One of the best
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Chronologically the 12th novel in the series, "Sharpe's Battle" begins with an unhappy Sharpe who is given the ungrateful task of minding the Royal Irish Guards of the Spanish Throne (toy soldiers really, who've never had a taste of battle). There's a personal vendetta going on as well with the French Brigadier Loup, a fearsome character, and all the while Marshal Masséna is gathering his troops to attack Wellington's outnumbered force...
I very much like all the Sharpe-novels I've read so far, so it's difficult to choose favorites but this surely ranks as one of the best because of the virtually continuous action, culminating in the bloodbath at Fuentes de Onoro. If you like action-packed historical novels you really can't go wrong with any of Cornwell's novels, and definitely not with this particular one.
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Evocative
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This is one of my favourite Sharpe's. I own all but three of the series (no wait, four, I have to get Havoc) and have read them all. This is, apart from Regiment and Eagle, my favourite book. It combines incredibly powerful and invocative description of the battle for the village, and the brilliant Light Division rescue of the 7th (i think thats right). The characters are all perfect, each embodying a stereotype of the era. This is the book that make you want to jump into the book and experience the battle firsthand... One of the best books i have ever read.
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Vivid tale of battle and honour
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This is my first Richard Sharpe novel and I had high expectations following the TV series which I really enjoyed. I wasn't disappointed. Cornwell does an excellent job of weaving the story into a real battle and the villaineous Captain Loup jumps from the page. Compulsive reading!
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Fuentes D'Onoro - no better account.
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I am a Sharpe enthusiast and have read every one of the novels from India to South America. The battle scenes are magnificent, and have evidently been meticulously researched by Mr.Cornwell. I have personally visited many of the battlefields where Sharpe and his colleagues fought, including Fuentes D'Onoro, on the Spanish/Portugese border, where "Battle" is set. Having walked up from the Dos Casas stream through the village to the Church and the ridge beyond, for me there is no more evocative Sharpe story than this one - the description of the bitter struggle up through the narrow streets is unsurpassed, as is the account of the magnificent rescue and withdrawal involving the Light Division, the 7th Division and the Horse Artillery. This is as good as it gets, and if you only ever read one Sharpe novel, this is (for me at least) the one.
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Disappointing
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I am an avid fan of Bernard Cornwell, especially his Sharpe series. However I found this book rather disappointing. It lacked some of the magic that the other Sharpe books had. There seemed to be something missing throughout the entire book. It was a good read but I came away unconvinced of the characters and situation. This book seemed to be too aware of the television series, it had Sharpe addressing Harper as 'Pat' which happens only on television. It is a book you should read if you are a Sharpe fan, but I garauntee that it is putdownable.
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