Bernard Cornwell

Bernard Cornwell is a British author of historical adventure fiction, best known for immersing readers in the physical detail and moral complexity of pre-modern warfare. His breakout Sharpe series follows Richard Sharpe, a low-born British soldier rising through the ranks during the Napoleonic Wars, and became a household name in Britain thanks to the long-running ITV adaptation starring Sean Bean. His other major work, The Saxon Stories (also published as The Warrior Chronicles), follows the reluctant Saxon-raised-by-Danes warrior Uhtred of Bebbanburg through the wars that forged England, and was adapted by Netflix and the BBC as The Last Kingdom, running for five seasons plus a film.

Cornwell has written several other series and standalones, including the Grail Quest trilogy set in the Hundred Years' War, the Arthurian Warlord Chronicles, the Starbuck Chronicles set in the American Civil War, and standalone novels such as Stonehenge and Agincourt. His hallmark is muddy, unglamorous battle detail paired with compelling, morally gray protagonists who are more survivors than heroes. New readers usually start with Sharpe's Eagle or, chronologically, Sharpe's Tiger; for the Saxon Stories, the natural entry point is The Last Kingdom. Now in his eighties, Cornwell continues to publish new installments in both flagship series.