This is another swashbuckling story about Sharpe from Bernard Cornwell. The book continues with descriptions of the brutality of the fighting in Spain and Portugal. Which is all I'm going to say about the book, as I have another story to tell.
At one point in the book, during the French assault on the British and Portuguese at Bussaco, one of Sharpe's riflemen---Dodd---goes missing. Sharpe is concerned and later searches the battlefield for him. But Dodd is gone, with not even his body to be found.
I thought this a bit interesting, as Dodd isn't a major figure and why Cornwell had Sharpe do this, but then decided it was filler. Yet, I found myself wondering about rifleman Dodd at several points in the book, thinking he might make an entry later on. He doesn't.
About two-thirds of my way into the book, I thought about Dodd again. And then it hit me. I knew exactly who rifleman Dodd was and why he wasn't going to reappear in this book. C.S. Forester is one of my favorite military and naval action authors. Almost everything Forester wrote is page turning. Apparently, he is one of Cornwell's favorites too, and Cornwell was using Dodd to pay homage to Forester.
Decades ago---yes, that long---I read one of Forester's book which is titled "Rifleman Dodd." And I know for sure I have it in the house somewhere. In this book, rifleman Dodd is separated from his unit, during the fighting in Portugal, and finds himself alone behind French lines. He joins up with the local partisans and help them destroy the French supply lines. Dodd does as much destruction to the French, maybe more, than Sharpe does. Finally, Dodd is able to sneak through French lines and rejoin the British army---and "Sharpe's company"---but merely tells his superiors he was trying to get back to the army, and doesn't even mention what he did to the French.
I suspect if you want to know what Dodd accomplished, you'll have to read Forester's "Rifleman Dodd." If you enjoy the writing of Bernard Cornwell, you'll also enjoy C.S. Forester, because Forester is even better at this type of story than Cornwell is!
At one point in the book, during the French assault on the British and Portuguese at Bussaco, one of Sharpe's riflemen---Dodd---goes missing. Sharpe is concerned and later searches the battlefield for him. But Dodd is gone, with not even his body to be found.
I thought this a bit interesting, as Dodd isn't a major figure and why Cornwell had Sharpe do this, but then decided it was filler. Yet, I found myself wondering about rifleman Dodd at several points in the book, thinking he might make an entry later on. He doesn't.
About two-thirds of my way into the book, I thought about Dodd again. And then it hit me. I knew exactly who rifleman Dodd was and why he wasn't going to reappear in this book. C.S. Forester is one of my favorite military and naval action authors. Almost everything Forester wrote is page turning. Apparently, he is one of Cornwell's favorites too, and Cornwell was using Dodd to pay homage to Forester.
Decades ago---yes, that long---I read one of Forester's book which is titled "Rifleman Dodd." And I know for sure I have it in the house somewhere. In this book, rifleman Dodd is separated from his unit, during the fighting in Portugal, and finds himself alone behind French lines. He joins up with the local partisans and help them destroy the French supply lines. Dodd does as much destruction to the French, maybe more, than Sharpe does. Finally, Dodd is able to sneak through French lines and rejoin the British army---and "Sharpe's company"---but merely tells his superiors he was trying to get back to the army, and doesn't even mention what he did to the French.
I suspect if you want to know what Dodd accomplished, you'll have to read Forester's "Rifleman Dodd." If you enjoy the writing of Bernard Cornwell, you'll also enjoy C.S. Forester, because Forester is even better at this type of story than Cornwell is!
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