Sharpe's Triumph: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803 (Richard Sharpe's Adventure Series #2) - Hardcover

Cornwell, Bernard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 006101270X ISBN 13: 9780061012709

Publisher: Harper, 1999

Synopsis

"The greatest writer of historical adventures today."
—Washington Post

Critically acclaimed, perennial New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell (Agincourt, The Fort, the Saxon Tales) makes real history come alive in his breathtaking historical fiction. Praised as "the direct heir to Patrick O'Brian" (Agincourt, The Fort), Cornwell has brilliantly captured the fury, chaos, and excitement of battle as few writers have ever done—perhaps most vividly in his phenomenally popular novels following the illustrious military career of British Army officer Richard Sharpe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In Sharpe's Triumph, Sharpe's hunt for a traitorous renegade British officer leads the courageous young sergeant straight into the fires and madness of India's Battle of Assaye in September 1803. Perhaps the San Francisco Chronicle said it best: "If only all history lessons could be as vibrant."

About this title

From the Back Cover:

With the return of the brave English sergeant Richard Sharpe--here, to battle the mercenary forces of the Mahratta confederation in India in 1803--Bernard Cornwell claims his rightful place alongside Patrick O'Brian as a contemporary master of historical narrative. Sharpe's Triumph is a riveting story of betrayal and revenge that showcases the deft blend of suspenseful military adventure and sweeping historical detail that has made each new installment of the Richard Sharpe series a number one bestseller in Great Britain and around the world.

In the four years since he earned his sergeant's stripes at the bloody siege of Seringapatam, young Richard Sharpe has lead a peaceful existence. But this relatively easy life meets with a brutal end when he is the sole survivor of a murderous attack at the hands of Major William Dodd, a cold-blooded English officer who has defected from the East India Company to join the mercenary forces of the Mahratta confederation.

Sharpe rises from the killing field at Fort Chasalgaon vowing to avenge his dead comrades, even if it means pursuing the turncoat Dodd to the very ends of the continent. It is a quest that takes him deep into the heart of enemy territory, where the accepted rules of engagement have been discarded, where ever-shifting loyalties create an environment of dangerous uncertainty, forcing Sharpe to guard against attacks from enemy and friend.

The paths of treachery ultimately lead to the small village of Assaye, where Sharpe's company joins the army of Sir Arthur Wellesley--the future Duke of Wellington--to take on the Mahratta horde. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wellesley bravely seizes an unexpected geographical advantage and charges into the white heat of a battle that will make his reputation. It is a bloody confrontation that will make Sharpe's name, too--but first he must survive the carnage and live to tell the tale of what will be remembered as one of the greatest battles of its century.

 

 

About the Author:

BERNARD CORNWELL is the author of the acclaimed New York Times bestselling Saxon Tales series, which includes The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman, Lords of the North, Sword Song, The Burning Land, Death of Kings, The Pagan Lord, and, most recently, The Empty Throne and Warriors of the Storm, and which serves as the basis for the hit television series The Last Kingdom. He lives with his wife on Cape Cod and in Charleston, South Carolina.

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 006101270X
• ISBN 13: 9780061012709
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304