Sharpe Books in Order

by Bernard Cornwell · 24 books · ★ 4.5 average rating · Updated 1 October 2026

A British rifleman in the Napoleonic Wars rises through the ranks on skill and luck.

Here is the complete Sharpe reading order — all 24 books by Bernard Cornwell, in the order you should read them:

Reading order (recommended)

1. Sharpe's TigerIndia, 1799 — Private Sharpe is captured by the Tippoo Sultan's forces.1997384 pages
2. Sharpe's TriumphAssaye, 1803 — Sharpe wins his sergeant's stripes.1998382 pages
3. Sharpe's FortressThe taking of Gawilghur, a hill fortress in India.1999366 pages
4. Sharpe's TrafalgarSharpe at the great naval battle of 1805.2000293 pages
5. Sharpe's PreyCopenhagen, 1807 — a secret assignment behind enemy lines.2001337 pages
6. Sharpe's RiflesThe retreat to Corunna, 1809 — Sharpe leads a small band of survivors.1988351 pages
7. Sharpe's HavocThe Talavera campaign, 1809.2003384 pages
8. Sharpe's EagleSharpe captures a French Eagle standard at Talavera.1981296 pages
9. Sharpe's GoldA mission to seize Spanish gold before the French can.1981256 pages
10. Sharpe's EscapeThe lines of Torres Vedras, 1810.2004376 pages
11. Sharpe's FurySharpe fights to escape besieged Cadiz and joins the desperate British stand at Barrosa.2006
12. Sharpe's BattleSharpe defends a Spanish village and exposes a British officer profiteering from the war.1995
13. Sharpe's CompanySharpe leads riflemen through the brutal storming of the fortress city of Badajoz.1982
14. Sharpe's CommandSharpe races to secure a vital bridge and supply line ahead of Wellington's advancing army.2023
15. Sharpe's SwordSharpe duels a French swordmaster while hunting a spy inside British lines.1983
16. Sharpe's EnemySharpe must rescue hostages, including his own wife, from deserters turned bandits.1984
17. Sharpe's HonourFramed for murder amid a diplomatic crisis, Sharpe fights to clear his name.1985
18. Sharpe's RegimentSharpe returns to England to investigate a recruiting scandal threatening his regiment.1986
19. Sharpe's StormSharpe undertakes a perilous winter reconnaissance mission across the Pyrenees into France.2025
20. Sharpe's SiegeSharpe fights along the French Atlantic coast in a campaign hampered by incompetent allies.1987
21. Sharpe's RevengeFramed for theft as the Napoleonic Wars wind down, Sharpe must clear his name.1989
22. Sharpe's WaterlooSharpe fights in the climactic Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon's returned army.1990
23. Sharpe's AssassinIn the chaos after Waterloo, Sharpe hunts a hidden Bonapartist conspiracy in Paris.2021
24. Sharpe's DevilRetired, Sharpe is drawn into one last mission to South America amid Napoleon's exile.1992

Publication order

This series isn't read in the order it was published. If you'd rather go by release date, here are the same 24 books in publication order:

1. Sharpe's EagleSharpe captures a French Eagle standard at Talavera.1981296 pages
2. Sharpe's GoldA mission to seize Spanish gold before the French can.1981256 pages
3. Sharpe's CompanySharpe leads riflemen through the brutal storming of the fortress city of Badajoz.1982
4. Sharpe's SwordSharpe duels a French swordmaster while hunting a spy inside British lines.1983
5. Sharpe's EnemySharpe must rescue hostages, including his own wife, from deserters turned bandits.1984
6. Sharpe's HonourFramed for murder amid a diplomatic crisis, Sharpe fights to clear his name.1985
7. Sharpe's RegimentSharpe returns to England to investigate a recruiting scandal threatening his regiment.1986
8. Sharpe's SiegeSharpe fights along the French Atlantic coast in a campaign hampered by incompetent allies.1987
9. Sharpe's RiflesThe retreat to Corunna, 1809 — Sharpe leads a small band of survivors.1988351 pages
10. Sharpe's RevengeFramed for theft as the Napoleonic Wars wind down, Sharpe must clear his name.1989
11. Sharpe's WaterlooSharpe fights in the climactic Battle of Waterloo against Napoleon's returned army.1990
12. Sharpe's DevilRetired, Sharpe is drawn into one last mission to South America amid Napoleon's exile.1992
13. Sharpe's BattleSharpe defends a Spanish village and exposes a British officer profiteering from the war.1995
14. Sharpe's TigerIndia, 1799 — Private Sharpe is captured by the Tippoo Sultan's forces.1997384 pages
15. Sharpe's TriumphAssaye, 1803 — Sharpe wins his sergeant's stripes.1998382 pages
16. Sharpe's FortressThe taking of Gawilghur, a hill fortress in India.1999366 pages
17. Sharpe's TrafalgarSharpe at the great naval battle of 1805.2000293 pages
18. Sharpe's PreyCopenhagen, 1807 — a secret assignment behind enemy lines.2001337 pages
19. Sharpe's HavocThe Talavera campaign, 1809.2003384 pages
20. Sharpe's EscapeThe lines of Torres Vedras, 1810.2004376 pages
21. Sharpe's FurySharpe fights to escape besieged Cadiz and joins the desperate British stand at Barrosa.2006
22. Sharpe's AssassinIn the chaos after Waterloo, Sharpe hunts a hidden Bonapartist conspiracy in Paris.2021
23. Sharpe's CommandSharpe races to secure a vital bridge and supply line ahead of Wellington's advancing army.2023
24. Sharpe's StormSharpe undertakes a perilous winter reconnaissance mission across the Pyrenees into France.2025

For a first read we recommend the reading order above.

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