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5.0étoiles sur 5
Sharpe storms the fortress on the hill, Sep 19 2003
This is the summation of the Cornwell's "India Trilogy" which follows British Soldier Richard Sharpe during the Mahratta War of 1803. In this novel, the English army must somehow take Gawalghur, a seemingly impenetrable mountaintop fortress and last bastion of the Mahratta army. This is an excellent historical/military novel in that the siege of Gawalghur is explained in dramatic terms; the tactics, the officers, the siege itself, are all here. As always, Cornwell is unmatched in his talent for bringing military affairs to life. I felt as if I was right there with the engineers and soldiers, sweating in the noonday sun. And, of course, the bloodletting is always well described in a cornwell book. During the intense military maneuverings, Sharpe has uncovered a crooked officer, who is misappropriating military supplies and sealing them on the black market. Sharpe is nearly killed for his discover, and then seeks revenge Richard Sharpe style. Just a great book with great characters. Cornwell is particularly adept at writing a great villain. Sharpe's nemesis, the horrid Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill is here, of course, but my favorite bad guy was the crooked officer Captain Torrence. This guy puts the "C" in Creepy. In a beautiful bit of character development, Cornwell has Torrence nearly always receiving his staff in the nude. He explains this nudeness by claiming that with India being so hot and all, he just finds it more comfortable. Not so bad in and of itself, but what makes him creepy is the pleasure he takes at everyone's discomfort when in his presence. Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, is here as well, perfectly described in his ever developing relationship to Richard Sharpe. Buy it. You can't go wrong with a Sharpe book.
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