Welcome!

[sharpiefan]

Welcome to sharpe_read. We will be reading through the Sharpe series of books, probably (but not necessarily) in order - depending on what you lovely people choose to do.

Please introduce yourself to the rest of us!

Comments

[sharpiefan]

Well, I should probably go first. I'm sharpiefan, AKA Sharpie. The name originates in this fandom (not that I knew the fandom existed at the time I first needed an online nickname...) I had stumbled on a fan forum for the Hornblower TV and book series and I needed a nickname so I could join. Not being that good at coming up with names, and knowing I was going to get known for leaning more towards the Sharpe side than the Navy side, I wanted something Sharpe-ish. But 'Sharpefan' didn't quite cut it, so I added the 'i' and I've been Sharpiefan ever since.

I have been interested in Sharpe ever since the very late 90's when a group of us were at a friend's house and said friend decided to put on a video recording of Sharpe's Siege. I hadn't got a clue what was going on, and nor was I particularly fussed. A week or so later I was in the local library trying to find a new author or authors, and checked out a copy of Sharpe's Revenge - probably the single worst book with which to begin. Didn't understand a thing, but loved the characters and writing style. So I bought Sharpe's Tiger, figuring out that I really ought to start at the beginning... and the rest is history.

I read and write fic - it can be found at sharpiepen - and lean far more towards Sharpe/Wellington than to any other pairing, though in the early days I was a Sharpe/Lawford fan, and have written quite a bit with that as my focus.

I am a Napoleonic re-enactor, for which I lay the blame very firmly at Sharpe's door. And have it on extremely good authority that 'Sharpe would approve!' (I'm a soldier of the 50th West Kent Regiment and am liable to talk about it with anyone who will give me a few seconds of their time!)

Anything else you need to know will probably come out in posts and conversations here.

[le_russe_satan]

Sharpiefan will know this story, but here goes...

My introduction to Napoleonic Wars fiction began with Patrick O'Brian in 2003, after the movie came out. But for a long while, though I got hold of first three Sharpe novels (the India ones), I was distracted by other pretty things and did not read anything except Hornblower. Then in 2008 I moved into a new flat by myself and promptly fell ill.

Since I was pretty much bedridden, a friend of mine came to check up on me and see if I needed any food/medicine. By that time I'd mainlined the three Sharpe novels I had, so I shoved some cash at here and told her to go buy me the rest. While I was ill/coming out of it, I'd read up to Sharpe's Honour and then I COULDN'T ANYMORE. XD But I did carry out the love for Wellington and Napoleonic Wars out of it. And Sharpe of course! :D

[sharpiefan]

'mainlined Sharpe'. :D

i went through them at about a book a week, and ran out at about the time Prey came out in hardback. I managed not to buy the hardback version - I like to have all my books to match - and was mightily miffed that they changed the cover design between the hardback (which design fit the paperback series I had) and the paperback (which design fits neither the previous cover designs nor the newer ones with the battles on the jackets.)

[marashar]

Can't write much atm, so short version:

Since long have loved all things Napoleonic. Picked up my first Sharpe (Sharpe's Havoc in German translation) at a train station, when my connecting train was stuck half a country away - and was hooked. By the time the train was announced, I was in the middle, by the time I was home, I had finished it and bought the next volume (or actually the one before - although I didn't know at that time) at my home station ...

[sharpiefan]

Havoc's not a bad one to start with, though I have no idea how faithful the translations are. Do you prefer to read the original, or in translation?

[marashar]

Original. I don't like the writing style of the translations. They don't capture the original style and on some occasions are pretty far from the original in meaning as well. The whole translated series was published rather cheaply then. Now there is a better version. But it still was enough to make me read three or four books before I got my hands on my first original.

(Yes, Havoc was a nice starting point and is still one of my undoubted favourites. Am looking forward to reading it again! :) )

[le_russe_satan]

MAAAAAR! XD

[marashar]

RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSE! *throws confetti*

[le_russe_satan]

WE ARE DOING THIS.

[temis_ookami]

Hello! I'm a very VERY recent Sharpe's fan. I don't exactly known how I stumbled upon the sharpe's section of fanfiction on the Archive of our own, but I do know I ended up reading latin_cat's Never in life and immediately went to find and read the books. That was one month ago I think...
I didn't known anything about the napoleonic wars, so now I'm planning to read and learn more. I tend to ship Sharpe/Wellington and I am more of a reader than a writer ^^

[le_russe_satan]

It's good to see you here! :D Also... one more Sharpe/Wellington shipper! YES.

[temis_ookami]

It's good to be here ^___^

[sharpiefan]

Hello there, and welcome to the fandom! Latin will be very pleased that someone came into the fandom through her fic.

We're probably going to start with the very first novel chronologically, Sharpe's Tiger, because I think it makes sense to start at the beginning and work through to the end.

I'm sure you will learn more about the Napoleonic Wars than you had ever dreamed of - and have much fun doing so, too. And readers are always appreciated - people like Latin and myself wouldn't write fic if we didn't think people would read it.

[temis_ookami]

No prob. I think I read them chronologically as well, but I'm not a hundred percent sure.

I only had the bare basics of what happened in the european wars so it's more than a little overwhelming at times, but really fun ^__^

I'm not really reading a lot of Sharpe's fanfiction (as I was more concerned with reading the novels) but it's good to know you wrote too! When I have time i will probably start looking for stories ^^

[sharpiefan]

Well, that's part of a Read such as we're going to be holding here: reading one chapter a week and discussing it, working out what happened when and where. It shouldn't, hopefully, be too overwhelming - you only need to go into as much detail as you want because there are no tests or anything of that sort!

Any time; all my fic's up at sharpiepen - it's linked from my journal, too. Or I'm on the AO3 under the same name, sharpiefan.

[temis_ookami]

ok thanks! ^__^ *goes to AO3*

Any date set to start reading?

[fullofowls]

Hey everybody!

I, too, "mainlined" the Sharpe novels, last summer. The closest branch of my library turned out to have all of them so I just read them all in a row. Then I downloaded the ebooks and reread them all over again.

I don't recommend doing this with any book series-- you end up looking around for forts to besiege and wondering how those thieving Frenchie bastards managed to break into your apartment and steal the rum out of your refrigerator. for the record I do not keep rum in my refrigerator

I went hunting for fanfiction before I was even finished with Tiger. :D The tiny tantalizing bits of Sharpe/Lawford interaction were just not enough for me.

I am... in an odd predicament, shipping-wise. Bookverse-- Sharpe/Wellington makes me shudder, Sharpe/Harper is delightful. Movieverse-- exactly the other way around. In both cases, I absolutely love Sharpe/Teresa, though it does make me sad.

I have written one unspeakably silly fic in this fandom. And, um, that's it I guess.

[marashar]

Not quite, if you taunt us with mentions of fanfic ... (Especially if silly!) ;-) If you have it online: Link, pretty please?

Welcome to camp, since 'welcome on board' sounds be a bit wrong?


(And I'm definitely of your opinion, shipping-wise.)