Sharpe's Triumph

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.