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Sharpe's Prey (Paperback)

by Bernard Cornwell (Author) "Captain Henry Willsen of His Majesty's Dirty Half Hundred, more formally the 50th Regiment of West Kent, parried his opponent's saber ..." (more)

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Product Details

Paperback: 384 pages
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0754024288
ISBN-13: 978-0754024286
Shipping Weight: 504 g

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Amazon.co.uk

All of the Sharpe novels, not just the new one, Sharpe's Prey, feature genuinely complex plotting in which the reader is kept engaged not just by a central conflict but by a whole host of subplots handled as adeptly as his main narrative. How does Bernard Cornwell maintain such a high standard in his tales of historical derring-do and danger? The genre is a touch overcrowded these days, but Cornwell is unquestionably in the upper echelons, with a consistency that must give most of his rivals pause. It isn't just the formula that makes these books work so well (high-powered, vividly described action, conflicted protagonists risking both their lives and careers, impressive historical detail), it is another factor that has distinguished the author's books since his early work.

The year is 1807; Lieutenant Richard Sharpe is planning to leave the army. Against his better judgment, he is persuaded to accompany the Hon John Lavisser to Copenhagen in what is essentially an act of political skulduggery: they are to deliver a bribe and (hopefully) avert a war. But with the French ensuring that Europe remains at boiling point, Sharpe finds himself protecting his charge against French agents and struggling to ensure that the Danish battle fleet is not used to replace every French ship destroyed at Trafalgar. Sharpe is a character we know well and like, and his customary characteristics (tenacity, bloody-mindedness) are well to the fore here, but, as always, the other characters are equally strikingly drawn: Lavisser is a splendidly complex figure, as are several of Sharpe's nemeses. But it's that wonderfully adroit orchestration of action and plot that keeps the pulse racing, with the bombardment of Copenhagen and the massive bloodshed resulting in a truly impressive set piece:

Sharpe, from his vantage point on the dune, could see the smoke wreathing the wall. The city's copper spires and red roofs showed above the churning cloud. A dozen houses were burning there, fired by the Danish shells that hissed across the canal. Three windmills had their sales tethered against the blustering wind that blew the smoke westwards and fretted the moored fleet to the north of Copenhagen.

--Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The traditional military adventure yarn remains alive and well in the capable hands of Cornwell, as his up-from-the-ranks hero, Richard Sharpe, though stuck in the lowly role of regimental quartermaster, finds himself in the thick of the 1807 British campaign to destroy the Danish navy anchored in Copenhagen before the French can seize the ships and pose another invasion threat. As ever, the story starts fast, here with the murder of an English army officer in London by Captain John Lavisser a traitor working for the French and as vile a villain as any Sharpe has faced and scarcely lets up until Sharpe's final confrontation with Lavisser during the British bombardment of Copenhagen. Along with the swashbuckling action, Sharpe finds romance with the widowed daughter of Britain's top Danish agent, Astrid Skovgaard, who helps him get over the loss of Grace, the aristocratic young woman he met in his last outing, Sharpe's Trafalgar, but who died in childbirth. Much of the suspense hinges on whether Sharpe will quit the army and remain in Denmark, or persuade Astrid to return with him to England. Unlike Patrick O'Brian, Cornwell doesn't dwell on the details of early 19th-century life, writing in plain prose that neither evokes nor obviously violates period. This is the 18th installment in the Sharpe series (which now covers the years from 1799 to 1821, with a few small gaps). It's anyone's guess how many more are still to come, but Cornwell fans will welcome each and every one.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Captain Henry Willsen of His Majesty's Dirty Half Hundred, more formally the 50th Regiment of West Kent, parried his opponent's saber. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

27 Reviews

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4.0 out of 5 stars A Charming Despicable Villain Gives a Desperate Sharpe the Fits, Dec 26 2008

By	Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Sharpe's Prey Expedition To Copenhagen 1807 (Paperback)

The ground has shifted out from under Richard Sharpe's feet in the events that have occurred between Sharpe's Trafalgar and Sharpe's Prey. At the end of Sharpe's Trafalgar, Sharpe was in love with Lady Grace Hale, wealthy, and about to become a father in England. As Sharpe's Prey opens, Sharpe is penniless, downcast, and about to leave the army after his new regiment made him into a quartermaster. As the story develops, the reader is gradually told what happened to Sharpe's dreams.

Sharpe returns to his origins and we see more clearly how Sharpe became the man he is. Just when it all looks darkest, Sharpe is asked to take on a silly assignment . . . keeping a secret emissary alive who has been sent to Denmark to bribe the Crown Prince to give Britain the Danish fleet (the second largest in the world). In those days, Denmark included all of Norway and a good part of Germany and its commercial interests depended on extensive ocean trade.

