Rating: 
Summary: Now I understand all the hype!
Review: This is the first Sharpe novel I have read, although I did catch some of the TV series. I am not a fan of multiple formula novels churned out by lazy writers, and I was suspicious of this series.But Cornwell has done something different here. He has taken real events, from the career of Arthur Wellesley (later the Duke of Wellington). Then he has inserted the character of Richard Sharp, a canny ex-thief ranker in the British Infantry. One of the men Wellington was to describe as "Scum of the Earth" after Badajoz. From the viewpoint of Sharpe we see the business end of the British Army, a worms eye view of the rise of Wellesley and the Indian and Peninsular campaigns. What you are getting is real history fleshed out with a cracking good story. And it is very well done! I am very tempted to dig further into this substantial series of books. I can see why they have become so popular.
Rating:
Summary: Why did I wait so long to read this?
Review: This is the first Sharpe novel I've read and what a mistake it was to wait so long. My general avoidance of fiction, especially of the serial nature, caused me to foolishly ignore this series. Sharpe's Tiger was a mixed blessing: Yes, I loved the book, but as another reviewer warned, I am now addicted. Thankfully, I picked the right book to start with, this being the first chronologically in Sharpe's military career. Now, rather than go into detail about the plot and characters (which have been adequately covered in other reviews) I wanted to underscore how impressed I am with the historical accuracy. Cornwell has been first rate in his attention to detail and in describing the conditions of military life in the British Army of the period, even in drawing distinctions between regular army regiments and those of the British East India Company. But even more impressive is the amount of research that must have gone into writing such a novel. With historical fiction you always have people such as myself looking for errors and making pedantic statements like, "But the 52nd Regiment of Foot was never involved in the attack on Java". But Sharpe's Tiger, and presumably the rest of the series, is meticulously researched. Probably not one person in 10,000 has heard of the battle of Mallavelly (the only reference I have found is in Vol.4 of Fortescue's History of the British Army which is, sadly, long ago out-of-print) yet Cornwell presents a robust picture of this engagement. Being particularly interested in the Peninsular War (the setting for many of the other Sharpe adventures), I was elated to finally discovered what so many fans of Cornwell had known for a long time: The Sharpe series, like Hornblower, is sure to be a classic of this genre.
Rating: 
Summary: Bloody good
Review: This is the first Sharpe series book that I read, and it won't be the last -- I plan to follow the series in chronological order (although that's not the order in which Cornwell wrote them). Richard Sharpe is an infantry grunt who joined the British army to avoid jail for his crimes. Beaten down by his sergeant, trudging through southern India in England's ubiquitous (woolen) redcoat, he first considers fleeing the army but is soon framed for a whipping after encountering his first firefight. Events and a sympathetic officer contrive to launch Sharpe into a spy mission to rescue a British officer who is in the custody of the Tippoo of Mysore -- the man whose kingdom the British are trying to topple in order to control southern India and who has planned a surprise for the British for their impending attack on his fortress. Cornwell keeps the action flowing, uses his viewpoint characters well and has vast knowledge of both his general historical subject as well as the tactics, arms and daily life of the British army in the Napoleonic era. Sharpe is a common soldier with a strong will to survive and an appreciation of loyalty and bravery, not a super-heroic James Bond with old weapons. And Cornwell doesn't pull his punches regarding the darker aspects of British imperialism. This is accessible writing that flows, unlike other historical novelists who write with an eye for the arcane. Good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Bloody good
Review: This is the first Sharpe series book that I read, and it won't be the last -- I plan to follow the series in chronological order (although that's not the order in which Cornwell wrote them). Richard Sharpe is an infantry grunt who joined the British army to avoid jail for his crimes. Beaten down by his sergeant, trudging through southern India in England's ubiquitous (woolen) redcoat, he first considers fleeing the army but is soon framed for a whipping after encountering his first firefight. Events and a sympathetic officer contrive to launch Sharpe into a spy mission to rescue a British officer who is in the custody of the Tippoo of Mysore -- the man whose kingdom the British are trying to topple in order to control southern India and who has planned a surprise for the British for their impending attack on his fortress. Cornwell keeps the action flowing, uses his viewpoint characters well and has vast knowledge of both his general historical subject as well as the tactics, arms and daily life of the British army in the Napoleonic era. Sharpe is a common soldier with a strong will to survive and an appreciation of loyalty and bravery, not a super-heroic James Bond with old weapons. And Cornwell doesn't pull his punches regarding the darker aspects of British imperialism. This is accessible writing that flows, unlike other historical novelists who write with an eye for the arcane. Good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Great story, grounded on fact
Review: This is the first thing I have read by Bernard Cornwell, and I am glad that I have the series to yet read. I found this a fast-moving, slashing story and one has the impresion that it is carefully researched. I read my encyclopedia's entries on the siege and battle of Seringapathan and as far as I could tell the book is all right, except that the fictional characters are not mentioned in the article. (: We all know of Arthur Wellesley but some of us did not know of Baird. In the Brittanica article on Baird we find: "In the defeat of Col. Baillie's force by Hyder Ali, Baird was taken prisoner, and remained a prisoner for four years. After a short interval at home he returned to India in 1791 and took part in the campaign against Tippoo. After serving at the Cape of Good Hope he returned to India, and took part in the last war against Tippoo. Maj. Gen. Baird stormed Seringapatan and became master of the place where he had so long been a prisoner. He was bitterly disappointed when the command of the place was given to Sir A. Wellesley..." So nice to learn accurate history from rip-roaring fiction. I have read all the reviews to date (32) and agree with the good things everybody says.
Rating:
Summary: Great fun; great adventure
Review: This prequal to the Sharpe series was delightful. Its full of action and adventure. Hopefully, it will be one of many Sharpe India novels. This series is just too good to end.
Rating:
Summary: Superb Adventure!
Review: This was my first experience with Bernard Cornwell, and I was most satisfied! Sharpe's Tiger is the first chronologically in the career of Richard Sharpe. He is a private in the British army and the action takes place in India around 1799. Cornwell is a good writer, and the story is superb. There are shades of Indiana Jones, as Sharpe is a resourceful and immensely likeable hero. There is adventure, suspense and superb characterizations. It was one of the most fun books I have read in a while, and I can't wait to read the next installment. Highly recommended for anyone who likes history or adventure.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: What a great book! Cornwell is an amazing adventure writer- every time I pick up one of this Sharpe books I have a hard time putting it down! This one is no exception!
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: What can I say about about this author except that he never fails to disapoint. After having read his Arthur and Starbuck series it took me some time to get around to the Sharpes series and now I wonder why I waited so long. A great story, very realistic battle scenes and even some great humor to. This is a great introduction to the character Richard Sharpe. I highly recomend this book to anone who enjoys history and adventure. My only criticism was that it was to short, despite their being many more Richard Sharpe books!
Rating: 
Summary: Tippoo the brutal dictator? umm...
Review: While the book is entertaining, I just want to point out that many people from Karnataka (former Mysore state) do not see Tipu Sultan as a brutal dictator but as a patriot and a martyr. This doesn't detract from the book's merits as an entertaining novel in any way, however.
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