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Sharpe's Tiger (novel)
Encyclopedia
Sharpe's Tiger is Bernard Cornwell's return to the Richard Sharpe
series of novels, set during his early years in India
. This is Cornwell's device to find prequel
material for his hero. First published in 1997, more novels were to follow, both in India and the Western theatre of the Napoleonic Wars.
series, and of the Sharpe India trilogy, by the English author Bernard Cornwell
. It takes place in Mysore, India
and tells of Sharpe's adventures and triumphs against the Tipu Sultan
during the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799.
to find new incidents into which to place his hero. Rather than do this, he adopts a "prequel" approach and uses an earlier campaign period in the history of the British Army
, that of colonial India
.
The novel opens with Richard Sharpe serving as a private with the British army, then invading Mysore and advancing on the Tippoo Sultan's capital city of Seringapatam. Sharpe is contemplating desertion with his paramour, widow Mary Bickerstaff. His sadistic company sergeant, Obadiah Hakeswill, deliberately provokes Sharpe into attacking him, and engineers the virtual death sentence of 2,000 lashes for the private. But Sharpe is rescued by Lieutenant William Lawford after 200 lashes are inflicted, in order to effect a rescue mission behind the Tippoo's lines.
Lawford and Sharpe are ordered to pose as deserters to rescue Colonel Hector McCandless, chief of the British East India Company
's intelligence service. Although Lawford is nominally in command, Sharpe quickly dominates the lieutenant by force of personality and, without authorization, brings Mary on the mission. Joining the Tippoo's army, they discover that the Tippoo has set a trap for the invading British by mining the weakest (and thus most inviting) portion of Seringapatam's walls.
Before Sharpe and Lawford can discover a way to transmit a warning to the British, they are betrayed by Sergeant Hakeswill. Hakeswill has been captured in battle and the Tippoo orders him made a human sacrifice for victory, but Hakeswill secures the Sultan's mercy in exchange for revealing Sharpe's and Lawford's identity as spies.
Sharpe and Lawford are imprisoned as the British army prepares to assault the booby-trapped wall of the city. Mary helps Sharpe to escape, and Sharpe blows up the mine before the main British army can enter the trap. As the Tippoo tries to flee the city, Sharpe finds him in a dark tunnel, kills him, and steals his rich jewels. Sharpe throws Hakeswill to the Tippoo's tigers, but the recently fed animals ignore Hakeswill, and Sharpe's enemy survives to plague him in later adventures.
Richard Sharpe (fictional character)
Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
series of novels, set during his early years in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. This is Cornwell's device to find prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
material for his hero. First published in 1997, more novels were to follow, both in India and the Western theatre of the Napoleonic Wars.
Plot introduction
The first (chronologically) of the Richard SharpeRichard Sharpe (fictional character)
Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
series, and of the Sharpe India trilogy, by the English author Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
. It takes place in Mysore, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and tells of Sharpe's adventures and triumphs against the Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
during the Siege of Seringapatam in 1799.
Plot summary
Up to this time Cornwell had been going back through the period of the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
to find new incidents into which to place his hero. Rather than do this, he adopts a "prequel" approach and uses an earlier campaign period in the history of the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
, that of colonial India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The novel opens with Richard Sharpe serving as a private with the British army, then invading Mysore and advancing on the Tippoo Sultan's capital city of Seringapatam. Sharpe is contemplating desertion with his paramour, widow Mary Bickerstaff. His sadistic company sergeant, Obadiah Hakeswill, deliberately provokes Sharpe into attacking him, and engineers the virtual death sentence of 2,000 lashes for the private. But Sharpe is rescued by Lieutenant William Lawford after 200 lashes are inflicted, in order to effect a rescue mission behind the Tippoo's lines.
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's intelligence service. Although Lawford is nominally in command, Sharpe quickly dominates the lieutenant by force of personality and, without authorization, brings Mary on the mission. Joining the Tippoo's army, they discover that the Tippoo has set a trap for the invading British by mining the weakest (and thus most inviting) portion of Seringapatam's walls.
Before Sharpe and Lawford can discover a way to transmit a warning to the British, they are betrayed by Sergeant Hakeswill. Hakeswill has been captured in battle and the Tippoo orders him made a human sacrifice for victory, but Hakeswill secures the Sultan's mercy in exchange for revealing Sharpe's and Lawford's identity as spies.
Sharpe and Lawford are imprisoned as the British army prepares to assault the booby-trapped wall of the city. Mary helps Sharpe to escape, and Sharpe blows up the mine before the main British army can enter the trap. As the Tippoo tries to flee the city, Sharpe finds him in a dark tunnel, kills him, and steals his rich jewels. Sharpe throws Hakeswill to the Tippoo's tigers, but the recently fed animals ignore Hakeswill, and Sharpe's enemy survives to plague him in later adventures.
Characters in "Sharpe's Tiger"
- Richard SharpeRichard Sharpe (fictional character)Sharpe is a series of historical fiction stories by Bernard Cornwell centred on the character of Richard Sharpe. The stories formed the basis for an ITV television series wherein the eponymous character was played by Sean Bean....
– the protagonist. - William Lawford – Sharpe's lieutenant who aids him in freeing Colonel McCandless.
- Mary Bickerstaff – a widowed half-Indian army wife, now attached to Sharpe.
- General George HarrisGeorge Harris, 1st Baron HarrisGeorge Harris, 1st Baron Harris GCB was a British soldier.Harris was the son of the Reverend George Harris, curate of Brasted, Kent. He was educated at Westminster School and at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, he was commissioned to the Royal Artillery in 1760, transferring to an ensigncy in...
- Major-General David BairdSir David Baird, 1st BaronetGeneral Sir David Baird, 1st Baronet GCB was a British military leader.-Military career:He was born at Newbyth House in Haddingtonshire, Scotland, the son of an Edinburgh merchant family, and entered the British Army in 1772. He was sent to India in 1779 with the 73rd Highlanders, in which he...
- Colonel Arthur WellesleyArthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of WellingtonField Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
– later 1st Duke of Wellington. - Colonel Hector McCandless – Scottish intelligence officer for the British East India Company, held captive by the Tippoo Sultan in the dungeons of Seringapatam.
- Tipu SultanTipu SultanTipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
– the Indian King who is killed by Sharpe. His red ruby and some of his other jewels are stolen by Sharpe. - Colonel Jean Gudin – a French adviser to the Tippoo Sultan.
- Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill – becomes Sharpe's enemy, engineering his sentence to 2000 lashes.
- brevetBrevet (military)In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Lieutenant Fitzgerald – murdered by Hakeswill during a battle outside Seringapatam. - Ensign Hicks – the junior officer serving with the Light Company
- Captain Morris – the commanding officer of 33rd Light Company
- Major Shee – the commanding officer of the 33rd Regiment
- Colonel Gent – the officer in charge of engineering the breach.
- General Appah Rao – the Hindu officer and friend of Colonel McCandless serving in the Sultan's army.
Books in the series (in chronological order)
- Sharpe's Tiger
- Sharpe's Triumph
- Sharpe's Fortress
- Sharpe's Trafalgar
- Sharpe's Prey
- Sharpe's Rifles
- Sharpe's Havoc
- Sharpe's Eagle
- Sharpe's Gold
- Sharpe's Escape
- Sharpe's Fury
- Sharpe's Battle
- Sharpe's Company
- Sharpe's Sword
- Sharpe's Enemy
- Sharpe's Honour
- Sharpe's Regiment
- Sharpe's Siege
- Sharpe's Revenge
- Sharpe's Waterloo
- Sharpe's Devil
Release details
- 1997, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-225010-1, Pub date 2 June 1997, hardback
- 1997, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-105335-3, Pub date 16 June 1997, audio cassette
- 1997, USA, HarperCollins Publishers ISBN 0-06-101269-6, Pub date ? October 1997, hardback
- 1997, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-225011-X, Pub date 3 November 1997, paperback
- 1998, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-649035-2, Pub date 1 June 1998, paperback
- 1999, USA, Chivers Press ISBN 0-7540-1242-5, Pub date 1 March 1999, hardback
- 2001, USA, Rebound by Sagebrush ISBN 0-613-37043-0, Pub date ? October 2001, hardback (library)
- 2002, USA, Chivers Audio Books ISBN 0-7540-5481-0, Pub date 16 June 1997, audio CD (unabridged William GaminaraWilliam GaminaraWilliam Gaminara is an English actor and screenwriter, best known for playing pathologist Professor Leo Dalton on the television series Silent Witness . His other television credits include Will Newman in Attachments and Dr Andrew Bower in Casualty.Gaminara voiced Dr Richard Locke in the...
narrator) - 2005, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-721814-1, Pub date 15 June 2005, audio cassette (Sean BeanSean BeanShaun Mark "Sean" Bean is an English film and stage actor. Bean is best known for playing Boromir in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and, previously, British Colonel Richard Sharpe in the ITV television series Sharpe...
narrator) - 2006, UK, HarperCollins ISBN 0-00-723504-6, Pub date 18 April, 2006, paperback