Rating: 
Summary: Major Sharpe has enough brawn and brain to perservere.
Review: Major Sharpe has been given every gritty job possible in the campaigns in hopes of breaking him but his fortitude and intelligence shines through. In those special moments he also shows a remarkable sensitivity that is unique.
Rating:
Summary: Well researched and a well written period piece.
Review: One of the best books I have read in 1998. I will be getting the rest of the collection soon.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding!
Review: One of the best novels in the Sharpe series. Unlike later novels, in which Richard Sharpe seems infallible and invincinble,
Sharpe's Rifles portrays the hero as insecure and uncertain of his abilities. The novel also introduces Sgt. Patrick Harper and
begins to develop the relationship between these characters.
Rating:
Summary: Rifles hits the mark!
Review: One of the best of the Sharpe series. A little more intriguing plotline than usual, but as usual Cornwell keeps things moving briskly.
Rating:
Summary: Great Action
Review: Reading Napoleonic books can become a bit dull without some imagery to add to the mixture. This and the other books (along with the good if low-budget TV series) really bring things to life. Excellent action, great attention to detail, especially in combat.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Cheers for Richard Sharpe
Review: Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell is an exciting roller-coaster ride of battles and army life as seen through the eyes of Richard Sharpe, a newly made lieutenant in the English infantry. During the early 1800s most officers in the English infantry were of noble birth, however Lt. Sharpe, a former enlisted man comes from the ranks. He receives little respect from the men in his command and even less from his peers. The setting is in Spain during the French-Napoleonic invasions. The English (and Lt. Sharpe) are supporting the freedom fighters of Spain.His army has been defeated and the French are pushing the English towards the coast of Spain and into Portugal. Through a series of mishaps he finds himself under the loose command of a Spanish Major who is intent upon flying a holy banner from a major city deep within the French area of control. Sharpe must win the respect of his men, fight an invincible French Colonel, and vie for the attentions of a beautiful English missionary. I admit that I was a fan of the PBS series before I read the books. However, when you start this book you will have a hard time putting it down. Cornwell writes in plain English and his dialog is great.
Rating: 
Summary: The penisular wars begin.
Review: Sharpe's Rifles is the book in which Sharpe gets his first command. It's the bringing together of two characters that will see the peninsular wars to an end. Sharpe meets Harper for the first time in this book, and it not what I expected. It is however a great tale of how the two soldiers came together. This book puts Sharpe in Spain, during the British retreat towards Corunna. This is a dark point for the British in the peninsular wars when French victory seems not so far off. Sharpe, while second in command of a detachment of riflemen cut off from the main British force, is soon to face the most challenging point of his career. Sharpe has to learn quickly when his commander gets killed and leaves him in charge. He needs to earn the respect of his men and lead them to victory. It's a great story and a great look at how Sharpe came to be so admired by his men. This book starts of many of the features that make the Sharpe series so great, it's a must read for all Sharpe fans. 4 Stars.
Rating:
Summary: The penisular wars begin.
Review: Sharpe's Rifles is the book in which Sharpe gets his first command. It's the bringing together of two characters that will see the peninsular wars to an end. Sharpe meets Harper for the first time in this book, and it not what I expected. It is however a great tale of how the two soldiers came together. This book puts Sharpe in Spain, during the British retreat towards Corunna. This is a dark point for the British in the peninsular wars when French victory seems not so far off. Sharpe, while second in command of a detachment of riflemen cut off from the main British force, is soon to face the most challenging point of his career. Sharpe has to learn quickly when his commander gets killed and leaves him in charge. He needs to earn the respect of his men and lead them to victory. It's a great story and a great look at how Sharpe came to be so admired by his men. This book starts of many of the features that make the Sharpe series so great, it's a must read for all Sharpe fans. 4 Stars.
Rating:
Summary: "Rifles to me!" ...Richard Sharpe
Review: Sharpe's rifles is the book that really starts it all. Cut off from the retreating army, Sharpe and a handful of Riflemen must team of with a group of Spanish resisters in an adventure similar to the quests for the holy grail. The book is an easy read and shows a unique side of the hero as Richard Sharpe truly learns what it is to lead troops into battle. This book shows essential elements of Sharpe and is a good read. Cornwell's genius begins here.
Rating:
Summary: The Starting point for Sharpe's Campaigns
Review: Sharpe's Rifles is the place to start with Bernard Cornwell's gripping series of adventures which follow the career of Richard Sharpe, an officer in Wellington's army. Sharpe is unusual for an officer in Britain's army in the 19th Century - he was promoted from the ranks in a time when this was exceedingly rare. These novels follow Sharpe's career through the Peninsula war, culminating with the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. In Sharpe's Rifles we meet the new Lieutenant Richard Sharpe as he is struggling to earn the respect of his fellow officers and the men he commands. As we meet him he is serving as a quartermaster, as the popular prejudice was that officers promoted from the ranks took to drink and could not be trusted in a fighting command. We learn that he is in fact an experienced professional soldier and won his commission by an act of bravery on the battlefield, so he is seething with frustration and a sense of injustice at his lot. During a disastrous retreat from Napoleon's pursuing troops Sharpe finds himself in command of a company of survivors separated from the main army. During the journey in which he leads the men back to safety (with a detour to help the Spanish guerillas and capture a town) he learns how to command and earns the respect he craves. We also see the birth of the friendship between Sharpe and Sergeant Harper, which is central to the rest of the series. Once I had started I found it impossible to put this book down, and then dashed out and bought the rest of the series. The story is gripping, the pace fast, and the characterisation excellent - Sharpe is no one-dimensional action man and his character continues to develop throughout the series. Cornwell is a very well-informed military historian and I learned a great deal about an era with which I was previously unfamiliar.
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