Sharpe's Enemy: The Defence of Portugal, Christmas 1812

The Sharpe Series, Book 15

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Rupert Farley

Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

Major Sharpe, in the bitter winter, must attempt a desperate rescue and face his most implacable enemy.

Newly promoted, he is given the task of rescuing a group of well-born women, held hostage high in the mountains by a rabble of deserters. And one of the renegades is Sergeant Hakeswill, Sharpe's bitter enemy.

Sharpe has only the support of his own company and the new Rocket Troop - the last word in military incompetence - but he cannot afford to contemplate defeat. For to surrender or to fail would mean the end of the war for the Allied armies… Soldier, hero, rogue - Sharpe is the man you always want on your side.

Born in poverty, he joined the army to escape jail and climbed the ranks by sheer brutal courage. He knows no other family than the regiment of the 95th Rifles whose green jacket he proudly wears.

©1984 Bernard Cornwell (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic Reviews

“Sharpe and his creator are national treasures.” ( Sunday Telegraph)
“Bernard Cornwell is a literary miracle. Year after year, hail, rain, snow, war and political upheavals fail to prevent him from producing the most entertaining and readable historical novels of his generation.” ( Daily Mail)
“Cornwell's narration is quite masterly and supremely well-researched.” ( Observer)
“The best battle scenes of any writer I've ever read, past or present. Cornwell really makes history come alive.” (George R.R. Martin)

A great Sharpe story

I’ve been working my way through the Sharpe series in chronological order. This story, so far into the series, has as much excitement, intrigue and the rest of the emotional spectrum as the first book and gives an enthusiasm to see what Sharpe gets up to next. A must read/ listen. Rupert Farley does an amazing job narrating this series! Well done!

Soooo good

What a combo the author and an unbelievable narator. It just doesn't get any better

apparently it doesn't say so in the scriptures

Hickswell never once utters his famous "it says so in the scriptures!" catchphrase!. )-: )-:

Best of the series

Fantastic book, gripping from start to finish! My favourite of the sharpe series and an absolute masterpiece of military historical fiction...

Great book

I really enjoyed this book as the writer made me feel for all characters involved.

An adventure not to be missed

Very well narrated. With carefully structured caricatures brought to life in a great story . Which is very hard to leave.

The best of the very good Sharpe stories

All the Sharpe books are enormously enjoyable, the narration especially, but this one is the most enjoyable.

Brilliant

I am endlessly amazed at the talent of the writer and narrator. Gripping from start to finish.

Legendary

Superb tale, very interesting but a very sad ending. Harper and Sharpe are legends they really are!

A good book well read.

In my opinion it was a really good book well read and performed. Enjoyed it immensely.

one of the very best

this series is superb and this is right up there with the best of them. five stars all day long.

Thrilling

A great book, read superbly, similar to the TV portrayal but with extra drama and detail.

The best after Sharpe’s Eagle.

Interestingly the story holds less of Harper, Price, Hogan etc… and is a little less intricate - and less of some of the romance we have had prior in the series - but the book really does better than some previous iterations of the character.

The battle sequences were gripping, the villain is actually vile and compelling, and Sharpe actually does grow as a person here. You can actually mark the difference in a commander, see how he’s maturing, handling the aristocratic buffoons of the army with good all round results and is building up a catalogue of experience with us - the reader.

The pace is good, the performance adds to this story also, having me laugh on a good few occasions. Not just the story line but… for example Lt. Prices worry. And newer characters like sweet William and Cross are really adding a broad depth.

Really liked this one. And I’m glad the series isn’t stagnating but is improving.