Sharpe's Rifles - Bernard Cornwell

Ah okay, I get it. I kind of messed this up. When I was browsing a used book store in Riverside, California for a return flight read (that was my first mistake, travelling cross country with ONE book), I picked up a copy of Sharpe's Rifles that helpfully had a #1 pasted to the spine and the inside sheet placed it as the first book in the Sharpe series.

Listen, I have a love affair with Uhtred in Cornwell's Saxon Stories series. So I was fairly confident he could get me through a return flight. And I'm trying to set up my exit strategy for when I run out of Uhtred books to read. So I felt like I knew what I was doing starting with Sharpe's Rifles. But I could tell something was a little off when I started reading the book.

First, I didn't really like Sharpe. He was boorish and not very perceptive. Listen, I get he's supposed to be an amazing soldier. Having served in the Air Force, I know the kinds of attitudes that STILL exist regarding prior enlisted officers, but even so, I mean, they guy showed zero leadership abilities and then could not imagine why he didn't inspire loyalty?

Second, some of the secondary characters seemed a little bland. I understand now that Harper is to become a beloved figure in the series, but things do not start out well with the taciturn Irish man who definitely DOES NOT want to be a sergeant.

Finally, there is a badly jammed in love triangle that does basically nothing to inspire the plot other than to make Sharpe appear a little more foolish than he already does. How is the guy who can figure NOTHING else out inspire so little confidence and somehow become a beloved literary figure? I wasn't buying it.

Thank goodness I found out this book is not the foundation for the series but a prequel. So, question, should I read these in publishing date order, or chronological order?

3/5 Stars.