Sharpe’s Storm

The crackling latest historical adventure in Cornwell’s Richard Sharpe series (after Sharpe’s Command) finds the British soldier in Southern France in 1813, where he’s fighting against the armies of Napoleon at the tail end of the Peninsular War between England, Spain, and Portugal. After capturing a village he’d been ordered to avoid, Sharpe is tasked with escorting his old friend, rear admiral Sir Joel Chase, on a mission to storm the fortress of General Soult, marshal of the French Empire. Sir Joel’s bravado and thirst for combat keep the pair in constant danger, as does the resentment of Lt. Col. Nathanial Peacock, a coward who thinks command is a measure of social status unfitting for the lowborn Sharpe. Knowing, however, that “his job now was to kill, and he was good at it, he was death in a green jacket,” Sharpe presses forward. As usual, Cornwell nimbly melds Sharpe’s action-hero theatrics with a vivid historical setting, offering a smart study of the past that’s punctuated by thrilling bayonet thrusts and exploding cannon shot. It’s a heart-pounding treat for history buffs and military thriller fans alike. (Dec.)