Sharpe's Tiger

Set in 1799 in India during the Myesore invasion, Richard Sharpe is a private in the British army. He is given a mission by the commander. Sharpe and a lieutenant pose as deserters to infiltrate the Tippoo Sultan’s stronghold and bring back intelligence for the upcoming battle of Seringapatam.

This is a prequel to the Sharpe series. It introduces the reader to Sharpe’s personality and sets up one of his main opponents, Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill. The characters are easy to picture and are drawn in detail. The battle scenes are beautifully rendered. It contains a pleasing mix of characterization and action. Tigers are involved.

Cornwell adheres to the historic record. He informs the reader of the liberties he has taken in the Afterword, show more but they are few and they make sense. I have read and enjoyed other books by Cornwell, but this is my first about Sharpe. It is a great starting point and I look forward to reading more of the series. show less

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, show more 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. show less

I decided to start at the beginning of this lengthy historical fiction series and I'm glad I did. I expected I would probably like Sharpe's Tiger, but I ended up liking it even more than I had hoped I would. Enough that I have already picked up the first four books in the series in hardcover. That should say something right there. The main character of Richard Sharpe hit all the important points for a series protagonist - smart, resourceful, good looking. He is protective when he can be and ruthless when he needs to be. But he isn't cliché. Some have likened him to an 1800s James Bond. A actually see him more closely resembling a Jack Reacher. Just as effective are the surrounding characters who are nuanced and every bit a part of the show more story as the protagonist. Cornwell's storytelling is very well done and his attention to detail regarding getting the history to integrate with the plot is exceptional. He even details the where he departed from the actual history in the notes at the end of the book. Sharpe's Tiger is an all-around great story and I'm really looking forward to the series. show less

Declaring this a DNF. I like the idea of the series, and I especially enjoyed imagining Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe, but as a reading experience the book reminded me of quicksand. I felt smothered by the details and the plodding pace. Unfortunately I had this experience with another book in the series as well, so this is probably a series that I should not try again.

Set in 1799 in India during the Myesore invasion, Richard Sharpe is a private in the British army. He is given a mission by the commander. Sharpe and a lieutenant pose as deserters to infiltrate the Tippoo Sultan’s stronghold and bring back intelligence for the upcoming battle of Seringapatam.

This is a prequel to the Sharpe series. It introduces the reader to Sharpe’s personality and sets up one of his main opponents, Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill. The characters are easy to picture and are drawn in detail. The battle scenes are beautifully rendered. It contains a pleasing mix of characterization and action. Tigers are involved.

Cornwell adheres to the historic record. He informs the reader of the liberties he has taken in the Afterword, show more but they are few and they make sense. I have read and enjoyed other books by Cornwell, but this is my first about Sharpe. It is a great starting point and I look forward to reading more of the series. show less

spell binding narration.
First novel in the Sharpe's series and I am totally hooked to it.
Sharpe is an orphan whose is a thief turned into a private in the East India company. He is resourceful, ambitious, ruthless, naive and kind-hearted too.

The seige of Seringapatnam is vividly described. Great deal of research is done on the architecture, ammunition, social mores, and life style of the people during the days of Tipoo sultan.

what I liked about the book is the balance in judgement. Cornwell, unlike G.A Henty (who was the author of The Tiger of Mysore) doesn't disparage Tipoo sultan. Opinion in India is divided about how tolerant a ruler Tipoo was ... but everyone agree he is a fearless and a superb military strategist.

Must read for show more historical fiction lovers show less

I'm a big fan of CS Forester's Horatio Hornblower books about a British naval officer during and after the Napoleonic wars, and this has been praised as the Army equivalent.

Richard Sharpe is a very different character, and I don't know if I'll become as attached to him as Hornblower, but after this novel I'm looking forward to the other novels detailing Sharpe's exploits and rise through the ranks. While certainly no gentleman, Sharpe does have a core of what one officer calls "kindness" and while not educated, he's clever and courageous. When we first meet him here, he's an illiterate private, a former thief, dreaming of desertion, and his insane and cruel sergeant is scheming to trap Sharpe into a flogging offense.

The novel is show more strong in conveying what it's like serving in the British Army in 1799 India, all the little details from how they kept their hair to how they loaded their muskets. Besides the fictional characters it features real historical figures such as Arthur Wellesley, the future Lord Wellington.

The novel is often suspenseful, particularly towards the close and delivers on nail-biting, heart-racing action adventure. show less