Sharpe's Trafalgar: Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21, 1805

"The greatest writer of historical adventures today."
—Washington Post

Critically acclaimed, perennial New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell (Agincourt, The Fort, the Saxon Tales) makes real history come alive in his breathtaking historical fiction. Praised as "the direct heir to Patrick O'Brian" (Agincourt, The Fort), Cornwell has brilliantly captured the fury, chaos, and excitement of battle as few writers have ever done—perhaps most vividly in his phenomenally popular novels following the illustrious military career of British Army officer Richard Sharpe during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Chronicling Sharpe's involvement in the famous Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Sharpe's Trafalgar finds the young ensign captive on a French warship and in gravest peril on the eve of the one of the most spectacular naval confrontations in history. Perhaps the San Francisco Chronicle said it best: "If only all history lessons could be as vibrant."

| A dazzling nautical adventure that finds Bernard Cornwell's beloved ensign Richard Sharpe in the middle of one of history's most spectacular naval engagements: the battle at Cape Trafalgar off the coast of Spain.

The year is 1805, and Richard Sharpe, having completed his tour in India (Sharpe's Tiger; Sharpe's Triumph; Sharpe's Fortress), is headed back to England, where he will join a newly formed regiment, the Green Jackets. Traveling aboard Captain Peculiar Cromwell's East Indiaman cargo ship, the Calliope, is the lovely Lady Grace Hale, whose regal presence may provide intrigue and distraction from what promises to be an otherwise uneventful voyage home.

But nothing is uneventful in the life of Richard Sharpe, even at sea: the Calliope is captured by a formidable French warship, the Revenant, which has been terrorizing British nautical traffic in the Indian Ocean. The french warship races toward the safety of its own fleet, carrying a stolen treaty that, if delivered, could provoke India into a new war against the British -- and render for naught all that Sharpe has fought for so bravely till now. But help comes from an unexpected quarter. An old friend, a captain in the Royal Navy, is on the trail of the Revenant, and Sharpe comes aboard a 74-gun man-of-war called Pucelle in hot pursuit.

Then Admiral Horatio Nelson arrives, with his magnificent fleet of twenty-seven. What results is a breathtaking retelling of one of the most ferocious and one-sided sea battles in European history, in which Nelson -- and Sharpe -- vanquish the combined naval might of France and Spain at Trafalgar. |

“Excellently entertaining. If you love historical drama . . . then look no further.” - Boston Globe

“Fun page-turners that fan clubs all over the world are devoted to.” - Wall Street Journal

“The direct heir to Patrick O’Brian.” - The Economist

“The Sharpe novels do for the early 19th century land ampaigns what Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey-Maturin series does for the sea.  . . . His books do what good historical fiction must do—bring the period to life, and teach the reader something without making him feel as if he is back in school. On both counts, Cornwell succeeds admirably.” - American Way

“One of today’s truly great storytellers.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Perhaps the greatest writer of historical adventure novels today.” - Washington Post

“Political intrigue, sex, roaring cannon and clashing steel, double crosses and righteous vengeance, honor, treachery and more sex. . . . Sharpe [is] a most likable fellow, and his adventures at sea make for a good summer read.” - Charleston Post & Courier