[.ca] Sharpe's Fury: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Barrosa, ... (ISBN 0060530480)

He usually won't read books:
In January 2007, I bought the Sharpe's DVD collection (in the wooden crate) for my husband. He has already watched them all -- at least twice. So, when Sharpe's Challenge was offered and paired with Sharpe's Fury I ordered both for him. Before I go on, you should understand that my husband almost never reads books. In fact, he has read only one novel since we were married thirty-something years ago. You can imagine how disappointed I was that he received one DVD and one book when my order arrived. I had not read the screen that clearly indicated that Sharpe's Fury was a hard cover novel. Well to my surprise, he started reading the book -- and he finished it before he watched the DVD -- and raved about it. He told me that he has all 15 DVD's and there are about 30 novels. He then 'suggested' the other books would make great future gifts. (Got lemons, make lemon-aid, I guess). Thanks Amazon.ca

Cornwell continues his betrayal:
I read all of the original Sharpe series in the eighties and thought that the series had come to it's natural conclusion with Sharpes Waterloo in 1990. I was very suprised to see Sharpes Devil a couple of years later and to my mind this was a book too far in the series. Cornwell was always writing other books including the excellent Redcoat as well as his nautical thrillers. When he started the Starbuck chronicles I was delighted and followed Nates adventures in the same manner as I had Sharpe's. Then, after the Sharpe series had been shown on tv Cornwell abandoned "The Starbuck Chronicles" mid-series (after four books)and resurrected Sharpe. Not to sound too cynical but the only reason for this betrayal of fans who had bought the new books and were following Starbuck could only have been money...Cornwell betrayed and sacrificed the Starbuck fans for a newer and more lucrutive market...the new Sharpe fans worldwide who came to the books after the tv series. In order to continue to cash in along came all the new books each one inserted in a different period of Sharpe's career. If you have read the original series you won't recognise Sharpe's description in the new books..because it's Sean Bean!...Thanks Bernard, how's the yacht?