"He will repay my enemies for their evil." -- Psalm 54:5
Sharpe's Regiment is an unusually satisfying entry into this series because the book is literally crammed with evil doers who need comeuppance. And who will deliver that comeuppance, if anyone? Why, Major Richard Sharpe, of course, is at your service.
Unlike the other books in the series that take place during the Peninsular Wars, this one has relatively little action in Spain. Instead, Sharpe and Harper are mostly prowling the English countryside and London. It's an amusing change of pace to which Bernard Cornwell adds a rousing battle at the end in the epilogue. Like the best books in the series, it also pretty closely follows the real history.
So what's it all about? The campaign for Spain was settled by the Battle of Vittoria. Now it's time to mop up the remaining French and to invade France through the Pyranees. The South Essex is being starved for replacements and Sharpe learns that the unit is going to be disbanded. Wellington would rather have veteran units be reinforced rather than replaced and agrees for Sharpe to go to London to see what can be done.
The fun starts when Sharpe tries to tackle the bureaucracy and falls into the middle of political intrigue and financial peculation. There will always be those who seek to profit from war, and the British of this time were no exception. Sharpe begins to realize that even his hero's status cannot solve the problem without proof, and he goes undercover as it were to seek such proof.
The story features two beautiful women who find Sharpe attractive, an old friend, a greedy new enemy, a greedy old enemy, and many minor villains. Sharpe takes us from the top of British society to its dregs, and we gain a colorful, unforgettable portrait of England in the early 19th century. I was especially interested in the careful descriptions of how current and retired, injured soldiers were seen by the citizens they protected.
Bernard Cornell has packed the equivalent of about six novels into this one without making it seem overly dense. Keep your sense of humor as you imagine how Sharpe is reacting to all the fools around him, and you'll enjoy many good laughs from this very satirical and ironical story of beating Napoleon.
Have fun!
