≫ [PDF] Free Sharpe Havoc Bernard Cornwell 9780007120123 Books

Sharpe Havoc Bernard Cornwell 9780007120123 Books

Download As PDF : Sharpe Havoc Bernard Cornwell 9780007120123 Books

Sharpe Havoc Bernard Cornwell 9780007120123 Books

If you are interested in good military history and like fictional characters in real battles, the Sharpe's series by Bernard Cornwell is outstanding. There are about 15 or 18 books in the series, starting when Private Richard Sharpe is an 17 year old private in the British Army in India in the late 1700, and follows him through battles in India, Trafalgar, Denmark, Portugal, Spain and eventually to the battle of Waterloo. Cornwell has done his research and us sticklers for realism can see he has the correct history of the battles, description of same, proper equipment, tactics, and armament. BBC did a 15 part mini-series which is available on DVD and well worth the watch. But be warned that the DVD series starts in Portugal and leaves out the first books on India where Sharpe is a private, makes sergeant, and finally makes ensign. In the series he is a lieutenant who, because he rose from the ranks and is disliked by the "proper" officers of aristocratic families who bought their commissiions, gets assigned to the 90th Rifles (Green Jackets) as no other snooty officer wants to be there (they don't like how slow the rifles load compared to muskets even though the Baker rifles have longer ranges and are more accurate than the Brown Bess muskets). But Sharpe drills his men until they are very combat effective. As a retired US Army infantry officer, and US Marine Vietnam vet, I really like this series. Only 10 more books to go! Cornwell, a former BBC producer, took his motivation for writing this series after reading the Hornblower series as a lad.


Tags : Sharpe's Havoc [Bernard Cornwell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The latest book in the brilliant, bestselling Sharpe series brings Sharpe to Portugal, and reunites him with Harper. It is 1809 and Lieutenant Sharpe,Bernard Cornwell,Sharpe's Havoc,Harpercollins Pub Ltd,0007120125,Adventure thriller,Historical adventure,Historical fiction,Fiction

Sharpe Havoc Bernard Cornwell 9780007120123 Books Reviews

Richard Sharpe is at it again. It is 1803. Marshall Soult and his French army have barreled into Portugal and are temporarily stymied on the north shore of the Douro River. Citizens of Oporto on the south side are anxiously awaiting the assault to come, if and when the attackers can figure out a way to cross the river. The situation is made to order for Lt. Richard Sharpe of his Britannic Majesty's 95th Rifles.

Fortunately, Sharpe will have help. Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, has landed at Lisbon and is bringing a British army north to save the day. Any readers who have read "Sharpe's Rifles," the initial book in this series, will know that one British army has already been run out of the Iberian Peninsula. Spain has fallen to the French invasion. Portugal is next on Napoleon's schedule.

Wellesley's small force will be hard pressed to hold the south bank. To push the French out is beyond credulity. Even rescuing Sharpe's stranded riflemen on the north shore may be impossible.

We must stop here with a broader explanation regarding the author Bernard Cornwell and his invention of the London guttersnipe Richard Sharpe turned British officer. There are 22 books in the Sharpe saga, two or three short stories and, I believe, 22 movies. There are a couple of web sites and a fan club. How's that for a niche product?

I refer to it as a niche because not everyone, especially these days, is interested in the 300-year-old Peninsular Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. Not everyone is interested in a soldier from way back when, regardless of how brave and competent. He is an officer from the ranks whom men either follow gladly or mark for death. The women in his life are more single minded. They can hardly wait for Sharpe to claim them.

As for me, I have read about Sharp off and on almost since the first book came out in 1980. It has been hit or miss at the library. The books kept me confused. I might find Sharpe in India, or perhaps Denmark. He somehow found himself in a naval battle at Cape Trafalgar with Nelson and he bounced all over Spain. Finally, I decided to make sense of the nine books covering the Peninsular Campaigns in Portugal and Spain by buying them and reading them in chronological order. "Havoc" is the second book of this particular series, which ends in the south of France with Napoleon's first exile.

Now, we can go back to the plot. Sharpe is dodging the French on the north shore, when he sees a lone British soldier across the river. It turns out Wellesley has arrived with his troops but is not interested in just saving the city. He wants to cross over the river and drive the French out of Portugal. Does he succeed? Is Sharpe much help or do his romantic inclinations and feud with another officer take precedence?

You won't find out here. Get the book. It's quite readable.
Sharpe's Havoc is, like all the others I've read in the series, a page turner. There is constant action, constant friction between Sharpe and some of his men, as well as with incompetent superiors. There always seems to be a woman involved to a greater or lesser extent. There's always a bad guy that Sharpe has to overcome. The writing is very descriptive. You can almost feel the heat of India or the cold of Portugal. Don't be surprised if you find yourself reading the whole book in a day.
Bernard Cornwell's books are timeless tales of an anti hero bucking the system and using his smarts to outwit the folks who feel superiority is based on both wealth and birth. I have been reading these books for over ten years now, and Sharpe's struggle through the ranks, his courage and ingenuity have been entertaining as well as illuminating. The Sharpe series is about the birth of the modern British army. His battles scenes are told through a telescopic lens that places the reader in the middle where they can see the carnage, feel the adrenaline laced fear, the insecurities, as well as the stark realization that the commitment to his fellow soldiers is the only way out. Sharpe should not have been a success. He is little more than a criminal, running from a murder charge, can't sit a horse, borderline illiterate, yet he has a deep rooted sense of morality, a natural affinity for strategy as well as a six sense in understanding a situation, reading it and finding solutions. I love reading about the way he peels back the layers to reveal and then destroy the corruptness that sullies the noble ideals that are the core of his existence. I've learned a lot from the Sharpe books. Cornwell's crisp writing is clear and concise. Sharpe's Havoc joins a superior series about a superior officer and I do indeed hope he and Harper will march again.
If you are interested in good military history and like fictional characters in real battles, the Sharpe's series by Bernard Cornwell is outstanding. There are about 15 or 18 books in the series, starting when Private Richard Sharpe is an 17 year old private in the British Army in India in the late 1700, and follows him through battles in India, Trafalgar, Denmark, Portugal, Spain and eventually to the battle of Waterloo. Cornwell has done his research and us sticklers for realism can see he has the correct history of the battles, description of same, proper equipment, tactics, and armament. BBC did a 15 part mini-series which is available on DVD and well worth the watch. But be warned that the DVD series starts in Portugal and leaves out the first books on India where Sharpe is a private, makes sergeant, and finally makes ensign. In the series he is a lieutenant who, because he rose from the ranks and is disliked by the "proper" officers of aristocratic families who bought their commissiions, gets assigned to the 90th Rifles (Green Jackets) as no other snooty officer wants to be there (they don't like how slow the rifles load compared to muskets even though the Baker rifles have longer ranges and are more accurate than the Brown Bess muskets). But Sharpe drills his men until they are very combat effective. As a retired US Army infantry officer, and US Marine Vietnam vet, I really like this series. Only 10 more books to go! Cornwell, a former BBC producer, took his motivation for writing this series after reading the Hornblower series as a lad.