Like a warm blanket.

"The war was over. And Richard Sharpe was going to war." Like a warm blanket.

It's been 15(!) years since the last Richard Sharpe novel (Sharpe's Fury) and Cornwell's return to the Napoleonic wars and common soldier-turned British officer is like meeting an old friend and immediately settling into your old routines, in-jokes, and rhythms without missing a beat.

Sharpe's Assassin immediately follows the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo (Sharpe's Waterloo) and newly promoted Lieutenant Colonel Sharpe and Sergeant Major (retired?) Harper are interrupted from burying their dead compatriots and summoned by the Duke of Wellington to storm a remote bastion/prison complex. This quickly reveals a larger plot device of the British trying to recover European artwork stolen by the French Army over the years and stored in the Louvre as well as a mission to stop a group of Bonapartist die-hards. This also has Sharpe reuniting with his former company commander and the man responsible for having him flogged as an enlisted man, Major Morris.

The action is kinetic and tight, the banter with lords and ladies is quick-witted and just disrespectful enough by Sharpe to keep things punchy, and angry-Sharpe remains a great literary joy. Going back into Sharpe's world invites inevitable comparisons to Cornwell's other long series, The Last Kingdom, and its main character Uhtred of Bebbanburg. On balance, Sharpe's world is so much more enjoyable. Uhtred and Sharpe are essentially the same character, but while Uhtred and his world are dreary, dour, and perennially gray, Sharpe and his world has a *spark* to it that makes the world, scenes (action and exposition), and characters feel that much more lively and therefore interesting.

Will Sharpe and Harper march again? Hard to say, but I had a wonderful time tagging along for the ride.

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9 people found this helpful

Bernard Cornwell never, never disappoints

I was very happy to see another Sharp book come out. This was the first series by Cornwell that I started reading years ago. The author has the ability to create characters that are realistic and admirable. He brings the past to life as only a person who respects and loves history can. I believe that, with one exception, I’ve read everything Cornwell has written. He is exceptional and I recommend his work to anyone who treasures a good read.

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6 people found this helpful

Sharpe is so good because he is us...

When we hear Sharpe's voice through his narrators and we read his words on the pages, he is that mystical, channeled, being who manifests in the space between our (personal) grasp of history and a magical hero-inkling that we grok, sort of like we could have been there too.

There is no doubt that fans and listeners of the Sharpe series owe an extraordinary debt of gratitide to Frederick Davidson, Patrick Tull, Rupert Farley and, of course, Bernard Cornwell. They all have enriched our lives with amazing storytelling and fictional renditions of stuff we would not have otherwise studied had we been forced to as students.

Sharpe is part of us now...that makes me happy! And yet, when Dan died in the last novel "Waterloo," I cried my eyes out. I think Sharpe did too. Okay...we all did...thanks Cornwell...I forgot how to cry.

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2 people found this helpful

I enjoyed it

At first I wasn't thrilled at who was narrating this, but soon was caught up in the story and didn't mind at all. The story is good and I liked it. Fans of the series will enjoy it.

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1 person found this helpful

Sharpe chronicles

I love the Richard Sharpe books. The action and the historical narrative are informative not as a history lesson as a insight as to what Wellington thought as purely fictional narrative.

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The Experience of Sharpe

I have truly enjoyed every word from the first book to this last one! A series of stories, and adventure through history, that leaves anyone that consumes them in awe and wonder of the exploits of such a great character. In my opinion this collection is a true masterpiece of literature. Thank you Bernard Cornwell!

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Narrator only has Sharpe's voice, & one other

I love Sharpe & have read/listened to all many times. This one is not his very best, but I have enjoyed it several times. I think the thing that is most disappointing is the narrator. I have always been amazed at Fredrick Davidson's ability to sound so completely different that I wasn't sure they were actually all the same person. This narrator only has 2 voices...Sharpe's and all the rest. Hope the new Audibles to come aren't this guy.

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An excellent Sharpe novel. As good as always.

We're at the end of the war but Sharpe still has work to do. great story, told well. Great reading.

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Sharpe is back, but should he be?

Always nice to get a new Sharpe novel, but there isn't too much point to this story - except to get an ending to Sharpe's story, which might make this book worthwhile. If you've read the previous novels, you'll know Sharpe will end up in any battle of the war, very often in a way that suspends belief. This time there is no major historical battle, but he goes to Paris instead and looks at paintings. There is a battle later on, and it's a thrilling one, but it seems completely unnecessary.

The main issue was with the narration, or rather the dialogue. Rupert Farley's narrating voice is fine, but all the dialogue is awful - sometimes he does a terrible Sean Bean impression, sometimes he forgets to do that. Sometimes he whispers, and sometimes he shouts. I don't know how accurate Wellington's accent is, but if anyone sounded like that and tried to tell me what to do, I'd run fast in the opposite direction. All Irish accents are of the "to be sure, to be sure" -variety (although they are the least irritating of Farley's accents), and the French accents are particularly horrible and sound like cartoon villains (as if Officer Crabtree had a few too many bottles of wine at Cafe Renee). At one occasion Lucille sounds like a sneering madwoman, and in the next she whispers softly. It's sometimes difficult to understand who is speaking, because the accents are so inconsistent. In the final battle the narration is more fast-paced, so Farley largely forgets to do the accents, and suddenly it sounds fine.

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absolutely brilliant!

this story was absolutely spot on! loved the way it tied up a certain loose end and done nicely! in addition the story itself gave me insight into the occupation of Paris and the climate there immediately after Waterloo. I won't give out details to ruin it for you! Truly a must read!

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