The Last Kingdom author Bernard Cornwell reveals cover for latest Sharpe book

Bernard Cornwell started writing books about Richard Sharpe, an English soldier who is improbably at every major event and battle through the Napoleonic Wars, over 40 years ago. The first book in the series, Sharpe's Eagle, was published in 1981. Forty-three years later, Cornwell is still writing books about Sharpe. He unveiled the cover for the newest Sharpe book, Sharpe's Storm, just the other day:

"War against Napoleon rages across Europe," reads the official description. "As Britain prepares to invade France for the first time, the formidable Richard Sharpe and his men brace themselves for a cold, hard winter. Before them, across flooded rivers and fortified bridges, lies the fiercest French army they have ever encountered. There is only one way forward for Wellington's army, and it will be bloody...Major Sharpe may be in for his toughest winter yet."

So same Sharpe, different. This guy has had an exhausting 40-plus years at war.

The Sharpe books also produced a long-running ITV series starring Game of Thrones veteran Sean Bean as the title character. Seasons of that were produced intermittently from 1993 all the way to 2008. I doubt Bean the 65-year-old is going to return to the role now, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone else got the idea to reboot the Sharpe series onscreen. After all, Hollywood has been giving Cornwell's work a lot of attention in recent years. Netflix adapted his Saxon Stories books as The Last Kingdom and MGM+ is one season deep into an adaptation of The Warlord Chronicles, Cornwell's trilogy about King Arthur. The Sharpe books have remained popular for nearly half a century. Surely that means a new movie or TV adaptation sooner or later, right?

For now, the new cover for Sharpe's Storm is enough to get fans excited. The new novel hits bookshelves on October 22, 2024.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.