The Fort

The Fort is an unusual, one-off, novel by Bernard Cornwell that is based on a real campaign of the American War of Independence. The really unusual part of the novel is that there is no obvious hero and it is not at all clear which side Cornwell, and thus the reader, is supposed to be on – the British Army who make and defend the fort of the novel’s title or the American forces sent to capture it and send the British packing. Bernard Cornwell’s novels usually follow a very successful formula – obvious hero (e.g. Sharpe) is involved in campaign, leads small band of forces in against-the-odds battles whilst sparring with obvious anti-hero (sometimes form the same side) and becoming involved with ravishing beauty (usually linked in some way to anti-hero). In contrast, The Fort, cuts between the two sides, describing first the British movements, then the Americans in an alternating pattern that gradually weaves the whole action together. There are potential hero figures on both sides and in the early chapters it is a little confusing if you are trying to follow this story according to the usual Cornwell formula, but after a while, it becomes clear that this story is set out differently, and then it is possible to let the plot unfold comfortably. In the end there is a (sort of) hero figure but his role is quite understated whilst there are multiple key characters on both sides who all get a good slice of the action.

This is an interesting story that promises a more exciting conclusion than the one that eventually occurs (which is, of course, constrained by the real events it follows) but after an uncertain start I found I enjoyed the way the story was delivered and the development of multiple characters.