Does anyone read any of Bernard Cornwells novels about Sharpe? or have you seen the TV series.

I have an interest in military battles and although fiction they do describe how we fought in the Napolionic wars.

John H

The series is currently running here on UK-TV, its reasonably addictive but I am not entirely certian it is an accurate depiction of warfare or life in that period.

I have seen episodes, its entertaining...

The series is based on books by Bernard Cornwell, and are as historically correct as possible. The only 'author licence' is that he created Sharpe and got him 'lost' in the early part of the Wars with Spain so that he could attach him to Wellington's army. He does depict accurate events although he does sometimes swap the actual 'hero' with Sharpe. For example in Sharpe's Eagle, Sharp is shown as the first British soldier to capture a French Eagle, but at the end of the book Cornwell does put the facts right. He always adds a historical note at the end of his books to put things straight. He tries to depict how the soldiers were treated at the time in an accurate way and the BBC actually came to him to write a couple of new episodes. One book is different to the series because he did not finish in time and so the BBC made up their own ending, but he explains all this in his books. Being an ex squaddie I have quite a fascination in warfare and even managed to visit the site of Waterloo some years ago.

I didn't realize that 'Boromir' (Sean Bean) from LOTR played Sharpe

He also wrote a series of books about the American Civil War with the main character being born in the North and fighting for the south and I found them a dam good read

Sharpe is a Legend! That man would definitely beat Jack Baur into a pulp, chuck norris too for that matter!

I reccommend the TV series, unfortunately I havn't got round to reading the books yet which I will have to do sometime.

One of my favourite quotes from the TV series from Harper, in Sharpe's Waterloo:

"All these years I've been fighting the bloody French, I have become sick and bloody tired of that shite music that they play."

Good stuff!

Originally Posted by jequirity

Sharpe is a Legend! That man would definitely beat Jack Baur into a pulp, chuck norris too for that matter!

I reccommend the TV series, unfortunately I havn't got round to reading the books yet which I will have to do sometime.

One of my favourite quotes from the TV series from Harper, in Sharpe's Waterloo:

"All these years I've been fighting the bloody French, I have become sick and bloody tired of that shite music that they play."

Good stuff!

Yes, but knowing Sharpe he'd get terribly cut up and bloodied in the act of beating these two, and probably end up with a musket ball lodged somewhere painful but not life threatening.

The books are brilliant, wonderful, lovely etc.

The TV series however is a steaming pile of poo.

Yeah but he will get the woman at the end.

And that's what counts.