Original copyright: 1983
Narrated by: Fredrick
Davidson
Listened to: February 2012 (at age 33)
What to Expect:
This is the fourteenth book (of
twenty-four, although three are short stories) in the Sharpe series of
historical fiction set in the Napoleonic wars.
It wouldn't be the best place to start reading the series, but it stands
on its own fairly well.
From the publisher’s summary:
The
year is 1812, the location is Salamanca, Spain. It is here that General Wellington must battle
the French forces for the Western portion of the peninsula. Wellington's goal is to defeat the French,
Sharpe's goal is to survive and be with his men. Captain Sharpe finds himself surrounded by
spies and treachery, friends become enemies and enemies become friends. Sharpe can only place his trust in his
faithful chosen men or in the doughty Major Hogan. Everyone else is suspect. Unlike the other
Sharpe books, "Sword" doesn't spend a lot of time with the battles. Sharpe is drawn into a different battle
field... the battle field of palace intrigue. Before long Sharpe is sharing the company of
the beautiful... and mysterious La Marquesa. He battles the evil Colonel Leroux. Leroux's claim to fame is his usage of torture
and cruelty. Along the way Sharpe is
shot, lied to and very nearly stabbed by the same sword he covets.
My Reactions
(spoilers!):
This book, while certainly a Sharpe novel, didn't feel as formulaic as the previous few.
Sharpe and Harper are pretty much on their own, detached with special
duties. A major battle happens, of
course, but the emphasis is more on the cloak-and-dagger war behind the
war. There are moments of triumph,
defeat, enemies killed, and women courted.
It was a good book, and may be my new favorite in the Sharpe
series.
Plot:
There was a
decided lack of the same details about set-piece battles that have been
repeated ad nauseum in the previous books.
Instead, there was the pursuit of a dangerous individual by Sharpe and a
small portion of his squad. It didn't feel that the author forced Sharpe into places he had no reason to be in just
to show a part of the war. It worked
very well.
Setting:
As ever, the
setting was fine – a sufficient place to tell the story. It felt like the author loved the city of
Salamanca, and the love was passed on to the reader.
Characters:
The
supporting cast was wonderful – I particularly like Lord Spears, and his
ever-present mocking. It was a nice
counterbalance to Sharpe, who tends toward serious and straight-laced. The
villain of the piece, one Colonel Leroux, was a scary guy, without being
over-the-top.
Audiobook Reader:
Fredrick Davidson was very good - he was
understandable, had emphasis in the right places, and his voicing and pacing
were appropriate.
Rating: 4
Other Opinions:
Not a fan, apparently
The initial review is for the movie, which
is very, very different than the book, it seems. The comment below the review is a decent
summary of the book.
Brief review, but gets the point across
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