Sharpe's Fortress Review
I just recently finished the latest Sharpe adventure by Bernard Cornwell, Sharpe's Fortress. This novel once again has our hero Richard Sharpe in the India Campaign. This sequal to Sharpe's Triumph has young Ensign Sharpe trying to fit in as an officer who is not quite a gentleman. It is here that Sharpe first learns the lonely life ahead of him as an officer that has come up from the ranks. Sharpe, often a figure of tragedy, again finds a woman that can never be his and has to contend with Obidiah Hakeswill's evil attempts to kill him and steal the jewels that our hero plundered from the Tippoo Sultan in Sharpe's Tiger. Sharpe also leads stunned British forces through a fire and blood crucible at a fortress in India that is so strong that it's defenders cannot conceive of defeat. This Sharpe's novel is classic Cornwell. The story is fresh while maintaining the familiar Sharpe theme that fans have grown to love throughout the world. This is one of my very favorite Sharpe novels to date and ranks up there with Waterloo as one of the better Sharpe novels surrounding a major battle. I highly recommend getting this one! Unfortunately, availability in the U.S. may take some time. I recommend Amazon.com's U.K. site or one of the book shops in London for which there is a link in another part of this web site. Also, below is an autograph and note from Bernard Cornwell letting me know that the book was finished.
Sincerely, Dr. J
