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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
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
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having marched and fought with Richard Sharpe from the Peninsula to Waterloo and beyond, it was with great interest that I journeyed back in time with him, and indeed Wellesley, to India. "Tiger," in all honesty, I found difficult to get into, although by the end I was once more with Sharpe in the thick of the action. "Triumph," on the other hand, had me hooked from the very start, and I would say to the new Sharpe reader - start with "Tiger" and persevere. "Triumph" fills in a lot of gaps in the Sharpe story as a whole, and after that, "Fortress" awaits you - and how! By the time you have fought at Assaye, won through at Ahmednuggur, and conquered Gawilghur, you deserve a rest, and a leisurely sea-voyage back home to England. But by then the year is 1805, and you will have to sail close to the South-West tip of Spain, the cape of Trafalgar. Who knows what will happen?
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Apparently, when asked towards the end of his life which battle he was most proud of, Wellington, without hesitation, named Assaye in 1803. Given the overwhelmingly poor odds he faced at the start of the battle and how quickly those odds were turned on their head, this seems entirely reasonable. It is presumably in honour of this achievement that Cornwell chose to focus this novel on Wellington rather than Sharpe who spends most of the novel following his General along dutifully and only getting involved in the fighting towards the end. This is not really a criticism. The book ably and engagingly relates firstly the breathtaking story of the audacious escalade at Ahmednuggur and then the great battle at Assaye.
As with Sharpe's Tiger Cornwell's research and ability to render extremely complex and confused battles both comprehensible and compelling is faultless. When Wellesley's Army first encounters its vast enemy across the River Kaitna I was reminded of the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan. Carefully and with meticulous attention to detail Cornwell describes the movements of each side which lead ultimately to a veritable David versus Goliath style victory. Military tactics such as how and when Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry are most effectively deployed and when they are virtually useless are explained clearly without any let up in drama or excitement. If you have any interest in how battles were fought in the early nineteenth century you could do a lot worse than read this.
Perhaps inevitably, I have few criticisms; firstly Hakeswill is no less ridiculous than he was in Sharpe's Tiger, secondly I struggled a bit with Wellesley's determination to ford the river at a point where no one believed it could be done. Apparently this is really what happened and we have, of course to allow Cornwell some dramtic licence, but it is simply impossible to believe that he simply ploughed in under intense fire without testing it first! Finally I was confused by Sharpe's love interest, the young French woman Simone. I could not work out why Cornwell bothered with her, so insignificant to the plot is she and the love/sex scene was hurried over so quickly that again I had to wonder why Cornwell had included it at all. The whole thing smacks a bit of being `crow-barred' in simply to give the story a frisson of romance.
Nevertheless I greatly enjoyed the book and as with its predecessor, I learned a great deal. I look forward to following Sharpe and Wellesley to Gawilghur, Trafalgar and on to the European Peninsular.
As with Sharpe's Tiger Cornwell's research and ability to render extremely complex and confused battles both comprehensible and compelling is faultless. When Wellesley's Army first encounters its vast enemy across the River Kaitna I was reminded of the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan. Carefully and with meticulous attention to detail Cornwell describes the movements of each side which lead ultimately to a veritable David versus Goliath style victory. Military tactics such as how and when Artillery, Infantry and Cavalry are most effectively deployed and when they are virtually useless are explained clearly without any let up in drama or excitement. If you have any interest in how battles were fought in the early nineteenth century you could do a lot worse than read this.
Perhaps inevitably, I have few criticisms; firstly Hakeswill is no less ridiculous than he was in Sharpe's Tiger, secondly I struggled a bit with Wellesley's determination to ford the river at a point where no one believed it could be done. Apparently this is really what happened and we have, of course to allow Cornwell some dramtic licence, but it is simply impossible to believe that he simply ploughed in under intense fire without testing it first! Finally I was confused by Sharpe's love interest, the young French woman Simone. I could not work out why Cornwell bothered with her, so insignificant to the plot is she and the love/sex scene was hurried over so quickly that again I had to wonder why Cornwell had included it at all. The whole thing smacks a bit of being `crow-barred' in simply to give the story a frisson of romance.
Nevertheless I greatly enjoyed the book and as with its predecessor, I learned a great deal. I look forward to following Sharpe and Wellesley to Gawilghur, Trafalgar and on to the European Peninsular.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like otehr readers, I was a little wary of delving back into the 'Sharpe' prequels; I woudl say that they are every bit as good as the original series.
Whilst it may be true that some of the characters are a little wooden, they all contribute to Sharpe's development as a soldier and a potential officer.
The battle scenes are brutal and detailed as ever, most particularly the battle of Assaye - which sees Sharpe defending Wellesley (Wellington) - a relationship that lasts until teh Battle of Waterloo. We also see a continuation of Hakeswill's malicious intent against Sharpe.
In all, we see Sharpe's frustrations and motivations, becoming teh officer that we know and love. I look forward to the next installment and intend on re-reading the entire series again. I am sure that these prequels will enhance the enjoyment - the commuppance of Hakeswill, Sharpe's acceptance as an officer etc.
Whilst it may be true that some of the characters are a little wooden, they all contribute to Sharpe's development as a soldier and a potential officer.
The battle scenes are brutal and detailed as ever, most particularly the battle of Assaye - which sees Sharpe defending Wellesley (Wellington) - a relationship that lasts until teh Battle of Waterloo. We also see a continuation of Hakeswill's malicious intent against Sharpe.
In all, we see Sharpe's frustrations and motivations, becoming teh officer that we know and love. I look forward to the next installment and intend on re-reading the entire series again. I am sure that these prequels will enhance the enjoyment - the commuppance of Hakeswill, Sharpe's acceptance as an officer etc.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Wellesley's Triumph
I find Sharpe's Triumph a little different to all of the other Sharpe novels because I dont think Richard Sharpe is the hero of this story. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Stuzinho
Solid outing for Sharpe.
I touched upon how this period in history does not really interest me when I reviewed the first book in the Sharpe series, "Sharpe's Tiger. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Snikt5
Sharpe And The Battle of Assaye
Bernard Cornwell sets his second Sharpe Novel four years after the siege and defeat of the Tipoo featured in 'Sharpes Tiger'. Read more
Published 10 months ago by TheReader
Cornwell's Triumph
Sharpe's Triumph is just that. Another romping story about Richard Sharpe set in the run up to and then the actual battle of Assaye in India 1803. Read more
Published 20 months ago by D. C. Mytum
Best of Sharpe?
Having read most of the Sharpe novels and enjoyed them the only helpful review I can give potential new Sharpe readers is to start with this one!
Published 21 months ago by dubie
Be wary of this seller
When I ordered this book, I thought it would be a standard sized, decently looked after book, as you would expect of a seller. Read more
Published 22 months ago by C.S
Thin gruel
I read the positive reviews of Sharpe's Triumph on Amazon as a reality check after reading the book myself. I needed a benchmark for my own low opinion of the book. Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2010 by M. Jones
Another Triumph For Cornwell
This is the second of Bernaard Cornwell's Sharpe novels chronologically and sees Richard Sharpe, now a sargeant still in India. Read more
Published on 18 Aug 2009 by underthethumb
You'll be swept along by this.
This was my first experience of the Sharpe novels and although military fiction isn't usually my thing I have to confess to really enjoying it. Read more
Published on 8 July 2009 by Script Angel
Glory in the Midst of Bloody Battles and Duplicity
If you haven't yet read Sharpe's Tiger, I recommend that you begin your reading of this exciting series with that book. Read more
Published on 7 Nov 2008 by Donald Mitchell
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