Sharpe's Triumph

Sergeant Richard Sharpe dreams of one day earning a commission in the King's army, and the bloody Battle of Assaye in India in 1803 provides his opportunity. There, he fights alongside General Arthur Wellesley against the Maratha confederation and its savage battalions of turncoats. Frederick Davidson's no-nonsense interpretation of life on the Indian battlefront suits the saga perfectly. His immaculate enunciation and perceptive pacing capture both the formality of military structure, and the horror of hand-to-hand combat. Davidson serves up credible Scottish, Indian, French, and Yorkshire regionalisms, giving each character the distinction he deserves. Cornwell's dramatization of this true-life event needs no help coming to life, and Davidson meets the author's brilliant storytelling with insight of his own. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine