Sharpe's Company

Book XIII of the Sharpe Series

By: Bernard Cornwell

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

January, 1812. Looming on the border of Portugal and Spain is the fortress of Badajoz. To lead an assault on its thick, sheer walls and battlements is suicide, yet Richard Sharpe must lead one. Inside the walls are his wife and daughter, and only he can save them. Outside is the misshapen, vengeance-crazed Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill, a man determined to kill Sharpe. Sharpe knows that in the heat of battle only the cold steel of his battered sword and the ruthless bloodlust of a soldier at war will protect him from the danger of both sides.

Don't forget to check out the rest of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series.©1982 Rifleman Productions (P)1995 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"The best of the series thus far." (Los Angeles Times)
"Consistently exciting...these are wonderful novels." (Stephen King)

Sharpe Fan

The reader was great with the male voices but there should have been a women reader for the female voices. Story was great as usual.

Madness and Mayhem

If you’ve been enjoying the glory and adventure that is war, then this book may remind you of the horror and inhumanity that is also war. Brave and noble men will die for stupid reasons, women will be brutalized, and tomorrow the French will still be waiting.
You may have noticed that this story has inspired in me a great passion, and that is a positive. Sharpe’s Company is an excellent, if harrowing, addition to the series. It brings us back to Teresea and other beloved characters and introduces some new villains.
Interestingly, we get a few good chunks of story from the perspective of other characters besides Sharpe and occasionally the brief intermission of Wellington and the other commanders. It was an unexpected but refreshing mutation of the narration, which helped to set it apart.
Overall, I heartily recommend Sharpe’s Company but ask that you be prepared for some really shocking moments.

Great, as expected.

As usual, Cornwell delivers a wonderful story. Davidson narrates it wonderfully. I wish there were more of them.

A powerful account of the brutality of conflict

The narrator keeps the listener close to the conflict, surrounded by the chaos of battle and immersed in the grim carnage.

At first un-expected winner.

When the narration first started I was trying to figure out how and why I down loaded this book. I was quickly drawn into the characters and life of 16th century Europe, Full of one nation battling another nation as a common way for man in making a living ,Factual to an extent the author draws you into the depth of death and life as modern man could ,would or should not experience . Very likable or not characters; full of life, or themselves, with hero's and villains. Really makes you look at a part of history that was so very very awful, Read it if your feeling a little put out. You have no idea how life could be or was. Great Read.

Sharpe on the Rocks

Nothing is going right for Sharpe. He loses his captaincy, his company, his regiment and Sgt Harpers stripes.
He does get a daughter, a marriage, an old enemy in the name of Sgt Hackworth and a new colonel.
He still has his supporters like Wellington, Major Hogan, his men and no Frenchman or Spaniard trying to kill him personally.
So not all bad, but Sharpe gets through this mess and Bernard Cornwell does an excellent job in telling this story. You feel the frustrations of sieges, basic soldiering and officers careers but what really comes out is the built up anxiety before the storming of Badajoz and the wild kaos of the troops with murder, rape and every type of debauchery let lose.
Great story that Frederick Davidson does a great job narrating. Well worth the read.

My mistake.

I have enjoyed every one of the books in the “Sharpe” series. My only regret is that I didn’t read them in order.

Narration

He makes poor Sgt. Harper sound like he was gelded !
I think Rupert Farley does a much better job !

Good listen. Napoleonic war fits history

independence of Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas fits with timing of Napoleonic wars with England and French occupied Spain and Portugal. Sharpe's adventures coincided well for me for history. also consider listening to CS Forester 's Hornblower series written a generation earlier.

Masterful Storytelling

I’ve listened to the entire Last Kingdom series, and now the Sharpe series to this point. Bernard Cornwell is an absolutely magnificent storyteller. He also creates an incredibly diverse and richly drawn cast of characters.
At last, Frederick Davidson is a rare virtuoso. I often need to remind myself that only he is creating the multiplicity of distinct character voices. I often marvel at his talent.