I'd read Patrick O'Brian before, and was hoping this series would be comparable. Surprise, I loved this first book, a great introduction to Richard Sharpe, a private in Britain's army in India at the close of the 18th century. Bernard Cornwell serves up a delightful yarn, weaving accurate, detailed historical details - of clothing, armaments, foods, army life, as well as real characters, like the future Duke of Wellington - with colorful fictional heroes and villains, intrigue, derring-do, desperate gambits, and exhilarating battles. I could not put the book down. Once it was finished, I had to go get the next in the series, and the next, and the next after that. I've now finished all 20 some of the books, and insofar as I'm concerned, it was time well spent reading them all. Dick Sharpe is your irresistible, lovable rogue. Constantly beset by corrupt, venal adversaries and enemies, he goes on fighting Britain's wars in India, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, and even France, while facing his own foibles, fears, prejudices, and ambitions. He does all this the only way he knows how - with his whole heart and soul, and yes, honor - even if he was nothing but a thief at the start of this long, thrilling adventure.