Sharpe reading

[Lonemagpie]

So, I've got most of Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series now - just missing a couple of the later ones (Sword and Waterloo, that I can remember), and they turn up for 50p in the charity shops on a regular basis.

So far I've only read the original, Sharpe's Eagle, which hooked me enough to seek out the rest of the series. So, the question is, now that I've got enough of them to take a good run at, should I

a) Carry on with Gold, then loop round to the prequels, all in publication order.
b) Start with Rifles (which after all was meant to bridge the TV show and novels, and I watched the TV show first) then continue otherwise in publication order.
c) Start with Tiger and go through the whole thing in chronological order.

My normal instinct would be chronological, but I want to be sure that doesn't leave me open to either spoiler/continuity issues, or indeed quality issues (as they were written when Cornwell had more experience than when he wrote the original run. Or conversely when he was less fresh.)

So, what's the consenus on the best way to experience the adventures of Richard Sharpe?

 

[John Clark]

I pretty much went through them in publication order. Of course, going that way does mean you're reading them out of chronological order. That didn't bother me too much at the time.

As for quality, I felt it varied from novel to novel anyway and some of the earlier ones are on my favourites list.

 

[diankra]

I'd always tend to go for publication order for any series, just in case the prequels have moments of foreshadowing that hint at plot twists in continuity-later books in a way that gives it all away.

 

[Holdfast]

You can read them either way, but I read them in publication order originally and am pretty glad I did. The newest novels (the ones in India, Denmark and Trafalgar) aren't anywhere near as good as the Peninsular ones, feeling a bit more formulaic IMO.

If you want to get to the best stuff first, read the Peninsular ones first (though within that run, use chronological order rather than publication order).

 

[Allyn Gibson]

You know the thing that burns me up about the Sharpe series?

It's that I can't get a uniform edition of the series. Half the books are from Penguin, half the books are from Harpers. They're different sizes, and they don't look alike.

I know, it's such a silly thing to be annoyed with.

 

[Lonemagpie]

You know the thing that burns me up about the Sharpe series?

It's that I can't get a uniform edition of the series. Half the books are from Penguin, half the books are from Harpers. They're different sizes, and they don't look alike.

I know, it's such a silly thing to be annoyed with.

Over here they're all from the same publisher, but they seem to have changed the cover design, like, every six months or something...

 

[Misfit Toy]

I've only been looking into the Sharpe series for a couple of weeks, after reading Cornwell's Grail Quest. I've been lurking in used book shops, trying to find as many as I can. I've read Sharpe's Enemy, and have found Sharpe's Eagle and Sharpe's Gold.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I did the chronological order thing for the most part. Had to skip ahead once or twice when I was unable to find or too impatient to wait for the next book.

Still a few early years left unchronicled.

 

[Caliburn24]

Read them as published and make sure to read the couple before Waterloo, they make certain moments in that book just awesome.

 

[KB24]

I've gone all out of order in my Sharpe reading. I found Gold at a library sale and was hooked from there. Great book, horrible tv adaptation of that one! I'm back at the India trilogy now, and am only missing 4 books to complete my collection.

I myself prefer the earlier core of books-before Cornwell went back and filled in the gaps. The newer novels are more like everybody else and then an appearance by Sharpe-slightly different from the early novels that were exclusively Richard. I came over from reading Hornblower, so to me they still seem to be better books. Forester's 11 are much tighter and center entirely on Hornblower. I'm about halfway through Sharpe now, so we'll see!

Here's a link to the Sharpe film and book reviews I've done. All the shows except Peril, and all the books I've read. Yowza!

http://ithinkthereforeireview.blogspot.com/search/label/Sharpe

The Mighty Bean forum is a little Sean Bean fanatical, but there's a great forum section exclusively for serious Sharpe bookers.

http://www.themightybean.com/index.htm

 

[Australis]

I agree with Holdy. Read the Peninsular ones first in chronological order, they are the best.

