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Publisher:
Harper Collins |
Release
Date: April 2004 |
ISBN:
0007120133 |
Awards:
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Format
Reviewed: Hardback |
Buy
it at Amazon US
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Read
an Excerpt |
Genre:
Historical Military [1810, Portugal] |
Reviewed:
2004 |
Reviewer:
Rachel A Hyde |
Reviewer
Notes: Violence |
Copyright
MyShelf.com |
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Sharpe’s
Escape
By Bernard Cornwell
Sharpe is still going strong after
nineteen books and one hugely popular TV series; in his twentieth
adventure his appeal shows no sign of dimming. They are read even
by people who don’t normally devour military novels, and their
fresh mixture of derring-do, human interest, romance, and real history
ensure their wide audience. So what is this one about? I could say
“more of the same” but this wouldn’t seem fair;
“the same” is better than novelty if it is well done
and shows no sign of losing favor with the reading public. Here
Sharpe pits himself against the useless Lieutenant Slingsby, a man
with friends in high places and not much military knowledge, and
the evil Ferragus, a Portuguese traitor with a fondness for trading
with the French. Throw in a pretty young governess, meticulous historical
detail, and a terrific showdown at the Lines of Torres Vedras and
you have another thrilling tale.
Cornwell excels at battle scenes; you can almost hear the musket
fire at times. He also delights in concocting some wonderfully hissable
villains, feisty ladies, and the sort of descriptions of the minutiae
of army life that transport the reader back in time. There is something
almost old-fashioned about all this, harking back to earlier writers
whose adventure novels included plenty of romance, a dash of humor
and over-the-top heroism as well as the grim reality of war. Think
Conan Doyle, Dennis Wheatley and Dumas and then add Cornwell!
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