Rating: 
Summary: Sharpe in Denmark, 1807
Review: This is book is not as bad as some reviewers seem to indicate. I find it easilier to view Sharpe as a means to an end. The Sharpe character serves as a vehicle in which Mr. Cornwell can present a fascinating portrayal of the Napoleanic period in which the British army fought. To view him in any other context is absurd, because Sharpe is superhuman. No other living mortal could have seen and done the many things which Cornwell has put him through. If looked at in this way, the Sharpe series can really be a fun, entertaining and informative read. Sharpe represents the Tommy Atkins of Wellington's army which humbled the great Corsican over years of warfare. Cornwell has been back-tracking his saga ever since getting Sharpe through the Peninsular and Waterloo campaigns. The many references to his past in India and England that were mentioned in these novels have been brought to the fore in the latest series. We get to see how Sharpe got himself into the 95th Rifles and with Wellington's army in Spain. One has to credit Cornwell for doing a brilliant job here of incorporating all this information and plot together. He has constructed each novel to stand on its own, as well as be part of the on-going Sharpe series. What makes these novels great is their period detail and close attention to history. The reader not only gets first-class action, romance and adventure, but great historical detail as well. It's a winning combination for sure, even if Sharpe does come across as a robotic killing machine at times. Cornwell's penchant for graphic descriptions of fighting and killing also carry much shock value and keep the reader standing on edge. In this story our hero actually expresses a little feeling and emotion for a change. The 1807 Denmark expedition is little known and this makes the novel quite interesting. Sharpe does less of a killing spree here than in previous novels and perhaps this is what readers miss in this book! Danes are not slaughtered like Frenchmen usually are! Cornwell provides vivid action for the small-scale battles that occur, allowing us to see the 95th Rifles in action for the first time. We also get brief cameos of characters who will become important later on while earlier characters prepare to make their exit for them. All in all a worthy addition to the on-going Sharpe series. If Cornwell can squeese out another one it will have to be set in Portugal at the battles of Rolica and Vimero where Wellington and Sharpe will begin their long march toward Waterloo.
Rating: 
Summary: The Action Continues
Review: When Bernard Cornwell wrote Sharpe's Rifles almost two decades ago, it is obvious he did not intend to add novels before the peninsular campaign. Now there are four, with the most recent being Sharp's Prey, a story of the British 1807 bombardment of Copenhagen with Richard Sharp serving as a spy. The story starts off slowly, with an explanation of Sharpe's experiences between Sharpe's Trafalgar and the current novel: his financial difficulties, the horror of London in 1807, and the introduction of the prey. It is not until we get half way into the book that the traditional Sharp appears, the battleground Sharp, although for the most part he is the spy Sharp. There is even a love interest. Some of the supporting cast comes from Sharpe's Trafalgar, but most are unique to this effort-and they are well drawn and interesting. Unfortunately, they must disappear, as the remaining history between Sharp's Prey and Sharpe's Rifles is Wellington in Portugal, most likely Cornwell's next Sharpe story. As always, Cornwell is a superb wordsmith. His descriptions of Copenhagen are real, and, from time to time, there are sentences that summarize a character-that say it all in shorthand. My only complaint is Sharpe's nemesis is not as evil as others in the series-I can almost like and understand this one.
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