Excellent
This is the chronological Book 13 (and the original Book 4) of the Richard Sharpe series.
I have enjoyed Cornwells prequels to the Richard Sharpe series, as they have given Sharpes character a richer depth and history. And while there will always be slight inconsistencies between prequels and canon, I had a hard time overlooking one huge issue in this book: Obadiah Hakeswill.
It was my understanding that Sharpe fully and finally dealt with Hakeswill at the end of the prequel book, Sharpes Fortress. And yet in the canon, Sharpe continues to lament that he doesnt know where Hakeswill is but repeatedly promises to kill him. That is one hanging plot point that I thought Cornwell would have handled more effectively when writing the prequels, considering that he knew what was already in the canon.
But then Hakeswill actually SHOWS UP in this book, out of the blue, with no mention or allusion to his fate at the end of Sharpes Fortress. He was a very well-realized villain in the first three books, as Cornwell seemed to have honed his character more finely in those installments. In the canon, Sharpes Company is where we meet him for the first time. In that case, Hakeswill is actually a poor caricature of himself compared to the Says so in the scriptures! version from the earlier works. In all, I feel like everything surrounding him was completely mishandled and it turned what could have been a really compelling story into a merely interesting (and slightly frustrating) one.
It must be accepted by this point that Sharpe is also something of a man who cannot be killed. I appreciate his apparent mortality (at least Cornwell allows him a wound every now and then), which is more than can be said about Harper (this book excluded, of course.) I know that the series must go on, and because of that I am willing to forgive all of the bullet-dodging, death-defying, always-the-hero stuff and enjoy each book for what it is: a really great story. In spite of Hakeswill trying to ruin the plot as well as Sharpes life, I still had a hard time putting this one down.
I have enjoyed Cornwells prequels to the Richard Sharpe series, as they have given Sharpes character a richer depth and history. And while there will always be slight inconsistencies between prequels and canon, I had a hard time overlooking one huge issue in this book: Obadiah Hakeswill.
It was my understanding that Sharpe fully and finally dealt with Hakeswill at the end of the prequel book, Sharpes Fortress. And yet in the canon, Sharpe continues to lament that he doesnt know where Hakeswill is but repeatedly promises to kill him. That is one hanging plot point that I thought Cornwell would have handled more effectively when writing the prequels, considering that he knew what was already in the canon.
But then Hakeswill actually SHOWS UP in this book, out of the blue, with no mention or allusion to his fate at the end of Sharpes Fortress. He was a very well-realized villain in the first three books, as Cornwell seemed to have honed his character more finely in those installments. In the canon, Sharpes Company is where we meet him for the first time. In that case, Hakeswill is actually a poor caricature of himself compared to the Says so in the scriptures! version from the earlier works. In all, I feel like everything surrounding him was completely mishandled and it turned what could have been a really compelling story into a merely interesting (and slightly frustrating) one.
It must be accepted by this point that Sharpe is also something of a man who cannot be killed. I appreciate his apparent mortality (at least Cornwell allows him a wound every now and then), which is more than can be said about Harper (this book excluded, of course.) I know that the series must go on, and because of that I am willing to forgive all of the bullet-dodging, death-defying, always-the-hero stuff and enjoy each book for what it is: a really great story. In spite of Hakeswill trying to ruin the plot as well as Sharpes life, I still had a hard time putting this one down.
I enjoy the Sharpe series, but not so much this one. Perhaps the problem was the one Amy B. identified---Obadiah Hakeswill. He seemed to dominate the book, which, I admit, is especially hard for an already killed-off character to do.
