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Sharpe #6,8
Sharpe's Rifles / Sharpe's Eagle
For the first time in one volume two classic Sharpe adventures from Bernard Cornwell, Sharpe's Rifles and Sharpe's Eagle - both now films starring Sean Bean
Sharpe's Rifles
In the bitter winter of 1809 the French are winning the war in Spain and Britain's forces are retreating towards Corunna, with Napoleon's victorious armies in pursuit. Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and a detachment of Riflemen are cut off from the British army and surrounded by enemy troops. Their only hope of escape is to accept the help of an unlikely ally, a Spanish cavalry officer, Major Blas Vivar. Unknown to Sharpe, the Spaniard harbours a desperate and quixotic ambition...
Sharpe's Eagle
Bold, professional and ruthless, Lieutenant Richard Sharpe leads his men into action at Talavera, the bloodiest battle of the Peninsular War. He is not fighting for victory alone. He has a woman's honour to avenge, the pride of the regiment to restore and his own career to preserve. The danger is as great from his enemies on his own side as from those across the battlefield...
Sharpe's Rifles
In the bitter winter of 1809 the French are winning the war in Spain and Britain's forces are retreating towards Corunna, with Napoleon's victorious armies in pursuit. Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and a detachment of Riflemen are cut off from the British army and surrounded by enemy troops. Their only hope of escape is to accept the help of an unlikely ally, a Spanish cavalry officer, Major Blas Vivar. Unknown to Sharpe, the Spaniard harbours a desperate and quixotic ambition...
Sharpe's Eagle
Bold, professional and ruthless, Lieutenant Richard Sharpe leads his men into action at Talavera, the bloodiest battle of the Peninsular War. He is not fighting for victory alone. He has a woman's honour to avenge, the pride of the regiment to restore and his own career to preserve. The danger is as great from his enemies on his own side as from those across the battlefield...
558 pages, Hardcover
First published October 25, 1993
3 people are currently reading
223 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Cornwell
538 books19.3k followersCornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman, and his mother, who was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. After he left them, he changed his name to his birth mother's maiden name, Cornwell.
Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He attempted to enlist in the British armed services at least three times but was rejected on the grounds of myopia.
He then joined BBC's Nationwide and was promoted to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland. He then joined Thames Television as editor of Thames News. He relocated to the United States in 1980 after marrying an American. Unable to get a green card, he started writing novels, as this did not require a work permit.
As a child, Cornwell loved the novels of C.S. Forester, chronicling the adventures of fictional British naval officer Horatio Hornblower during the Napoleonic Wars, and was surprised to find there were no such novels following Lord Wellington's campaign on land. Motivated by the need to support himself in the U.S. through writing, Cornwell decided to write such a series. He named his chief protagonist Richard Sharpe, a rifleman involved in most major battles of the Peninsular War.
Cornwell wanted to start the series with the Siege of Badajoz but decided instead to start with a couple of "warm-up" novels. These were Sharpe's Eagle and Sharpe's Gold, both published in 1981. Sharpe's Eagle was picked up by a publisher, and Cornwell got a three-book deal. He went on to tell the story of Badajoz in his third Sharpe novel, Sharpe's Company, published in 1982.
Cornwell and wife Judy co-wrote a series of novels, published under the pseudonym "Susannah Kells". These were A Crowning Mercy, published in 1983, Fallen Angels in 1984, and Coat of Arms (aka The Aristocrats) in 1986. (Cornwell's strict Protestant upbringing informed the background of A Crowning Mercy, which took place during the English Civil War.) In 1987, he also published Redcoat, an American Revolutionary War novel set in Philadelphia during its 1777 occupation by the British.
After publishing eight books in his ongoing Sharpe series, Cornwell was approached by a production company interested in adapting them for television. The producers asked him to write a prequel to give them a starting point to the series. They also requested that the story feature a large role for Spanish characters to secure co-funding from Spain. The result was Sharpe’s Rifles, published in 1987, and a series of Sharpe television films staring Sean Bean.
A series of contemporary thrillers with sailing as a background and common themes followed: Wildtrack published in 1988, Sea Lord (aka Killer's Wake) in 1989, Crackdown in 1990, Stormchild in 1991, and Scoundrel, a political thriller, in 1992.
In June 2006, Cornwell was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's 80th Birthday Honours List.
Cornwell's latest work, Azincourt, was released in the UK in October 2008. The protagonist is an archer who participates in the Battle of Agincourt, another devastating defeat suffered by the French in the Hundred Years War. However, Cornwell has stated that it will not be about Thomas of Hookton from The Grail Quest or any of his relatives.
Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He attempted to enlist in the British armed services at least three times but was rejected on the grounds of myopia.
He then joined BBC's Nationwide and was promoted to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland. He then joined Thames Television as editor of Thames News. He relocated to the United States in 1980 after marrying an American. Unable to get a green card, he started writing novels, as this did not require a work permit.
