Sharpe's Christmas

Richard Sharpe in war and peace, at Christmastime

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A pair of interesting short stories, Sharpe's Christmas and Sharpe's Ransom, originally written to be published serially, at Christmastime, in the London paper The Daily Mail. This collected, re-written, and printed copy is another of the labors of love worked on by The Sharpe Appreciation Society. A slender volume of 95 pages total, this was a quick read.

Timeline-wise, the first tale, Sharpe's Christmas, naturally follows the novel Sharpe's Regiment (so it was perfectly slotted into my reading order). The French are almost totally evicted from Spain. Just a few bypassed forts contain lonely soldiers. The inhabitants of one of those forts are preparing to make a break for it, and run for the frontier, cross the Pyrenees and get back home. Hogan wants Sharpe to guard a road the fleeing troops might use. "But sir! It's bloody Christmas!" "Don't worry, Sharpe, they probably won't come that way." Wrong. A two front skirmish and meeting an old friend/enemy. A Christmas miracle!

Sharpe's Ransom is set after retirement, timeline-wise after the novel Sharpe's Waterloo. Of course I read it well out of order, but that's OK. I got a few hints about upcoming events in Richard's life. He's now a farmer. How quaint.

Always fun to spend some time with my favorite gutter rat/alley cat turned soldier extraordinaire. Don't get on Sharpe's bad side. You won't like him when he's angry.

The Yellow Admiral

Aubrey & Maturin attempt to avoid Jack being passed over for flag rank

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Aboard the Bellona, on the Brest blockade, Aubrey and Maturin are trying to keep the losing Frenchies from sallying forth to sea. Napoleon has met his match on land, with Wellington's forces pushing deeper into France itself. Jack's prospects of becoming flag rank are in jeopardy, as his votes in the House of Commons and his decisions in and around his Woolcombe estate have made some powerful enemies. What can be done?

A tough winter, spent asea, tacking back and forth near Brest with the inshore blockade squadron, ends with the exile of Napoleon and the end of the war. The Bellona heads back to England to be paid out and disbanded. The peacetime Royal Navy will be decidedly smaller, making commands even rarer. Maturin hits upon a novel idea: take the Surprise back to South America to assist with rebellion. Under cover, of course. To do so, Jack will need to leave the Navy. The higher ups in Intelligence promise that he will be reinstated with seniority after the mission. A wonderful chance to clear his name and accumulate glory.

Jack takes Sophie and the kids on the voyage as far as Madeira. As they explore the island, Jack gets word from the Admiralty: Napoleon has escaped exile! The war is back on! And Aubrey needs to take command of whatever ships are nearby and blockade the Mediterranean near Gibraltar. We're back, baby!