Sharpe's Fortress: Richard Sharpe & the Siege of Gawilghur, December 1803 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #3)

This is the third book of the series, and I can't seem to read them fast enough. I'm leaving the office early this Friday to go home and read.

Richard Sharpe and the novel "Sharpe's Fortress" by Cornwell, March 3, 2001 Reviewer: Claudia Kurzyna (Trumbull, Connecticut United States) - See all my reviews "Sharpe's Fortress" or the Battle of Gawilghur takes place in India in 1803. Richard Sharpe learns that he must make choices in his life as a soldier, and he must either stay in his position as an ensign or resign his commission when he returns to England in the near future after the battle. He learns to live the life of the soldier, as well as the officer that he is. He seizes command and goes into the fortress to sieze it at a terrible cost to the british and the indian soldiers who fight. He has many enemies in this book and he is forced to deal with his enemy, Captain Dodd, and also his hatred for Obadiah Hakeswill causes Sharpe to take harsh action against Obadiah at the conclusion of the novel. He is a good officer he is the child soldier who grows into the man who becomes the professional soldier who makes the army his life! He takes a realistic look at war and sees the hell and he also sees the beauty of war, and he becomes part of the war, and does his job and does it well so that Sir Arthur Wellesley can claim victory for the battle. It is a novel of blood and it is a novel of terror it is a novel of what war is all about! And it is one that you will either enjoy or not enjoy! It is Bernard Cornwell at his best, and it is Richard Sharpe as you usually do not see him, he is vulnerable, he is wounded in battle, and he learns that he can be part of a vicious assault on a fort and remain alive. If you read all of the "Richard Sharpe" novels be sure to read this one, its the last of the India series, and I did enjoy the novel, and look forward to his next "Sharpe" novel.

I have found that I like Richard Sharpe in India even more that I like him in Spain. This is likely because you don't see much fiction on the particular war in question elsewhere. Cornwell handles this setting well from details on how a cannon ball is meant to take out ranks to the culture of the foe and friend in India. As always the action is great, the battles realistic and the characters great. If there is any weakness to be found it is working under the limitations of a prequel. I think the arab servant would have been a great character to bring to England, (It would have made the next two books more interesting.) Of course we KNOW Sharpe will survive and his son will be in America to meet Starbuck. (I have this picture in my mind of Sharpe's young arab servant grown up and the mentor of Patrick in the Crimeria.) Cornwell writes a great book and his look at the British Army Circa 1800-1815 and the way the average soldier thinks is yet another reason to buy and enjoy this series. Lets hope Cornwell never gets bored with this character. We certanily wont.

The third in Cornwall's pre-series, "Sharpe's Fortress" finds Richard Sharpe back in India on his final adventure there before returning to take up arms against the French in Spain. With over 15 novels in this series, Sharpe may be starting to get a little worn, but Cornwall's compelling writing and genius for historical detail, espcially in military matters, always makes every Sharpe novel a worthwhile and interesting read. After Wellsely's (later Duke of Wellington) astonishing victory at Assaye, the remnants of the Mahratta confederation fell back upon their supposedly inpregnible fortress at Gawilghur. The interesting thing about Cornwall is that he brings to life often obscure aspects of military history during the Napoleanic period. While certainly a few have heard of Sir Arthur's great victory at Assaye in 1803, the subsequent siege of the Mahratta hill fortress has generally been religated as a footnote in the establishment of the British empire in India. Cornwall shows that despite eventual British triumph, the siege was no cake walk for them. The short-work that the assulting British troops finally made of the defending Indian garrison may offend the Politically Correct today. And yes, this is a book about run down red-coats like Richard Sharpe, and is not meant to tell the story from the perspective of the Mahratta, or Indians in general. Cornwall revels in the persona of the underdog British redcoat, that down-trodden creature of Britains pre-industrial slums, of which Richard Sharpe is a prime example. While Sharpe does come across as almost super-human in this book, and indeed the entire series, his character personifies the tough, gritty determination of the British soldier in this period. There is a reason why a handful of red-coats conquered India, and while this may offend our sensibilities today, we can gain from understanding how and by whom it was accomplished. India as a nation did not exist in 1800, and the various petty states that existed were never able to present a united front against the small British presence there. A handful of "Sharpes" under brilliant leadership were able to conquer an entire continent. As Europeans, we should not be ashamed of this, and should rather endeavor to understand how it came to happan in the first place. Cornwall's historical fiction provides a glimpse as to how this was done, by showing the various personalities and characters involved, and by weaving fiction with fact, we gain an understanding of long forgotton battlefields in distant and exotic lands. Cornwall's writing is graphic and violent at times, but no one ever said the early 19th century was ever a gentle and nice place to live! The novels of Jane Austen provide a false perspective in this regard. Sharpe and those like him were considered animals by polite society, yet their blood and sweat made Britain an empire. Those with politically correct views, may be offended, but might just learn something in the pro

Our hero,Richard Sharpe,has now been promoted yo an officer in Sir Arthur Wellesley's army which is attempting to end the Maharatta War. Due to the usual bad luck,lack of breeding,and because he's Sharpe,our gallant hero has been relegated to a boring,mundane job in the baggage train.While here,he discovers treason which has been covered up by his arch enemy,the brutal Sgt Obadiah Hakeswill,leaving Sharpe once more in peril and relying on his quick thinking ,his fighting ability and his desire to survive. This book will not dissappoint any of Sharpe's legion of fans.