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Bernard Cornwell has been writing historical fiction for four decades and produced over 60 novels across a dozen series. If you want to start reading him — or figure out which of his series to try next — this ranking cuts through the volume.
We’ve read all of his major series and most of his standalones. This is our honest ranking based on prose quality, historical grounding, character work, and the crucial Cornwell metric: how good the battle sequences are.
📚 Cornwell’s series are largely in Kindle Unlimited.
The Sharpe series, Last Kingdom series, and Warlord Chronicles are all currently available in KU. 30-day free trial covers the full reading arc of any single series.
1. The Warlord Chronicles (3 books)
The Winter King, Enemy of God, Excalibur
Cornwell’s Arthurian trilogy is, in our view, his masterpiece. Arthur reimagined as a Dark Ages warlord, Merlin as a semi-mad pagan holy man, the whole legend stripped of chivalric polish and set in the mud and blood of post-Roman Britain. If someone asked us where to start with Cornwell in 2026, this is the answer — three books, self-contained, emotionally devastating final volume.
Battle sequences: Career-best. The final battle in Excalibur is one of the great set pieces in the genre.
2. The Saxon Stories / Last Kingdom (13 books)
The Uhtred of Bebbanburg saga runs 13 books covering roughly Alfred the Great through the reign of Athelstan. Cornwell’s most sustained work. The Netflix adaptation is fine but skips too much; the books are where you get the political texture and the sheer scope of the birth of England.
Where to slow down: Books 7-10 (Uhtred’s middle years) can feel repetitive. Push through — the final arc is worth it.
Best for: Anyone who wants a big, immersive series they can live in for months.
3. The Sharpe Series (24 books)
Cornwell’s foundational series. Richard Sharpe rises from private to lieutenant colonel across the Napoleonic Wars — Portugal, Spain, Waterloo, India, and beyond. The chronological reading order is fine but wasn’t Cornwell’s writing order (he wrote them out of sequence over 30 years), which means quality varies.
The essential five to read first: Sharpe’s Eagle, Sharpe’s Company, Sharpe’s Sword, Sharpe’s Regiment, Sharpe’s Waterloo. If you love those, continue with the full series. If they don’t click, Cornwell might not be your author.
Battle sequences: Best-in-genre for Napoleonic tactical combat. Nobody writes a bayonet charge like Cornwell.
4. The Grail Quest (4 books)
The Archer’s Tale, Vagabond, Heretic, 1356
Set during the Hundred Years’ War, following an English longbowman on a quest that starts personal and becomes theological. Prose is tight. Historical texture around the Battle of Crécy and Poitiers is superb. Fourth book (1356) was added later and doesn’t quite reach the first three but is still worth reading.
Best for: Readers who want longbow warfare done right. Also great if you enjoy morally ambiguous protagonists.
5. The Starbuck Chronicles (4 books)
Rebel, Copperhead, Battle Flag, The Bloody Ground
Cornwell’s American Civil War series. Follows a Northern minister’s son fighting for the Confederacy — an angle chosen to explore divided loyalties. Only four books because Cornwell paused the series to focus on Last Kingdom and never returned. That incompleteness is the main negative. What exists is excellent.
Best for: Civil War history readers who’ve had enough Gettysburg-and-Lee coverage.
6. Standalone Novels (Agincourt, Fools and Mortals, Stonehenge, Redcoat, others)
Cornwell’s standalones are hit-or-miss. Agincourt (also published as Azincourt) is essential — probably in our top five Cornwell books overall. Fools and Mortals (Shakespeare’s brother Richard as protagonist) is delightful and underread. Stonehenge is ambitious but doesn’t quite work. Redcoat is early Cornwell and shows it.
Reading order: Start with Agincourt, then Fools and Mortals if you enjoyed it. Others are optional.
7. The Nathaniel Starbuck Predecessor: Sailing Novels (5 books)
Stormchild, Crackdown, Scoundrel, Wildtrack, Sea Lord
Cornwell’s contemporary sailing thrillers from the 1980s-90s. Not historical fiction. Included here for completeness because dedicated fans track down everything he wrote. Fine as thrillers, not essential.
Where NOT to Start
- The Fort (Revolutionary War standalone) — Cornwell’s least engaging standalone. Skip until you’ve read everything else.
- Gallows Thief (Regency-era mystery) — Not his genre. Reads like Cornwell trying to write P.D. James.
- Redcoat — Early work, weaker prose, only for completists.
By the Numbers — Cornwell’s Best Battle Scenes (Ranked)
- Excalibur — the final battle (Warlord Chronicles book 3)
- Sharpe’s Waterloo — the Waterloo climax
- Agincourt — the battle itself, ~100 pages of it
- Sharpe’s Eagle — Talavera
- The Battle Flag — Second Manassas (Starbuck 3)
- The Pale Horseman — the shield wall at Cynuit (Saxon Stories 2)
- The Archer’s Tale — Crécy
Total Reading Time
All 60+ Cornwell novels: approximately 1,200 hours of reading, or 40,000 minutes on audio at 1.5x speed. Realistically most readers who like him will read 15-25 of his books — enough to complete their favorite series plus a few standalones. That’s a genuine multi-year commitment. Worth it if the first two you try click.
🎧 Cornwell on audio is exceptional.
Jonathan Keeble narrates the Last Kingdom series and Rupert Farley narrates the Sharpe series — both career-defining performances. Audible free trial includes one audiobook to keep.
FAQ
Q: Should I read the Warlord Chronicles or Last Kingdom first?
Warlord Chronicles if you want the highest quality Cornwell. Last Kingdom if you want the longest immersion in one world. Either works as an entry point; they’re independent series.
Q: Is the Sharpe TV series faithful to the books?
Loose adaptations. Sean Bean is memorable but the TV series compresses novels and changes plots significantly. Books are better.
Q: Cornwell vs Simon Scarrow?
Different eras, similar vibe. Scarrow’s Eagles of the Empire (Roman legion) is often compared to Cornwell for battle sequences. Cornwell’s prose is tighter; Scarrow’s series is longer and more consistent. Try both.
Q: What about Cornwell’s non-fiction?
Waterloo: The History of Four Days, Three Armies and Three Battles is superb — same clarity as his fiction, applied to primary sources.
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