Sharpe's Tiger - Bernard Cornwall

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India, 1799 CE. 

Young Richard Sharpe is a soldier in the chartered army of the British Empire English East India Company. By that time the EEIC had established settlements military forts in each of its presidencies (Bombay, Madras and Calcutta) and had increased the size of its private army from 18,000 to 102,000. As a volunteer in this army, Sharpe finds himself under the command of Arthur Wellesley.

The Battle of Seringapatam is a continuation of the war between the EEIC and Haider Ali of Mysore (Tipu Sultan’s father) and Haider’s son - Tipu (the Tippoo), inherited the Anglo-Mysroe Wars. The defeat of Tipu Sultan was one of many victories that the EEIC and the British Empire won against the Indian states & principalities. 

The opening of Sharpe’s Tiger is reminiscent of Jack Reacher, because of Sharpe’s internal commentary on army life which is similar to Reacher’s internal monologue which is dominated by his experiences in the US military. 

Sharpe’s Tiger is a military caper, where Private Richard Sharpe of the 33rd Regiment of Foot (The Havercakes) infiltrates the Tippoo’s citadel and executes a daring rescue mission. Sharpe is a new recruit in the army, having volunteered to escape a life of poverty back home, and his youth and inexperience are on display through his willingness to partake in a potentially lethal operations that will take him into the bowels of the Tippoo’s fortress; Sharpe is also at odds with his tyrannical superior Hakeswill (a recurring character in the Sharpe series, and one of fans’ most reviled antagonists) and is willing to risk life and limb to be away from him. 

The city of Mysore and its citadel are an exotic world for Sharpe - thrilling, confusing and dangerous at the same time. The Tippoo’s land is a continuation of an ancient and splendid civilization that has had many rulers and potentates; and typical of such kingdoms - it is also a place of poverty and palaces, cruelty and courage. This is where Sharpe’s origin story peaks - at the victory of the EEIC over the Tippoo; a victory that wasn’t the biggest or the baddest, but one that was remembered by British soldiers and military historians alike as the climax to a series of battles fought against a worthy adversary. 

The tiger was a recurring theme / motif in Tipu Sutlan’s court. He had ornamental tigers placed through his palace and fort, and a few live ones also. These live ones were ordered shot when the Duke of Wellington entered Seringapatam. The ornamental ones are scattered or lost, but some can be located - at Windsor Castle, and at the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

This story is just a sliver of the larger epic arc of the Sharpe novels which focus on the Duke of Wellington’s campaign against Napoleon. Tipu Sultan’s preference for an alliance with the French forces in Madras gives the EEIC presence reason to rush their plans of aggression on the thinnest of justifications. At this point in time Napoleon was going from strength to strength and the British, via the EEIC, were desperate and adamant to step in to halt the spread of the French empire in any way. As the author writes in the accompanying historical note - that even the Tippoo’s overtures for peace were ignored, implying the political necessity to defeat the Tippoo and thereby deny the French a powerful ally. 

Sharpe is a 3D character with failing and flaws, infatuation and intellect, a coloured past and a promising future; as are his acolytes and adversaries. Long time fans of the series know Sharpe as a soldier in the Napoleonic Wars /  Peninsular Wars (England, France, Spain, Portugal) under the stewardship of the Duke of Wellington. Sharpe’s Tiger is a good fit as an origin story which keeps Sharpe under the same commander, and the commander fighting the same long-term adversary (Napoleon) over the course of the series. 

Richard Sharpe’s commanding officer - Arthur Wellesley would go on to larger victories after his victory at the Battle at Seringapatam, he would win the Battle of Assaye and overcome the Marathas, and win the Battle of Waterloo and defeat Napoleon Bonaparte. Wellesley is better known as the Duke of Wellington. Though Sharpe’s Tiger is Sharpe’s first adventure, it is written as a prequel after many of his later adventures were published and filmed. 

Bernard Cornwall’s research for historical accuracy and context are a continuous theme in his books, and this one is no different. Military plans are seamlessly weaved into the narrative and simplified for reading. For the casual reader there is an excellent historical note accompanying the novel.