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.
Happy Reading!
Carole P. Roman
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