Early in the story, we realize that the emissary, John Lavisser is really a crook . . . out to steal the bribe for himself. Sharpe finds himself taken in by Lavisser's easy charm but vows revenge. Sharpe has an ace in the whole, there's a British agent in Copenhagen; and Sharpe looks to the agent for aid and shelter. Instead, he discovers a beautiful new widow, Astrid Skorgaard, who begins to take Sharpe's mind off Lady Grace.

The main armed conflict in the story involves the British invasion of Denmark in 1807 to take the Danish fleet which Russia had agreed France could take. Desperately wanting to avoid the possibility of an invasion of Britain, the fleet becomes a top priority. Sir Arthur Wellesley makes a small appearance in the story as the head of a modest land engagement against modestly untrained Danish troops.

When the Danish refuse to surrender, the British begin to bombard Copenhagen's civilian population with thousands of mortars and rockets each night. Sharpe finds himself on the receiving end of the bombardment trying to steal the fleet and stop John Lavisser.

The story is more of a spy tale than a combat novel. As a result, you don't have the kind of stirring battle scenes that make the first four books (chronologically) in the series so interesting. Instead, much of the horror involves crime, spying, and civilian casualties. It's not quite the same.

But Lavisser is a marvelous invention as a villain for the piece. He makes the book rise above the average. If you don't take pleasure in original villains, you'll probably think this is an average or below-average story.

Some people may not like that Sharpe comes across as less of a hero here than in some of the earlier novels in the chronology. The theme seems to be showing the side of Sharpe that is a street thug. I suspect that his street fighter side isn't what attracted you to the series. The redeeming aspect of the story is that Sharpe seems to rise above his roots to become someone with redemptive qualities by the end of the book.

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5.0 out of 5 stars One of Cornwell's best, April 13 2006

By	Dale Jackaman "dalej@reboot.bc.ca" (Vancouver, BC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sharpe's Prey (Paperback)

I’ve read all of the Sharpe series at least three or four times and I’m always amazed at Cornwell’s ability to bring actual history to life. The first read is always to capture the characters and the story, the second and third to pick up the nuances in the character interplay and the historical narrative in the background. Every layer is just as fascinating. This book is no exception and involves characters from real life, notably Wellington in his role as a military commander against the Danes in Copenhagen, and the British campaign to capture the Danish fleet before Napoleon does. The book also introduces some notable characters that play key roles in later Sharpe novels.

The story starts with Lieutenant Richard Sharpe, newly trained from the Rifles, and in misery due to the death of his lover and first child, his penniless state and his unappreciated state of affairs with the battalion’s senior officers. On the run again from the law, he is offered a job by the Foreign Office to protect an emissary sent to bribe the Danish King. Sharpe soon finds himself embroiled in mystery, treachery and mayhem behind enemy lines.

One of Bernard Cornwell’s best Sharpe novels.

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5.0 out of 5 stars "All the perfect ingredients for an action-packed novel, Mar 15 2004

By	Girisha Fernando (SWITZERLAND IN BASEL YEAH BEST COUNTRY AND BEST CITY EVER BASEL AM MIM RHY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sharpe's Prey (Paperback)

"All the perfect ingredients for an action-packed and page turning read" as THE TIMES said. This book is for people who like adventures packed with action in the 19th century. This novel is about the time where the battle field was on the sea. Lieutenant Richard Prey an Englishman, is given a mission to stopp war. His adventure is exciting as the plot reaches its climax; Prey has to, protect a women he loves, hunt a traitor and stay alive.
This is the first novel i have read if Bernanrd Cornwell. I enjoed reading it becauseit gave me a better view of a Lieutenant on a ship during war. I hope to continue readind the novels of the Sharpe series written by Bernard Cornwell as time allowes.

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars One of the weaker Sharpe novels
Not as much fun as most of the Sharpe series. Sharpe spends much of the book in an utter funk, and hanging darkly over the whole story is that Britain's handling of the Copenhagen... Read more

Published on Jan 7 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars This Series Used to Be So Much Better
Not that this isn't good -- a Richard Sharpe story combines, adventure, history, and social commentary in a most enjoyable way. Read more

Published on Dec 24 2003 by David K. Taggart

4.0 out of 5 stars A history lesson made fun
This was my introduction to the Sharpe series. Before buying the books I was big fan of the Sharpe movies on TV, I used to love watching them and am glad to say upon finding the... Read more

Published on Aug 21 2003 by David Hassall

5.0 out of 5 stars another great romp
Stupendous as always, with plenty of depth to Sharpe as we see him again after his great love affair has come to a tragic end. Read more

Published on Jun 19 2003 by J. Mullally