battle should have been epic. Unfortunately, it received short shrift. Compared to the previous novels, the support cast was less developed are more two dimensional. It simply did not carry the impact of the first book.While it was still an entertaining and exciting read, it did not compare the first book in the series. Content Advisories It is difficult to find commentary on the sex/violence/language content of book if you are interested. I make an effort to give you the information so you can make an informed decision before reading. *Disclaimer* I do not take note or count the occurrences of adult language as I read. I am simply giving approximations.Scale 1 - Lowest 5 - Highest Sex - 2 There were a few sexual reference and one insinuation that sex may have occurred between two characters. Regardless, the sexual content was low and suitable for younger readers. Language - 2 The adult language used was minor and used rarely. The main character spent much time with Colonel McCandless was a religious man who frowned on swearing, most occurrence of adult language were followed by a stern rebuke. Violence - 4 Given that this is a book about war, violence is a main theme. There are multiple battles in which hundreds to thousands of people are killed. Despite this, the descriptions tend to be less graphic than the first book. There several instances where a death is especially grisly and explained in detail. If you wish to avoid violence in your reading, you will want to avoid this novel.
Read a book set in a place you've never been but want to visit. I love this series of books. I love the characters, the action, the adventure. They are so much fun. This is the second installment of Cornwell's India trilogy, and takes place 4 years after Sharpe's Tiger leaves off. Dick Sharpe has become a sergeant in the King's army and he's been laying low, kinda quietly living off the wealth he acquired when he killed the Tipoo Sultan of Seringpatam. When an officer of the East India Company goes rogue and commands a mass slaughter of every man, woman, and child in a neighboring company, Sharpe is the only one who lives to tell the tale, and sees his face. He is recruited by his friend Colonel McCandless, head of intelligence for the East India Company, to seek out the traitor and destroy him. Of course, anything that involves showing honor and courage, and fighting manly fights with his bare hands is something Sharpe is a master at.I breezed through this is a few days and learned quite a lot about this time period and about the politics and history of India, a country I am fascinated with. I chose this book for my challenge because I have always wanted to visit India. I have an aunt who spent a great deal of time there during the British Occupation and was going to take me for my high school graduation when the British left India and everything went to hell in a handbasket. So, it's kinda on my bucket list. Cornwell is very meticulous about his historical accuracy in his novels, and I applaud him for that. Most of the officers in this novel are in fact based upon real officers (like General Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington) who fought in the legendary Battle of Assaye which serves as the setting for the second half of this novel. I thought all of the action sequences were engaging and fun, and I thought it was fascinating to learn about the inner workings and politics involved in the military and in war at that time. And Cornwell's characters are so dynamic and consistent, and I felt as if I were reading about real people. From our hero Sergeant Richard Sharpeto his mentor, the Scotsman Colonel McCandlessTo his arch-nemesis the slimy Sergeant Obadiah HakeswillTo the traitor Major William DoddI enjoyed every minute of them. I even gave the books to my dad who gobbled them all up. I think I enjoyed this one slightly more than Sharpe's Tiger but overall both were extremely enjoyable. There is a smokin hot action scene at the end where I am just dying to see Jason Statham on the big screen kicking ass and taking names. Because that's what Sharpe does.
What do You think about Sharpe's Triumph (2012)?
Book 2 in the series. I started out thinking it would be as enjoyable as the Flashman series. I know have slight (1 less star) concerns that it may be more like the Jack Reacher Series. The same story told several times.That's harsh - unlike Lee Child, this is an historical book, where the author's research pours off the page. Educational and historical.The book starts with Sharpe off to get some munitions where a fort is wiped out by a defector - Dodd. Dodd has switched sides from the East India Company and is now working for the locals. He literally takes no prisoners.Sharpe ends up on his trail with Colonel McCandless and Sir Arthur Wellesley, ultimately ending up against his foe at the Battle of Assaye (1803).Along the way, Sharpe is developed a touch further. His logic for why he wants to progress in the Army is both challenged and explained. Will he get what he wants? An unlikely promotion to Ensign? What will he do, when he is obviously money driven, when offered a chance to make his fortune by turning his back on the British?I liked the fact that its not straightforward and neither is the ending for a standard page turning thriller.The reason for the dropped star is the battle scenes which take up a good 1/3 of the book overall. They start of breathless - you can taste the gunsmoke in the air and feel the fear of the men and animals. But the carnage just goes on and on. Impossible not to get a little bored.Still, like the name, a Triumph and I will be back for more in 2015.
—Ian Mapp
Excellent. I've not read much about British India, and this was an amazing intro. I've been a fan of Sir Arthur Wellesley for some time, and enjoyed the few other Sharpe books I've read, but wasn't aware that Cornwell put so much actual history into his books. The battle sequences in this are astoundingly vivid, inspiring. I absolutely love the Scottish Regiments, "watching" them get torn up by the Mahrattas was heartbreaking, but the triumph of their victory when they conquer the enemy guns and soldiers was incredible. I have never enjoyed a battle scene more in any other book.
—Daniel
#2 in the Richard Sharpe series (#17 of the series in order of publication). Cornwell continues his series of the British military as seen through the eyes of Richard Sharpe. Mixing actual battles and locations in the India of 1803 with imagined conversations and genuine feeling descriptions of the lives of the common soldiers makes this series entry a real winner. Recommended.Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803 - In the four years since he earned his sergeants stripes at the bloody siege of Seringapatam, young Richard Sharpe has lead a peaceful existence. But this relatively easy life meets with a brutal end when he is the sole survivor of a murderous attack at the hands of Major William Dodd, a cold-blooded English officer who has defected from the East India Company to join the mercenary forces of the Mahratta confederation. Sharpe rises from the killing field at Fort Chasalgaon vowing to avenge his dead comrades. It is a quest that takes to the small village of Assaye, where Sharpe's company joins the army of Sir Arthur Wellesley--the future Duke of Wellington--to take on the Mahratta horde. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wellesley bravely seizes an unexpected geographical advantage and charges into the white heat of a battle that will make his reputation.
—Ed
