Sharpe's Revenge (Sharpe, #19)

Title: Sharpe's Revenge (Sharpe, #19)

Author: Bernard Cornwell

Published in: 1989

Date read: 21st April 2018

Score: 4/5

Genre: Historical fiction

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Sharpe's Revenge" by Bernard Cornwell, published in 1989, is the tenth novel in the Richard Sharpe series. It marks a significant shift in the Peninsular War narrative, focusing on the immediate aftermath of Napoleon's defeat and the vengeful machinations of a determined French officer.

The story opens in 1814, after the Battle of Toulouse and Napoleon's initial abdication. The war in Spain and France is officially over, and the British army, including Colonel Richard Sharpe, is preparing to return home. However, peace is fleeting for Sharpe.

He becomes the target of a deeply personal vendetta by Major Pierre Ducos, a cunning and aristocratic French Imperial Guard officer. Ducos holds Sharpe directly responsible for the death of his cousin, Colonel Leroux, during the siege of Badajoz (an event from "Sharpe's Company"). Filled with a burning desire for revenge, Ducos meticulously orchestrates a plot to ruin Sharpe.

Ducos frames Sharpe for the theft of Napoleon's personal treasure, including the Emperor's famous jewel-encrusted dagger, during the chaotic final days of the war. The evidence is cleverly planted, making Sharpe appear guilty.

Sharpe is swiftly court-martialled and, despite his protests of innocence, is dishonourably dismissed from the army and stripped of his commission. This is a devastating blow for Sharpe, as his military career and his hard-won social standing are everything to him.

Disgraced and furious, Sharpe, with the unwavering loyalty of his faithful sergeant, Patrick Harper, refuses to accept his fate. He decides to clear his name and exact his own revenge on Ducos. Their quest takes them across a now-peaceful, yet still dangerous, France. They become fugitives, hunted by both French authorities and the remnants of Ducos's network.

The narrative transforms into a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase, with Sharpe pursuing Ducos across the French countryside, from the Pyrenees to Paris. He uncovers deeper layers of Ducos's scheme, realizing that the treasure is not merely gold but holds significant political implications for the volatile post-Napoleonic era.

Themes explored include:

• Revenge and Justice: Sharpe's relentless pursuit of those who wronged him.
• Betrayal: The lengths to which an enemy will go for personal vendetta.
• Honour and Reputation: Sharpe's desperate fight to reclaim his lost honour.
• The Aftermath of War: The lingering dangers and unresolved conflicts even after peace is declared.

The climax brings Sharpe and Ducos to a final, brutal confrontation, where Sharpe must not only defeat his cunning adversary but also recover the stolen treasure to definitively prove his innocence and restore his name. "Sharpe's Revenge" is a highly personal and intense novel, showcasing Sharpe's enduring resilience and his capacity for fierce loyalty and equally fierce retribution.

Comments:
I read all of the Sharpe books in chronological order, one after the other. When I have looked back, I have not separated them at all unless there is a specific thing to add which will be after saying that I suddenly loved historical fiction and anything that Bernard Cornwell writes.

Books that we've read by Bernard Cornwell (28):
Sharpe's Eagle (Sharpe, #8) (1981), Sharpe's Gold (Sharpe, #9) (1981), Sharpe's Company (Sharpe, #13) (1982), Sharpe's Sword (Sharpe, #14) (1983), Sharpe's Enemy (Sharpe, #15) (1984), Sharpe's Honour (Sharpe, #16) (1985), Sharpe's Regiment (Sharpe, #17) (1986), Redcoat (1987), Sharpe's Siege (Sharpe, #18) (1987), Sharpe's Rifles (Sharpe, #6) (1988), Sharpe's Revenge (Sharpe, #19) (1989), Sharpe's Waterloo (Sharpe, #20) (1990), Sharpe's Devil (Sharpe, #22) (1992), Sharpe's Battle (Sharpe, #12) (1995), Sharpe's Tiger (Sharpe, #1) (1997), Sharpe's Triumph (Sharpe, #2) (1998), Sharpe's Fortress (Sharpe, #3) (1999), Sharpe's Prey (Sharpe, #5) (2000), Sharpe's Trafalgar (Sharpe, #4) (2000), Gallows Thief (2001), Heretic (The Grail Quest, #3) (2003), Sharpe's Havoc (Sharpe, #7) (2003), The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Stories, #1) (2004), Sharpe's Escape (Sharpe, #10) (2004), Sharpe's Fury (Sharpe, #11) (2005), The Pale Horseman (The Saxon Stories, #2) (2006), Sword Song (The Saxon Stories, #4) (2007), Lords of the North (The Saxon Stories, #3) (2007)