As a child, Cornwell loved the novels of C.S. Forester, chronicling the adventures of fictional British naval officer Horatio Hornblower during the Napoleonic Wars, and was surprised to find there were no such novels following Lord Wellington's campaign on land. Motivated by the need to support himself in the U.S. through writing, Cornwell decided to write such a series. He named his chief protagonist Richard Sharpe, a rifleman involved in most major battles of the Peninsular War.
Cornwell wanted to start the series with the Siege of Badajoz but decided instead to start with a couple of "warm-up" novels. These were Sharpe's Eagle and Sharpe's Gold, both published in 1981. Sharpe's Eagle was picked up by a publisher, and Cornwell got a three-book deal. He went on to tell the story of Badajoz in his third Sharpe novel, Sharpe's Company, published in 1982.
Cornwell and wife Judy co-wrote a series of novels, published under the pseudonym "Susannah Kells". These were A Crowning Mercy, published in 1983, Fallen Angels in 1984, and Coat of Arms (aka The Aristocrats) in 1986. (Cornwell's strict Protestant upbringing informed the background of A Crowning Mercy, which took place during the English Civil War.) In 1987, he also published Redcoat, an American Revolutionary War novel set in Philadelphia during its 1777 occupation by the British.
After publishing eight books in his ongoing Sharpe series, Cornwell was approached by a production company interested in adapting them for television. The producers asked him to write a prequel to give them a starting point to the series. They also requested that the story feature a large role for Spanish characters to secure co-funding from Spain. The result was Sharpe’s Rifles, published in 1987, and a series of Sharpe television films staring Sean Bean.
A series of contemporary thrillers with sailing as a background and common themes followed: Wildtrack published in 1988, Sea Lord (aka Killer's Wake) in 1989, Crackdown in 1990, Stormchild in 1991, and Scoundrel, a political thriller, in 1992.
In June 2006, Cornwell was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's 80th Birthday Honours List.
Cornwell's latest work, Azincourt, was released in the UK in October 2008. The protagonist is an archer who participates in the Battle of Agincourt, another devastating defeat suffered by the French in the Hundred Years War. However, Cornwell has stated that it will not be about Thomas of Hookton from The Grail Quest or any of his relatives.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 21, 2016
I read this (Sharpe's Rifles, and Sharpe's Havoc, only) on someone's recommendation and I enjoyed it. It should be noted that I'm also a fan of (good) historical fiction, and part of my motivation was using this as a vehicle to find out more about the Peninsular War fought between Napoleon and Wellington. I plan on reading the entire series.
To be clear, this isn't high literature. It's popcorn reading, but as historical fiction goes it does a good job setting the scene and giving an idea of Napoleonic era warfare, all wrapped in a popular fiction package.
The plot is adventuresome, but the plot twists are often predictable, albeit enjoyably so as long as you're reading this in the right frame of mind. The characters, including the main character Sharpe, are a tad shallow, without much development, although Rifles did explore the fascinating dynamic of a soldier from the ranks needing to earn the respect of the men over whom he's essentially stumbled into command. If you're looking for Herman Wouk or even Michael Shaara, you'll be sorely disappointed, however.
These are page-turners and I found that I could blow through dozens of pages easily in one sitting. I'm sure I could finish this book in a single day if I dedicated that day to it exclusively. It's a perfect book to have on your nightstand or your long airplane flight or train ride.
To be clear, this isn't high literature. It's popcorn reading, but as historical fiction goes it does a good job setting the scene and giving an idea of Napoleonic era warfare, all wrapped in a popular fiction package.
The plot is adventuresome, but the plot twists are often predictable, albeit enjoyably so as long as you're reading this in the right frame of mind. The characters, including the main character Sharpe, are a tad shallow, without much development, although Rifles did explore the fascinating dynamic of a soldier from the ranks needing to earn the respect of the men over whom he's essentially stumbled into command. If you're looking for Herman Wouk or even Michael Shaara, you'll be sorely disappointed, however.
These are page-turners and I found that I could blow through dozens of pages easily in one sitting. I'm sure I could finish this book in a single day if I dedicated that day to it exclusively. It's a perfect book to have on your nightstand or your long airplane flight or train ride.
May 6, 2014
This was the very first historical fiction novel I read. It follows a English quartermaster who falls into leadership after a disaster during the first Napoleonic war in Spain. I found it entirely fascinating. Peeking into the 18th century soldier life was a revelation. In the way they lived as well as the class system of the time. The battles are really well done. You can see the micro and the macro. I could almost smell the powder!
I later went on to read the entire series which are good but by far this is the best one in the Richard Sharpe series.
Strongly recommended.
I later went on to read the entire series which are good but by far this is the best one in the Richard Sharpe series.
Strongly recommended.
May 18, 2014
When I saw this tattered paperback on the free-book shelf at the YMCA, I remembered the BBC series and decided to take it home. It was surprisingly good, and I particularly liked the character development. But really, it was just a good yarn - and I may continue with the series when I want some fun.
April 22, 2014
Swashbuckling, melodramatic, simplistic war novel in the manner of Dumas. Characters aren't complicated, action is vicious and colorful, and there is also a bit of romance.
September 21, 2014
Excellent historical novel.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews