Which order?

ziadada · Post by **ziadada** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 3:42 pm

So far I've read only Sharpe's Rifles, a couple years ago, and have Tiger somewhere. Now I plan to read the full series. If you was new to the books, in which order would you read?
The order that the books were originally published or chronological order?
Thank you

mjcd1951 · Post by **mjcd1951** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:32 pm

Ah, read the books in chronological order so Sharpe's Tiger is the first book in the series. Bernard Cornwell's website has the listing. If you can't get to it, I will share my list with you. Just PM me. That's how I came to find Sean Bean. I googled Richard Sharpe and found the YouTube video clips of all the Sharpe's TV series. Then my daughter gave me the whole DVD set for my birthday and I am all set. I have all the books on audio and all the shows on video. Enjoy a great character!
JOY

Cymbalom · Post by **Cymbalom** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:55 pm

Here's a lst of the novels:

[edit]Novels and short stories

01 Sharpe's Tiger Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Seringapatam, 1799 (1997)

02 Sharpe's Triumph Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Assaye, September 1803 (1998)

03 Sharpe's Fortress Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Gawilghur, December 1803 (1999)

04 Sharpe's Trafalgar Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Trafalgar, October 1805 (2000)

05 Sharpe's Prey Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Copenhagen, 1807 (2001)

06 Sharpe's Rifles Richard Sharpe and the French Invasion of Galicia, January 1809 (1988)

07 Sharpe's Havoc Richard Sharpe and the Campaign in Northern Portugal, Spring 1809 (2003)

08 Sharpe's Eagle Richard Sharpe and the Talavera Campaign, July 1809 (1981)

09 Sharpe's Gold Richard Sharpe and the Destruction of Almeida, August 1810 (1981)

10 Sharpe's Escape Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Bussaco, September 1810 (2004)

11 Sharpe's Fury Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Barrosa (March 1811), Winter 1811 (2007)

12 Sharpe's Battle Richard Sharpe and the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro, May 1811 (1995)

13 Sharpe's Company Richard Sharpe and the Siege of Badajoz, January to April 1812 (1982)

14 Sharpe's Sword Richard Sharpe and the Salamanca Campaign, June and July 1812 (1983)

15 Sharpe's Skirmish Richard Sharpe and the Defence of the Tormes, August 1812 (short story) (1999) (revised extended edition published 2002)

16 Sharpe's Enemy Richard Sharpe and the Defence of Portugal, Christmas 1812 (1984)

17 Sharpe's Honour Richard Sharpe and the Vitoria Campaign, February to June 1813 (1985)

18 Sharpe's Regiment Richard Sharpe and the Invasion of France, June to November, 1813 (1986)

19 Sharpe's Christmas December 1813, Franco-Spanish border (short story) (1994) (revised edition published 2003)

20 Sharpe's Siege Richard Sharpe and the Winter Campaign, 1814 (1987)

21 Sharpe's Revenge Richard Sharpe and the Peace of 1814 (1989)

22 Sharpe's Waterloo Richard Sharpe and the Waterloo Campaign, 15 June to 18 June 1815 (1990)

23 Sharpe's Ransom December 1815, Normandy (short story) (1994) (revised edition published 2003)

24 Sharpe's Devil Richard Sharpe and the Emperor, 1820–21 (1992)

LadyIce · Post by **LadyIce** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 11:29 pm

I first read Sharpe's Rifles, then Eagle. Then I got to see more of the tv series with our beloved Sean portraying Richard. I decided to commit to reading all in chronological order. It took me about six months because I don't have as much time to read as I once did.

Having read them all, I would say you could jump in anywhere because Cornwell is a good storyteller and makes each story stand on its own. But there is something quite satisfying to watch Richard's career evolve in sequence. He takes on more and more responsibility, but grows as a person too. Even if he remains something of a rogue.

Enjoy the series. It is such great adventure.

I am planning a trip to Portugal and Spain to see some of the real life battlefields the 95th Rifles and other British troops fought on. I plan to re-read certain books before I go there.

Donnadoobie · Post by **Donnadoobie** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:39 am

I would always suggest you read them chronologically and not as they were published, it gives the whole pictures and makes more sense despite some contradictions. I think I need to start the whole series again. Trafalgar and Sword are my two favourites.

