Sharpe's Triumph
by Bernard Cornwell
Released June 2, 1998 in the UK
U S release date not yet known
As a die hard Sharpe fan I was eager to read the latest of the Sharpe series, Triumph. Unfortunately, as of this writing, it is not available to the U S. I tried on numerous occasions to order it through B Dalton book stores and literally harassed them to death about it. After no success here I tried the internet. I eventually found a listing of book stores in the UK and ordered it over the phone (I will provide the web address for the listing at the end of this review). About two agonizing weeks passed and I finally received it and I might add that the wait was well worth it. To date this is my favorite book of the entire Sharpe series. Triumph details how Sgt. Sharpe finally becomes an officer. Cornwell's eye for detail does not fail him in the least. The story begins with Sharpe being the only surviving witness to a massacre of troops by a traitorous former British officer. Sharpe teams up with an intelligence officer to help in the rouge's capture. Eventually this leads to the famous battle of Assaye where through courageous valor, Sharpe finally receives his commission. To make things even more interesting, Sgt. Hakeswill returns in a plot to try and destroy Sharpe once again. Hakeswill is the kind of villain you love to hate. Cornwell really does fantastic job with this character. In the process of a heart pounding adventure, the reader learns a great deal about British military history and the life of a soldier. I highly recommend this book to all those die hard Sharpe fans out there.
For those who may not have read any Sharpe novels, there is still an opportunity to quickly get to Triumph. Cornwell began writing about the life of Richard Sharpe after Sharpe had left India and was fighting Napoleon's French troops. After finishing these stories, Cornwell decided to go back and tell the earlier stories of Richard Sharpe. An interested reader could now begin with Sharpe's Tiger and then read Sharpe's Triumph. Most Sharpe fans began with Sharpe's Rifles. I have provided reviews of the rest of the Sharpe's books at the amazon web site. All 15 Sharpe books excluding Sharpe's Triumph are listed here and can be ordered from here or your local book store. I provide a link to two Sharpe short stories by Cornwell on the main home page of my site. Another good Cornwell book is Redcoat. This book details the story of British forces during the American Revolution. This is also an excellent read and gives a truer picture of the British in that war than most skewed versions of the British in modern history books. This book is currently out of print but is being reissued during the fall of 1998. I have also found that many county or city libraries carry the Sharpe series as well as other works by Cornwell.
Here is the link I promised to the listing of British book stores. Enjoy!
or try amazon.com's UK web site