Bernard Cornwell Reading Order: Last Kingdom, Sharpe & All Series

The Saxon Stories (The Last Kingdom): Best Starting Point

1. The Saxon Stories — adapted for the BBC/Netflix series The Last Kingdom — follow Uhtred of Bebbanburg, a Saxon nobleman raised by Vikings, as he fights across the unification of England under Alfred the Great and his heirs. The series spans 13 novels.
2. The Last Kingdom (2004)
3. The Pale Horseman (2005)
4. The Lords of the North (2006)
5. Sword Song (2007)
6. The Burning Land (2009)
7. Death of Kings (2011)
8. The Pagan Lord (2013)
9. The Empty Throne (2014)
10. Warriors of the Storm (2015)
11. The Flame Bearer (2016)
12. War of the Wolf (2018)
13. Sword of Kings (2019)
14. War Lord (2020) This is the most accessible starting point if you arrived via the TV series. Read from book one — the show covers roughly two books per season.

The Sharpe Series: The Other Great Entry Point

The Sharpe series follows Richard Sharpe, a British soldier who rises from the ranks during the Napoleonic Wars. With 24 novels, it is Cornwell's longest series. Start with Sharpe's Tiger (1997), which is set earliest in Sharpe's career in India, even though it was written after the original Napoleonic novels. Cornwell recommends reading the India books first for the chronological experience, but many fans start with Sharpe's Rifles (1988) — the first Sharpe novel written — and move to India later. Both approaches work. The Sean Bean TV adaptations (Sharpe's Rifles, 1993-2008) are faithful and excellent but only cover the Peninsular War novels.

The Warlord Chronicles: The Best Arthurian Novels Ever Written

The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur form Cornwell's Arthurian trilogy, told from the perspective of Derfel, one of Arthur's warriors. These three books are widely regarded as the finest historical fiction treatment of the Arthurian legend — stripped of magic, grounded in Dark Ages Britain, and deeply human. They are standalone and can be read at any time without knowing any other Cornwell.

Do the Series Connect?

No. Each Cornwell series is set in a completely different historical period with entirely different characters. The Last Kingdom is set in 9th-century England, Sharpe is in early 19th-century India and Napoleonic Europe, and the Warlord Chronicles are in 5th-century Britain. They share only Cornwell's voice and style. You can start with any series without knowing any other.