Moominmamma · Post by **Moominmamma** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 7:42 am

with Donna! I originally read them out of order, but am re-reading in the correct chronolgical order now on my Kindle and I think it does put Sharpe's entire life and career in perspective.

ziadada · Post by **ziadada** » Fri Oct 28, 2011 4:09 pm

Thank you for kind suggestions... I'll start with Tiger then

.
Already found it, and going to start when I'm finished with my current reading

...

wow LadyIce, your trip will be a great experience...

kristin724 · Post by **kristin724** » Sat Oct 29, 2011 11:15 pm

I've always gone out of order, so I'm not sure it much matters.

You could go chronologically, sure, or in the order they were written which makes it career out of order.

I would however suggest a newbie go with the order written, as the original books are the best. Some of the more recent novels have been a bit of a step down for the solid core.

Right now I'm reading Rifles myself. I do have mini reviews of the books along with the films for more thoughtful, not off the top of my head insights.

http://ithinkthereforeireview.blogspot. ... egend.html

ziadada · Post by **ziadada** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:31 am

Thank you Kristin, I'll take your reviews as a guide for sure!

About the reading order, I posted the question also in a couple reading groups I belong to, and in general (none of my friends there has read Sharpe) the majority suggest me to go in writing order.
My experience more similar to this is with Hornblower books, which I read chronologically, but left me with the dubt about my choice...
Anyway, also saying it's not so important is true, because when I read Rifles I didn't think I missed needed information, and it is somewhere not in first place in any order I could have chosen...

So maybe I'll actually read Tiger, that is at home and somehow as I understand matches with Sharpe's Peril that's next to be seen, and after that maybe will go in writing order, or how I can get the books...

Also, I'll have to read part in English and part in Italian, because not all have been traslated...

Donnadoobie · Post by **Donnadoobie** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:37 am

Tiger, Triumph & Fortress are all amalgamated into Challenge for TV purposes when Sean became too old to play the younger Richard Sharpe.

however you decide to read them enjoy!

kristin724 · Post by **kristin724** » Sun Oct 30, 2011 2:19 pm

The India Trilogy is the better of the newer books indeed, but I wonder if it was two books that got stretched too thin to make three?

I also just tend to go in the order that I found them or got them.

Hornblower, however, are much better overall and those I do recommend reading in career order. Or at least you can start with the original 3 and then go back to the beginning. The only trouble there is that the unfinished final book comes right in the middle. You are all excited for During the Crisis and then you just turn the page and get a paragraph about how it was supposed to end!

LadyIce · Post by **LadyIce** » Thu Nov 03, 2011 10:19 am

Donnadoobie wrote:Tiger, Triumph & Fortress are all amalgamated into Challenge for TV purposes when Sean became too old to play the younger Richard Sharpe.

however you decide to read them enjoy!

Even though the tv writers invented the stories for Challenge and Peril loosely based upon the India trilogy, I cannot help myself imaging a young Sean when reading the three India novels.

Cornwell even convenientky forgets to mention that Sharpe's hair is black and I suspect Cornwell is doing that as a nod to Sean. Along with Cornwell making Sharpe's Yorkshire connection canonical in the later novels.

Czechmade · Post by **Czechmade** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:02 pm

Nachtmar · Post by **Nachtmar** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:41 pm

Hm, not so long ago I've read the german Sharpes in chronological order as far as they are published, which is til Sharpes Eagle by now, and regarding the India Trilogy I have to say that Cornwell DOES mention Sharpe has black/dark hair ... at least in the german books ... and I think it's just consistent that he sticks to that fact even though we are talking about revised editions here ... which would well offer the author the opportunity to fix that in favour to Sean being (lovely) blond haired.

Sean is Sharpe, no question, and it's very rare that an actor "fits" that perfectly into an already created character, but nontheless I'm truely thankful that Cornwell sticks to Sharpes dark hair even though he had the opportunity to "adjust" that and that they didn't dyed Sean's hair either !

Love & Hugs
Susan

morvgal58 · Post by **morvgal58** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 3:57 pm

I would certainly agree with reading chronologically, rather than as they were written, because it was much more satisfying to me to follow Richard's path from illiterate 'squaddie' right up through the ranks. His struggle to read, to learn, simply to cope with his upward progression as an officer and a man was enthralling. IMHO the Sharpe of the books is a much harder, more vicious man than the films - he murders in cold blood more than once without any conscience. Also I recall Mr Cornwell saying, of the later books, that he 'pictured Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe' and therefore stopped mentioning his black hair, blue eyes and London accent.