I can't tell which of the two Sharpe novels I've read was better. Anyone who has seen Kelly's Heroes will enjoy the basic plot line -- the British army is out of money and needs a pile of gold currently in Portugal. Of course...no gentleman officer would dare rob these landlords of their gold...so send in Sharpe.
While the basic plotline is fairly simple (get the gold), like in Sharpe's Eagle, you are introduced to variety of men and women, each fighting the way in their own (dysfunctional) way. Men who like very very very independent women will enjoy Teresa. Sharpe certainly did. Like the previous novel, one of the themes is that birth and money means shit next to sense and determination.
As soon as I wrap up Return of the King I'm reading Sharpe's Rifles. This is where things get confusing. The order that the novels were published was Eagle, Gold, and Rifles. However, Rifles was a prequel, so when the Sharpe movies were made in the early 1990s, Rifles was the first. No big deal, but I want to read Rifles before the DVD I ordered comes in.
"You're either lying or stupid." "I'm stupid! I'm stupid!" Megatron and Starscream
