"Richard Sharpe Novels" Topic

Which one is your favorite and why?

I've ready every Sharpe adventure there is except for the one I just started (Sharpe's Escape) and my own favorites must include the first one? Sharpe's Eagle? Or is that Sharpe's Rifles? Frankly they've all blended together in a way. The one that first introduces his dilemma of being a commoner in the officer class - it's when he and Harper aren't friends but are openly hostile towards one another. The other is Sharpe's Regiment - where he's back in England at the training depot.

My least favorite is the one where he fights the "loup" brigade. All the wolf analogies were kinda cheesy I thought.

And who would read Sharpe in his pre-army days? As a scamp in the slums?

Actually I liked "Sharpe's Battle" which is the one with Loup and his Dragoons. Of course the first book "Sharpe's Rifles" is perhaps my favorite with "Sharpe's Eagle" a close second.

And as far as the film series I think Sharpe's Eagle" is the best. IMHO

I have liked every Sharpe book I have read, apart from one. I still remember when I first came across "Sharpe's Eagle" not long after it was published, and I've been a dedicated fan ever since. Yes, I know, it isn't high literature, or accurate nistory. But what it is is a good rollicking read.

And the one I didn't like? It was the one set in Copenhagen. For some reason, that one just never took off with me.

I have enjoyed all the books incuding the new one, and I even try and replay the battle with my Flintloque figures from Alternative Armies, flintloque.com/index.htm. If your into your fanatsy and napoleonic it's great fun and Ive got to kill Sharpe and Harper once or twice.

What do you think of the Starbuc books, do you think it's just an American version of Sharpe? I might try and find a range of figures to play these aswell.

Jules

I enjoyed the Starbuck books just as much. Haven't read them in quite a while. I have heard Cornwell has not entirely dispelled the idea that he might return to Starbuck in future.

I also enjoyed his one and only AWI book ("Redcoat") and his current trilogy of Hundred Years War books. But the Arthurian ones I'm not so keen on, but that is perhaps because I personally am not into either fantasy or medievals.

This is a big argument I am always having with my son. (Not about Sharpe novels!) I always like the first movie in a series best, because it has to introduce everything. I don't know if Sharpe's Eagle is the first to be written or not, but it was the first I read. I remember that at the time I was working for KMart as a security officer. I was tailing a shoplifter, and as part of my super dooper surveillance techniwue, I shopped. I noticed this book and scanned it, coming back to pick it up later. I almost didn't buy it. The cover had Harlequin Romance drawn all over it. The tall dark and scarred hero (even then I was picky; his facings color was wrong!), the voluptuous broad with flaring nostrils, the unidentifiable flags, the odd looking cuirassiers. I bought it anyway, as a front porch, feet up on the railing while sitting in a rocking chair, drinking a beer book. I got hooked.

So, "Sharpe's Eagle" is my favorite. I like the James Bond ones next, like "Sharpe's Honour". Like Arteis, the Copenhagen one did little for me. "Sharpe's Waterloo" was surprisingly comic. Some of them, like "Sharpe's Devil" have vignettes I like to reread, but ignore the rest. Sharpe's and Harper's audience in that book with Napoleon is very good.

I wonder what Cornwell will do when he finally fills in all the gaps? Farming novels in Mormandy?

BTW, I did catch that shoplifter. :^)

Like John, Sharpe's Eagle is my favorite, probably because I read it first. Sharpe's Devil is probably my least favorite.

Last Thursday, I went to the library (looking for a couple of things), and I found the Sharpe series in Hardcover. Well, the covers from the '80s sure did look quite different from today's editions. I looked at Eagle, and also thought "Harlequin" (and also War and Peace).

Date wise, Eagle was written around 81, and Rifles 87-89 as a "prequel" to introduce Sharpe to the South Essex, as requested by the TV companies...

I liked the three set in India (Tiger, Triumph & Fortress). I am also a big fan of Redcoat. I would love to see a film version of this.

I have only read the first 7 books (starting with 'Tiger'). I really enjoyed the Wellington in India books, I have to say my favorite is the one I am reading right now, 'Prey', 'Gold' is my least favorite so far.

I forgot about "Gold" when posting earlier. It is my least favorite (Devil is OK, it just feels a bit like an afterthought).

I think my favorite was "Sharpe's Sword". It really showed the depth of Harper's devotion to Sharpe.

I loved all of them! Well, except for the last one. But they were all fantastic. I loved Sharpe's Eagle, especially the part with the infantry out lying among the dead and everyone had three muskets and blasted the french.

I really did like Sharpe's Battle that was a very good read. And the books about India were great. The only ones I didn't read were the short stories, were they any good?

Also check out the web site its great as well.

"Sharpe's Skirmish" takes place in 1812, just after "Sharpe's Sword". It runs a bit over 50 pages. "Sharpe's Christmas" has two short stories, Sharpe's Christmas (1813, just after "Sharpe's Regiment") and Sharpe's Ransom (comes after "Sharpe's Waterloo"). They run 44 pp. and 40 pp. respectively. I liked all three stories.

They are not particularly cheap, but the proceeds are split between the Sharpe Appreciation Society (apparently to help finance their newsletter) and the Bernard and Judy Cornwell Foundation ("a charity that concentrates on scholarships for young people", as BC describes it in his intro to "Sharpe's Skirmish").

Wow, I can't wait to get those books. Does anyone out there like the movies as well. I thought they did a pretty good job and that they are alot of fun.

Yup, also like the films. Although again "Sharpe's Gold" was a bit weaker than the others.

Neotacha will sometimes watch bits of the Sharpe's films when I have them on. She's not a RS fan, but she is a SB fan.

Sharpes's Eagle is my favorite of the bunch.

CC

My first Sharpe book was 'Devil' so I started from the back and worked my way forward! My favourite is probably 'Waterloo' because everyone is so familiar with the battle and the shooting of the Prince of Orange a quirky bit of history rewriting.

"Sharpe's Enemy" - the classic Hakeswill novel and plenty of action. "Sharpe's Company" after that, for the description of Badajoz. "Sharpe's Trafalgar", while gripping, was not so good - even Sharpe can't be everywhere and cold-blooded murder was out of character for Sharpe at that age (IMHO).

My favorite is Rifles, can't beat Blas Vivar and the Galician mountains. Followed by Tiger and Enemy. Gold and Honour are close seconds.

Eagle was the first book written but the first chronologically is Tiger.

Premeir Easter the Napoleonic Wars podcast interviews Bernard Cornwell and Sean Bean
Can be found on hopefully on YouTube and Spotify as well as anywhere else you might listen to it.

10am

link

Enjoyed watching the podcast featuring the author Bernard Cornwell and the actor Sean Bean who plays Sharpe. And it was nice to hear Sean talk about Airfix miniatures and models. Brought back many happy memories. However, I was surprised, unless I missed it, that the C.S Forester novels Death To The French and The Gun were not mentioned, especially since The Gun was made into a film. I've just started reading the latest Sharpe novel, Sharpe's Storm. Will it be the last book-who knows? Will they make more Sharpe TV programmes-who knows? I guess we all hope so. But like everything else, time will tell.