Cornwell originally planned to start the series with the Siege of Badajoz but instead began with Sharpe’s Eagle and Sharpe’s Gold, both published in 1981, which he considered warm up novels. He went on to tell the story of Badajoz in Sharpe’s Company published in 1982.
Sharpe’s Eagle is set in Spain in 1809 where the incompetent Colonel Simmerson loses his regiment’s Colours to the French during a botched bridge demolition. Simmerson tries to blame Sharpe, who vows to redeem the South Essex Regiment’s shattered honor. At the Battle of Talavera, Sharpe and Patrick Harper capture a French Imperial Eagle, achieving a legendary victory, despite Simmerson’s cronies trying to murder Sharpe during the battle.
The narrative has Cornwell’s trademark strengths
- He debuts his theme of a class war between wealthy officers and the ranks. Cornwell places the hero—a man promoted from the ranks by merit—up against Sir Henry Simmerson, an incompetent aristocrat who bought his commission. Simmerson is not only incompetent, he is also vindictive and has a streak of evil.
- Sharpe’s main enemy through the plot is Simmerson’s Nephew, Christian Gibbons. Picture Michael Caine in Zulu and you won’t be far off picturing the type of eejit Sharpe often faces: the Christian Gibbons of 19th century British armed forces.
- Again, Cornwell captures the chaos and terror of Napoleonic battles, the weight of the French column, the drums, the Vivre L’Empereur, which saw Napoleon’s armies conquer most of Europe. His depiction of Talavera deftly skirts the romanticism of battle, focusing on the mechanical brutality of musket volleys, cavalry charges, and the grim reality of early 19th-century battlefield brutality.
Key Weaknesses
- While Simmerson and Christian Gibbons are effective counterpoints to Sharpe, they are written as very one-dimensional villains. There is never any redeeming feature that even the most base of humans would have.
- Sharpe comes across as a Superman of Yore in many respects. He is faster, stronger, and tactically smarter than almost everyone around him. This also makes him a little too one-dimensional. However, we must remember that this was Cornwell’s first rodeo, and as a character, Sharpe improves with age. I was going to say like a fine wine, but being an author, I should be able to avoid the cliche.
- Cornwell struggles to give his female characters any depth, which would be a sure way to alienate the modern reader. Take Josefina, who he portrays as nothing more than a money grabbing harlot.
Despite its flaws, I give Sharpe’s Eagle 5 out of 5 stars, because it is a great story and I am a bit of a sentimentalist when it comes to historical novels like those of Cornwell. It’s also important to take into account that it’s Cornwell’s first novel, and a worthy debut.
If you are less forgiving when it comes to Boy’s Own type swashbuckling, you might want to turn elsewhere.