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Amazon.co.uk Review
One thing is as sure as death and taxes: that each successive Bernard Cornwell novel will be as exhilarating as its predecessor. Sharpe's Havoc continues the trend, demonstrating once again why the Richard Sharpe books by Cornwell are among the most cherished examples of historical derring-do around. While the novels are all assiduously detailed, with a precise sense of period, Cornwell knows how essential it is that his hero, the danger-prone Richard Sharpe, is as vividly characterised as ever. True to form, in Sharpe's Havoc we never lose sight of the character of the protagonist and the many members of the idiosyncratic supporting cast.
This time, we are taken to the spring of 1809 when a few British soldiers are stationed in Lisbon as Marshal Soult undertakes his assault on the garrison of Northern Portugal. It's not for Sharpe and his trusty crew of riflemen to dwell on the finer points of politics when they are sent into the city of Oporto to save the lives of two British women who have elected to stay. But when one of the women, Kate Savage, goes missing, Sharpe (along with Sergeant Patrick Harper and several battle-hardened colleagues) finds himself besieged in the city when the bridge over the river falls to the enemy. The English are forced on in a desperate journey back to the safety of the British encampment, but things become very murky when an enigmatic English officer informs them that they will be staying in the hellhole that is Northern Portugal.
Cornwell admirers will know exactly what to expect, and all the heady pleasures that distinguished such earlier books as Sharpe's Battle and Sharpe's Company are fully in place here, with the added impetus that comes from a notably picaresque narrative. All the central characters are drawn with the customary forcefulness, and instead of the expected tension and release that is the hallmark of most Cornwell novels, there's a steadily increasing excitement engendered here that leads to an all-stops-out finale. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
‘Sharpe and his creator are national treasures.' Sunday Telegraph
'Bernard Cornwell is a literary miracle. Year after year, hail, rain, snow, war and political upheavals fail to prevent him from producing the most entertaining and readable historical novels of his generation.' Daily Mail
'Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched.' Observer
‘The best battle scenes of any writer I’ve ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive.’ George R.R. Martin
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
For long-time fans like me who found "Sharpe's Prey" a bit below par, I'm pleased to say that this one returns to first principles, frog-bashing in the Peninsula; and the author is back on form. If you wondered what happened to Sharpe, Harper & Co. after they joined forces on the retreat to Vigo (Sharpe's Rifles, Jan.1809) and before Talavera (Sharpe's Eagle, July 1809), here's the answer. The Greenjackets are in the wilds of Portugal, where the best Sharpe stories are set, on a mission for Capt. Hogan, the future spy-master. Marshal Soult, 'Duke of Damnation' and aspiring King of Portugal, is closing in. Is all lost? Wait! an obscure sepoy general called Wellesley has landed at Lisbon ...
I'll leave the plot there except to say that it's a ripping yarn (and I've been reading them for twenty years). We meet an upper-class villain fit to take on Sir Henry Simmerson; a beautiful, runaway heiress; and a young Portuguese officer of character and education who has a thing or two to learn from Sharpe. Deja vu? Well, some of the best vus are deja. There have been better ones than this but not many. The atmosphere is as thick as Dan Hagman's tea. There are passages of real sardonic humour, which comes as a relief after the last outing. The action sequences are many and unsurpassed. My only regret is that an old favourite, Sweet William, hasn't shown up yet.
The time slots are filling up but Cornwell makes good use of them. Sharpe and Harper march again. What are you waiting for? And if you didn't understand any of the above, still read the book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
'Sharpe's Havoc' is set in the spring of 1809: the French, under Marshal Soult, have just taken Oporto and now effectively control northern Portugal. During the retreat from Oporto Sharpe and his men from the 95th Rifles find themselves cut off from the British army, and must take to the hills. Meanwhile, rumour has it that Sir Arthur Wellesly (the later Duke of Wellington) is coming out to Portugal to take on the French. But Sharpe has more to worry about than the French as he is confronted with a dubious Colonel Christopher, detached from the Foreign Office...
This is a novel in the best Sharpe-tradition, full of action, nothing too complicated in the plot, and easy to read (it took me slightly more than a day of non-stop reading). The final chapters in the hills of northern Portugal when Sharpe exacts his revenge are among the best I've read so far in any Sharpe-novel.
By the way, if you're planning to read the Sharpe-novels chronologically it's good to know that, contrary to what it says on the inside cover pages of the HarperCollins paperbacks, this novel does not come after but BEFORE 'Sharpe's Eagle' (which is set in July 1809 during the Talavera-campaign).
So now it's on to 'Sharpe's Gold'. I do love the smell of a fresh Sharpe-novel in the morning! ;-)
This is a novel in the best Sharpe-tradition, full of action, nothing too complicated in the plot, and easy to read (it took me slightly more than a day of non-stop reading). The final chapters in the hills of northern Portugal when Sharpe exacts his revenge are among the best I've read so far in any Sharpe-novel.
By the way, if you're planning to read the Sharpe-novels chronologically it's good to know that, contrary to what it says on the inside cover pages of the HarperCollins paperbacks, this novel does not come after but BEFORE 'Sharpe's Eagle' (which is set in July 1809 during the Talavera-campaign).
So now it's on to 'Sharpe's Gold'. I do love the smell of a fresh Sharpe-novel in the morning! ;-)
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
While I was not to enamoured of either Prey or Trafalgur this is Sharpe back to its best nicely plotted with as usual great action. Worth buying.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Don't waste your time
Like military Mills & Boon. Caricature rather than characterisation. Plot dribbles on. The only interesting thing is the historical information (of which there is precious... Read more
Published 9 months ago by thegoodbook
Feels more formulaic than others in the series
"Sharpes Havoc" is not as good as the others in the series I have read. It feels much more formulaic, and you can pretty much sketch out what is going to happen in the book after... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Mr. Ross Maynard
As good as all the Sharpe books
Great books but best read in the date order of the battles rather than dae of the origional publication, which is very higel de pigeldy!
Published on 23 Feb 2010 by Robin
The French Cut a Bloody Swath in Portugal While Sharpe Parries a...
Sharpe's Havoc is for long-time fans of Richard Sharpe who want to know about all of his fictional adventures. Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2009 by Donald Mitchell
Another great instalment - based on one of Wellesley's little known...
I read this book recently before a visit to Oporto, where much of the story is set, immediately after Sharpe's Rifles, which is set in the aftermath of Sir John Moore's retreat to... Read more
Published on 9 Sep 2008 by Mr. N. Dougan
Sharpe's Havoc Audio Book CD
Susannah's husband here. Having read all the Sharpe series I was looking forward to the audio book. Big mistake! Read more
Published on 10 May 2008 by Mrs. Susannah T. Foottit
"Wall to wall dead Frenchmen"
Someone once summarised the essence of a Richard Sharpe novel as "wall to wall dead Frenchmen" and there is truth in this. Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2007 by Iain S. Palin
Very Good
In this outing, Sharpe is in Portugal, during the Peninsular War, in 1809.
The book is fairly much all action, as Sharpe and his men are cut off from the main British... Read more
The book is fairly much all action, as Sharpe and his men are cut off from the main British... Read more
Published on 27 July 2007 by J.Flood
The best book yet
All I can say is that I have read all of the Sharpe books and this is by far the best so far...............and the others were brilliant. Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2004 by Tony1962
Expect the usual
As the author continues to milk the series, here we find Sharpe in Northern Portugal. Sharpe has been squeezed into a minor conflict with the usual mix of pretty female, bad... Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2004 by N. Brett
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