That said, I have to go off topic slightly and say the Flashman Papers are a much better read. How could you go past a Who's Who entry like this?:

Flashman, Sir Harry Paget. Brigadier-general, VC , KCB, KCIE; Chevalier, L`egion d 'Honour; US Medal of Honor; San Serafino Order of Purity and Truth, 4th Class.

b 1822, s. H. Flashman, Esq., Ashby and Hon. Alicia Paget; educ. Rugby School. m. Elspeth Rennie Morrison, d. Lord Paisley; one s., one d. Colours purchased, cornet 11th LD, 1838 {redesig. 11th H, Prince Albert's Own};

Served Afghanistan, 1841-42 (staff, medals, thanks of Parlaiment, interview with Wellington, HM's Victoria & Albert, captain); 1st Sikh War (staff, medals); Crimea (colonel 17th L by Royal Order,staff, Balaklava, p.o.w., medals); Indian mutiny (staff, Lucknow, etc., VC, KCB, KCIE); China, Taiping Rebellion (staff, p.o.w., medals). Served US Army (major, Union forces, 1862, Libby Prison, Medal of honour; colonel (staff) Army of the Confederacy, 1863, letter of thanks Pres. Jefferson Davis, Gettysburg, Brandy Station, etc..);

Abyssinian War (staff, Magdala, medals); Franco-Prussian War (staff, Chevalier, Legion d 'Honneur); Ashanti War( staff, medals); Zulu War (staff, Isandlwana, Rorke's Drift, etc., medals, brig. general); Egyptian War (staff, medals); Sudan (staff, Gen. Gordon's Khartoum Star); Boxer Rebellion (staff, Pekin Residency, medals); regularly commanded to court. Travelled extensively in military and civilian capacities; a.d.c. Emperor Maximilian of Mexico (San Serafino Order of Purity & Truth,4th class);

milit. advisor, HM Queen Ranavalona of Madagascar; chief of staff to Rajah of Sarawak; J.B. Hickock's dep. marshall, US; secret service agent, US; Regiment L'Etrangere, L`armee Francaise; British observer, translator for the US Commission, Treaty Negotiations Sioux & N. Cheyenne Nations; special milit. detach. German states, Bavaria, Prussia; foreign court serv. Duchy of Strackenz, Schleswig-Holstein question, (Danish Order of the Elephant);

wagon-train capt., scout, indian-fighter, "49er", gold rushes California, US & Victoria, Australia; observed War of the Triple Alliance, Paraguay; witnessed, raid on Harper's Ferry Arsenal, Battle on the Greasy Grass, Col. J.S. "Tiger Jack" Moran's arrest; Tranby-Croft Affair; performed 1st recorded hat trick in sport's literature, for Mynn's Casuals against All-England XI, Lord's, June 1843; observed 1st Heavy-Weight title fight, Sullivan/Ryan, Miss. City, Miss. US, Feb. 1882.

Bernier/Flashman duel, pistols, deloped; Bismarck/Flashman duel, Hapsberg style; Flashman/Starnberg duel, sabres; Flashman/Nugent-Hare duel, bowie knife/tomahawk;

Chmn, Flashman and Bottomley, Ltd.; dir. British Opium Trading Co.; governor, Rugby School; hon. pres. Mission for Reclamation of Reduced Females. Publications: Dawns and Departures of a Soldier's Life; Twixt Cossack and Cannon; The Case Against Army Reform. Clubs; White's, United Service, Blackjack (Batavia). Recreation: oriental studies, angling. Add. Gandamack Lodge, Ashby, Leics.
From Who's Who, 1909 edition.

What's not to like? And talk about well travelled!

My favourite bit? If you look closely, he fought for the Union Army AND the Confederate Army in the US Civil War. On the back of one of the books, is a quote: '"When all other trusts fail, turn to Flashman" - Abraham Lincoln'.

Anyone read them?