Sharpe's escape book review. Set in 1810, the novel finds Captain Richard Sharpe threatened as commander of the South Essex Regiment Light Company

The most important character in the book is of course Richard Sharpe who is acknowledged by the author to be a loose cannon. He is a highly skilled leader of light troops, he is known for being a dangerous man to have as an enemy; he is a skilled marksman and grows to be a good swordsman. Sharpe develops a enmity with Ferragus, a tall and huge man and shows him what he can do when he is out for revenge.

As far as the historical period is concerned well it is 1810 and in Napoleon's determination to conquer Portugal—and push the British back to the sea—he sends his largest army yet across the Spanish frontier. But between the Portuguese border and Napoleon's seemingly certain victory are two obstacles—a wasted land, stripped of food by Wellington's orders, and Captain Richard Sharpe. The Duke of Wellington was quite well known at this time and Sharpe is his main man. During this period the British did lack either numbers in their army or the training for an attack but other great soldiers like Sharpe fought hard and won the British battles.

My favourite part of the book is probably the battle between Sharpe and Ferragus because it’s interesting to see how Sharpe reacts to the big man’s threats and also his intimidating size. Sharpe has also been known to surprise his enemies which would have made the fight even more interesting.

Overall, I think this a great read but may suit an adult age group slightly more than children or teenagers. Sharpe's Escape emphatically reaffirms Bernard Cornwell's status as "perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today"; its climactic battle scenes and great re-creation of history sweep the reader off the page and into the action and drama of nineteenth-century warfare.

By Arjun Bhatt 9T