Reading order · 23 books · 1981 to 2023
Sharpe Books in Order
Richard Sharpe is a private soldier from the London slums who rises from the ranks to become an officer in the British army during the wars against Napoleon. The books follow him through India, the Peninsular War in Portugal and Spain, and on to Waterloo, with his friend Patrick Harper at his side.
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Series facts
- Books
- 23
- Published
- 1981 to 2023
- First book
- Sharpe's Eagle
- Latest
- Sharpe's Command (2023)
- Order
- Story order differs from publication order
The reading order
Every Sharpe book in publication order, with the story order a switch away. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
23 books
- 1Sharpe's Eagle1981With Richard SharpeIn 1809, Lieutenant Richard Sharpe and his riflemen are attached to the South Essex, a regiment led by an incompetent colonel.Buy on Amazon
- 2Sharpe's Gold1981With Richard SharpeIn 1810 Wellington sends Sharpe behind French lines to recover a hoard of Spanish gold, which must be brought back before the guerrilla leader El Católico gets hold of it.Buy on Amazon
- 3Sharpe's Company1982With Richard SharpeIn 1812 Sharpe has lost his captaincy and joins the siege of Badajoz as a lieutenant, determined to win back his rank by leading the attack on the breach.Buy on Amazon
- 4Sharpe's Sword1983With Richard SharpeIn 1812, Sharpe is sent after Colonel Leroux, a ruthless French officer and spy, on a mission that takes him to a besieged Spanish fort and on to the Battle of Salamanca.Buy on Amazon
- 5Sharpe's Enemy1984With Richard SharpeIn the winter of 1812, a band of deserters from several armies seizes a remote Portuguese village and holds two women hostage, one of them the wife of a British officer.Buy on Amazon
- 6Sharpe's Honour1985With Richard SharpeIn 1813 Sharpe is accused of murder after a duel, part of a plot by the French intelligence officer Pierre Ducos, and must clear his name in time for the Battle of Vitoria.Buy on Amazon
- 7Sharpe's Regiment1986With Richard SharpeSharpe and Harper return to England to find men for their dwindling regiment, the South Essex, and uncover a corrupt scheme that is selling recruits.Buy on Amazon
- 8Sharpe's Siege1987With Richard SharpeIn 1814 the war has reached France, and Sharpe and a small force hold an old fortress on the French coast, while Ducos plots against him.Buy on Amazon
- 9Sharpe's Rifles1988With Richard SharpeIn 1809, during the retreat to Corunna, Lieutenant Sharpe is cut off with a band of riflemen who resent him, among them the Irishman Patrick Harper, and must earn their loyalty while helping a Spanish officer on a secret mission.Buy on Amazon
- 10Sharpe's Revenge1989With Richard SharpeIn 1814, as the war ends, Sharpe is accused of stealing Napoleon’s treasure and goes on the run to prove his innocence.Buy on Amazon
- 11Sharpe's Waterloo1990With Richard SharpeIn June 1815 Napoleon escapes from Elba and the armies gather in Belgium.Buy on Amazon
- 12Sharpe's Devil1992With Richard SharpeIn 1820 Sharpe and Harper travel to Chile to look for a missing Spanish governor, and find themselves in the middle of the war for independence.Buy on Amazon
- 13Sharpe's Battle1995With Richard SharpeIn 1811, Sharpe makes an enemy of Loup, a brutal French brigadier, and is ordered to train the Real Compañía Irlandesa, an Irish company of the Spanish king’s guard, before the Battle of Fuentes de Oñoro.Buy on Amazon
- 14Sharpe's Tiger1997With Richard SharpeIn 1799 Private Richard Sharpe is serving with the British army in India at the siege of Seringapatam, the capital of the Tippoo Sultan.Buy on Amazon
- 15Sharpe's Triumph1998With Richard SharpeIn 1803 Sergeant Sharpe survives a massacre and is drawn into the campaign against the Mahratta armies, culminating in the Battle of Assaye, where he saves the life of the young general Arthur Wellesley.Buy on Amazon
- 16Sharpe's Fortress1999With Richard SharpeIn 1803, newly made an ensign, Sharpe finds the officers’ mess unwelcoming, and the war against the Mahrattas reaches the great fortress of Gawilghur.Buy on Amazon
- 17Sharpe's Trafalgar2000With Richard SharpeIn 1805 Sharpe sails home from India on an East Indiaman, and finds himself in the middle of the Battle of Trafalgar.Buy on Amazon
- 18Sharpe's Prey2001With Richard SharpeIn 1807 Sharpe is sent to Denmark on a secret mission as the British attack Copenhagen to keep the Danish fleet from Napoleon.Buy on Amazon
- 19Sharpe's Havoc2003With Richard SharpeIn 1809 Sharpe is left behind in Portugal as the French take Porto, and his escape leads to Wellesley’s daring crossing of the River Douro.Buy on Amazon
- 20Sharpe's Escape2004With Richard SharpeIn 1810 the French army invades Portugal, and Sharpe is caught up in the Battle of Bussaco and the retreat to the Lines of Torres Vedras.Buy on Amazon
- 21Sharpe's Fury2006With Richard SharpeIn 1811 Sharpe is in Cádiz, the last free city in Spain, where he is drawn into political intrigue and the Battle of Barrosa.Buy on Amazon
- 22Sharpe's Assassin2021With Richard SharpeAfter Waterloo, Wellington sends Sharpe into Paris to hunt a secret society of fanatics plotting to kill him.Buy on Amazon
- 23Sharpe's Command2023With Richard SharpeIn 1812 Sharpe is part of a dangerous attack on a key bridge over the River Tagus at Almaraz.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Story order differs from publication order. Many readers start with Sharpe’s Tiger, set in India in 1799, and follow Sharpe’s life chronologically; others start with Sharpe’s Eagle, the first written.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Richard Sharpe | Patrick Harper | Teresa Moreno | Lucille Castineau | Obadiah Hakeswill | Pierre Ducos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Sharpe's Eagle | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 2 Sharpe's Gold | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 3 Sharpe's Company | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 4 Sharpe's Sword | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 5 Sharpe's Enemy | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | |
| 6 Sharpe's Honour | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | |||
| 7 Sharpe's Regiment | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 8 Sharpe's Siege | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 9 Sharpe's Rifles | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 10 Sharpe's Revenge | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 11 Sharpe's Waterloo | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 12 Sharpe's Devil | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 13 Sharpe's Battle | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 14 Sharpe's Tiger | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 15 Sharpe's Triumph | LLead | |||||
| 16 Sharpe's Fortress | LLead | |||||
| 17 Sharpe's Trafalgar | LLead | |||||
| 18 Sharpe's Prey | LLead | |||||
| 19 Sharpe's Havoc | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 20 Sharpe's Escape | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 21 Sharpe's Fury | LLead | MMajor | ||||
| 22 Sharpe's Assassin | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 23 Sharpe's Command | LLead | MMajor |
Characters in the Sharpe books
6 characters from Bernard Cornwell’s chart, with the number of Sharpe books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Richard SharpePrivate risen from the ranks | 23 | Sharpe's Eagle 1981 |
| Patrick HarperIrish rifleman, Sharpe's friend | 18 | Sharpe's Eagle 1981 |
| Teresa MorenoSpanish partisan | 4 | Sharpe's Gold 1981 |
| Lucille CastineauNorman widow | 4 | Sharpe's Revenge 1989 |
| Obadiah HakeswillVicious sergeant | 3 | Sharpe's Company 1982 |
| Pierre DucosFrench intelligence officer | 3 | Sharpe's Enemy 1984 |