Rating: 
Summary: Not Historical But Who Cares!
Review: I am a history teacher and I am very serious about historical details. The characters in this book may not be real, but that makes no difference. The book is well written, the characters are complex, and the story line is steeped with historical detail. Cornwall is a fantastic writer who seems to capture the feeling of the Napoleonic Wars as if he were there himself. This book introduces the reader to Richard Sharpe and Patrick Harper, two of the best written characters in modern fiction. The action starts almost immediately as Sharpe takes over the 95th Rifles. Your heart won't stop racing until the final page. Sharpe and Harper have grabbed my imagination as does the back drop of 19th century Spain. This is a must read for any student of the Napoleonic Wars.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOKS!
Review: I can't say enough good things about the Richard Sharpe books, except to say that Bernard Cornwell is right, his books should be on the best seller lists here as they are in the U.K. Never mind the TV series -- they can never recreate the Spain and Portugal of the the Peninsula campaign anyway -- the core of these books is Richard Sharpe's struggle to be considered a man, of equal status with the gentry who oppress him. The only way he can do that is to be a warrior, and Cornwell describes this avidly, in all its honor and horror. These books are simply wonderful -- read them all!
(But don't read the Starbuck Chronicles. They are very one-dimensional compared to these books.
Rating: 
Summary: Sharpe's Reader
Review: I discovered Sharpe in a remnant bookshop in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1987. The first three Sharpe books cost me, in total, NZ$10. Around US$5. I have never seen Sharpe / Cornwell in a remnant or second-hand bookshop since. And I gladly fork out my $ for the next new Sharpe. I have all of them. Each one gets read once every two years. My wife thought I was a lunatic - until I read "Sharpe's Rifles" aloud to her. Now, she's read all my Sharpe books, and competes with me to get the newest and latest. Incidentally - the trip back in time to India is superb! If you've never read any of the series before, do start with Sharpe in India, then go on to this one. It's simply a matter of chronology. I now have everything Cornwell has written... including the unfortunate Starbuck Chronicles. Three or four of the Sharpe TV series have screened here - but the dumbing down of TV has meant that they were screened at a time when they were bound to pick no viewers: 11.30pm. "We had no viewers, therefore we shan't buy the rest of the series.." cried the dorks at the Channel responsible. Sigh. And Amazon only has them on NTSC, not PAL! Bugger! Great series, great reads. Buy them all, and make Bernard Cornwell wealthy. He deserves it.
Rating:
Summary: Read this, it will be worth your time.
Review: I finally picked up "Sharpe's Rifles" months after having the series recommended to me by a friend. I wish I hadn't waited. Although I read a lot of military fiction, I have never read anything about the Napoleonic wars. Cornwell actually brings the battles to life, from the cries of the dying and wounded to the smell of the smoke of the battlefield. All of the cahracters come to life, and are exemplary of the kind of lives lived by the soldiers and officers of the era. It is obvious that Cornwell did his homework here.Richard Sharpe is a well developed character, an everyman that developed not only into a super warrior, but also into a superb leader of warriors. In this novel the author gets right down to the story, and wastes no time getting to the heart of the story. The writing is straightforward and clean. Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: Read this, it will be worth your time.
Review: I finally picked up "Sharpe's Rifles" months after having the series recommended to me by a friend. I wish I hadn't waited. Although I read a lot of military fiction, I have never read anything about the Napoleonic wars. Cornwell actually brings the battles to life, from the cries of the dying and wounded to the smell of the smoke of the battlefield. All of the cahracters come to life, and are exemplary of the kind of lives lived by the soldiers and officers of the era. It is obvious that Cornwell did his homework here. Richard Sharpe is a well developed character, an everyman that developed not only into a super warrior, but also into a superb leader of warriors. In this novel the author gets right down to the story, and wastes no time getting to the heart of the story. The writing is straightforward and clean. Highly recommended
Rating:
Summary: Sharpe is COOOOOL!
Review: I had read a few of the sharpe books before, but this was great! the battle scenes, the carachters, the plot, everything was just right!My thanks to Mr. Cornwell for bringing this awesome character to life.
Rating:
Summary: sharpe's a good read
Review: I just got started on the sharpe books after christmas and i have now read four of them. this book has to be one of the best. In this book sharpe starts out as a luetenant in an everyday regiment of the british rifles. You hear sharpes story and the book progresses. the reason that i liked this book the most is beacuase in all the later books i think that sharpe is liked to much, he is allways the officer that is admired by all. whereas in this book he is constantly struggleing in his leading position, not many like him and alot hate him. This book can be gory at points but the battle scenes are as gripping as anything and you just wont be able to put it down. I have watched th videos also and i recomend that you either watch the videos or read the books because i think the books are better and was quite dissapointed because it didn't stick to the story much. Buy this book and make sure to read this one first because it really makes the rest allot more enjoyable. one excellent book for war lovers, romance lovers and just good book lovers. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: The best series of 11 books I have ever read.
Review: I started the eleven book series in October of 1998 and finished in early February 1999. Hands down the best series of books I have ever read. Sharpe's Rifles and Sharpe's Gold (#3) were my favorites. Read them all, read them as fast as you can and then read them again. I can't remember when I've had as much fun reading. Why I had to read Shakespeare in high school in stead of these, I'll never know.
Rating:
Summary: Great series!
Review: I've never posted a review before but I had to express my gratitude to Bernard Cornwell for his terrific books about the Napoleonic Wars. I love historical fiction series, and would just add that anyone who likes Cornwell should get the new Cold War series book, "The Triumph and the Glory." I can't recall the author's name, I think he's new, but his style is every bit as polished as Cornwell's and his novel is very worthwhile reading.
Rating:
Summary: A beginning that you will like.
Review: If you have read other Sharpe books, you will realize right away that the story goes back to the time before "Sharpe's Eagle". It serves to set the stage and introduce the characters that will populate the series thoughout the campaigns in Portugal and Spain. If you haven't read any other Sharpe stories and you like Historical Fiction that are enjoyable reads you are going to enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, as a story it stands alone quite well. Readable and entertaining are the first thoughts that come to mind. The battles/fights seem to be historically accurate as well as well written (not always the case with storied written about this time period). The characters are understandable, without appearing to be twentieth-century men being transported to another era. As Sharpe grows as a commander, you both empathise with his problems and cheer his accomplishments. The whole series is worth reading, and this a great prequel to the timeframe where most of the action takes place.... and there will be quite a lot of it! PS... The books are better than the BBC series.
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