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Title: Sharpes Eagle by Bernard Cornwell, William Gaminara ISBN: 0-7451-5879-X Publisher: Chivers Audio Books Pub. Date: January, 1996 Format: Audio Cassette Volumes: 8 List Price(USD): $69.95

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Average Customer Rating: 4.45 (22 reviews)

Rating: 3
Summary: Fun "mind candy" historical fiction
Comment: Before reading this I'd only read Cornwell's Civil War-related series, and it was immediately apparent that he is *much* more comfortable with this Napoleonic Wars setting. His facts seem far more accurate and more fluent, his characters' dialogue is more believable, and I overall get the sense that he simply has a better grasp of his material. This is the story of the young career Army man Sharpe, who finds himself in political hot water through no fault of his own, and who has to do something heroic to get himself out of it. The battle scenes are good, very detailed; the characters, as I've come to expect with Cornwell, are generally engaging though not particularly deep. I intend to read the rest of the series.

Rating: 5
Summary: Perfect Start to an Engaging Historical Adventure Series.
Comment: Set around the Talevera campaign of July 1809, this first installment in the Sharpe saga deploys all the elements found throughout Cornwell's entertaining Napoleonic War series: the friendship between Sharpe and the Irish Sgt. Harper, their bravery and cunning, the ignorance and arrogance that pervaded the foppish upper class officer corps, a beautiful woman, and rousing battle scenes. Cornwell uses this first book to firmly establish the absence of meritocracy in the British army of the time, as armchair commander Simmerson needlessly leads the South Essex (including Sharpe and his Riflemen) into a debacle in which they lose the King's Colours, thus disgracing the whole army. Also clearly established is the tension between Cpt. Sharpe, who was promoted from the enlisted ranks for an act of heroism, and the upper class officer corps, who paid for their rank, irrespective of any actual military knowledge or ability. Simmerson and his toadying nephew Lt. Gibbons attempt to place the blame for the rout on Sharpe, and his only hope to save his rank is to perform an outrageous act of courage in battle at Talevera. Meanwhile, there's a beautiful Spanish woman he rescues from Gibbons and a crony, whose honor he must avenge. All is resolved at the Talevera, as Cornwell clearly and crisply recounts the military maneuvering on both a macro and micro level without getting overly technical. Also introduced in the book are Major Hogan, the Irish engineer who develops over the series into Lord Wellington's spy, as well as Lord Wellington himself, who is fond of Sharpe, but not hesitant to use his deadly skills. Above all, Sharpe is presented as a full action hero, strong, smart, roguishly handsome, honorable, deadly and ruthless. A perfect start to an engaging historical adventure series.

Rating: 5
Summary: Sharpe at Talavera
Comment: This is probably one of the best Sharpe novels in the series. It was one of the first that Cornwell wrote and his attention to the details of the Talavera campaign is excellent. Here we have Sharpe and his detached half-company of rifles doing standard duties on the skirmish line. There is a minimum of running around behind the enemy lines defying the odds as we so often get in the later novels. The episode at the bridge is a study of military incompetence. Sir Henry Simmerson, our classic snobby bad Anglo-aristo, becomes one of Sharpe's perenial enemies here. People like this did try to make life difficult for Wellsely in English politics and the novel picks up correctly on that, albeit a bit heavy handed at times.

The high-light of the story is certianly the build-up to the battle of Talavera in 1809. This was one of Wellsely's most difficult and dangerous battles, and his most costly after Assaye in India. The battle scenes are carefully constructed and taken heavily from Jac Weller's well known "Wellington in the Peninsular". Sharpe is cleverly inserted into the action in ways which are believeable and mesh with the history. His double confrontation with Messhrs. Berry and Gibbons illustrates how many old scores were likely settled during the confusion of battle.

Wellsley won a narrow victory at Talavera, winning his title of viscount Wellington, but losing a quarter of his army in the process. Cornwell does a great job describing the fascinating horror of Napoleanic combat. This is really his forte, and the descriptions of French columns slamming into British lines is right out of Jac Weller. This book is certainly vintage Sharpe, and remains one of the best.

It is a pity that the television version of this novel could not convey the scope of the battle. The tongue and cheek nature of the TV productions does a bit of dis-service to Cornwell in that way. Still, one of the best early Sharpe books.