Sharpe's Escape: Book X of the Sharpe Series

An excellent read, Cornwell makes you experience all the horror of war even as you revel in a well written swashbuckling tale. The historical note at the end puts the story in context. Four stars instead of five because the narrator of the audible book was not as good as the narrator of other books in the series.

good value as a used purchase

The author has brought together the facts and the fiction so that he has created a moving and entertaining story, one that justifies the reader’s time and efforts.

Is it just me or has the Sharpe series gone downhill since Sharpe's Trafalgar (which was excellent)?One of the great things about the Sharpe novels are the strong and well fleshed out villains. Sharpe is only as interesting as the adversaries which he is pitted against. In this one, the main villain, Ferragus, who starts out well enough, curiously by about the middle of the story seems to fade away into a mute shade. I don't want to give too much away, but the final confrontation which he initiates, and its resolution, just seems implausible, almost as if Cornwell was in hurry to get the story wrapped up as soon as possible.The other antagonist, Slingsby, Sharpe's "class enemy", is even more badly conceived. He is no worthy adversary for Sharpe, but comes across as a merely pathetic victim of Sharpe's. You know from the very beginning that he will not hold a candle to Sharpe and so Sharpe just seems mean in comparison when he persecutes him (even attempting murder at one point) for no good reason. Cornwell should have made Slingsby more of a threat to Sharpe for dramatic tension and give him a wicked streak so that we have a reason to sympathize with SharpeAs for the battles, Cornwell describes them well as usual but somehow a certain momentousness, which characterised the battles in the India stories and Trafalgar, seems lacking. The one great battle happens in the middle of the story so that the small skirmish in the ends feels anti climatic.All in all, there is little that is memorable about this story unlike the earlier stories in the series.

In book 20 of the Sharpe series, Cornwell is still doing what he does best...keeping Sharpe alive, keen, and fresh...and writing the best breathtaking battlescenes ever!The Battle of Bussaco is so gritty you can smell the gunpowder, feel your mouth go dry with the salt as the Riflemen reload, and feel the smoke smothering and embracing your lungs.Cornwell's descriptions are vivid and detailed and as authentic as it gets in historical fiction.Naturally, Sharpe has his own private nemisis - in vol. 20 he's Ferragus, all-around 'bad-boy' selling contraband to the French and annoying Richard with fists, deeds and words.The lovely Patrick Harper is here also (charming & one of my favorite of Cornwell's characters) and more than a sidekick. Harper grows with each novel as does Hogan (another favorite) who's more than just an engineer.Brilliant adventure tale!

I thought this was one of the best in the series. I read the original series starting with Sharpe's Rifles through Waterloo so I am a big fan these books. Recently started over in chronological order. Escape has been one of the most action packed of the new books as there are two big battles and characters faced with very tough problems but solve them in ways that did not turn off this reader.

I've done the Hornblower and Maturin naval series. Enjoyed both but not as much as Sharpe. Formulaic? Hey, gin and vermouth is a formula. I'll pour another and order the next Sharpe novel.

It was a quick read, possibly because it's a very good book. I can say this - each book I've read of Bernard Cornwell have been no less than amazing; I've been reading this very same author for Two Years now! The Saxon Tales, Grail series, Agincourt, etc. I am now on another Sharpe book and plan to read them all in the series. Note: read them in proper order...Chronologically

Read this book in 2005, and my very first book that started my collection, and this tale is the 10th volume of this amazing "Richard Sharpe" series.This tale is set in the summer of the year AD 1810 during the Peninsular War.At first, the now Captain Sharpe and his company of redcoats and riflemen will meet and defeat the French on the ridge of Bussaco, but despite this victory the French are still heading towards Lisbon, and the British have to retreat.Having made enemies of the Portuguese, Sharpe and Sergeant Harper during the retreat are lured into a trap in Coimbra designed to kill, only to be rescued by an Englishwoman.Enable to join the British forces at the Lines of Torres Vedras, Sharpe, his company and the rest of the army will do anything to stop this French assault and finally drive them back in a climactic battle.Highly recommended, for this is another superb addition to this magnificent series, and that's why I want to call this episode: "A Marvellous Sharpe Escape"!

Sharps journey continues in Portugal. This is as usual a very tense, interesting at spellbinding story. These stories really show what life was like for our armies.

Bernard Cornwell is, in my opinion [for whatever that is worth] the best historical author currently working in the world of narrative fiction; based upon real-life historical events. He pulls no punches in respect to the often extremely violent reality of life during the wide ranging periods of human history he has covered. The net result is an authentic and often contemporary feel, featuring a cast of flawed characters that the modern day reader can identify with [in some cases], and entertained by until it becomes quite addictive.

I'm a great lover of the Sharpe series. I had read some of the books before the TV series came out and have watched the TV series many times, including the later ones about India. I am now working my way through the books in chronological order and absolutely loving them. It's interesting to see how different some of them are to the TV series. My son finds it strange that a woman can be so interested in gory battles but Bernard Cornwell is a master of the page-turner and his characters are just fantastic.

Bernard Cornwell is the master storyteller, and Sharpe's Escape is among the finest of his canon. The brutal Portuguese boxer, Ferragus, makes for a compelling opponent; the officers are charming and feckless - just as you want them - and Sharpe is his usual taciturn self (just as we like him)