Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell was born on February 23rd, 1944 and is currently 82 years old. Bernard Cornwell was born in London, England.
Bernard Cornwell is known for writing in the Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Thriller genres.
Bernard Cornwell is the author of the Sharpe series which currently consists of 27 novels. The Sharpe series started in 1981 with the novel Sharpe's Gold. The most recently released novel in the Sharpe series was Sharpe's Storm which was released in 2025. There are no upcoming novels for the Sharpe series.
Bernard Cornwell has also written The Warrior Chronicles / Saxon Stories series which has 14 books including The Last Kingdom and The Pale Horseman.
Bernard Cornwell has been included on Japan's
Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! list one time. It was for
Sea Lord (
Killer's Wake in the U.S.), which tied for 7th in 1992.
Bernard Cornwell was awarded an Honorary Platinum Bestseller Award by Nielsen. He is a member of their 21st Century Platinum Hall of Fame.
Bernard Cornwell: Awards & Accolades
Bernard Cornwell books have been nominated for multiple awards, The Last Kingdom was nominated for the Audie Award, Best Fiction, in 2006. Death of Kings was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction, in 2012. 1356 was nominated for the British Book Awards, Fiction Book of the Year, in 2012. War of the Wolf was nominated for the Goodreads Awards, Best Historical Fiction, in 2018.
Bernard Cornwell: TV/Movies Based on Books
The Sharpe series of novels was adapted into the Sharpe television series for ITV. The series starred Sean Bean as Richard Sharpe and Daragh O'Malley as Patrick Harper. Despite being based on the series, some of the episodes are original stories not based on any books. The series ran from 1993 to 1997, but came back in 2006 for a two-parter with Sean Bean reprising ht role. The success of Sharpe's Challenge led to another two-parter, Sharpe's Peril.
Cornwell enjoyed the portrayal of Sharpe by Bean so much that he dedicated his 12th book in the series, Sharpe's Battle, to him. The dedication said that when he writes Sharpe, he hears Sean's voice.
The Last Kingdom is another adaptation of Cornwell's work. The series is based on The Saxoon Stories series of books. The series premiered in 2015 and aired for five seasons on the BBC. It would later move to Netflix. Actors on the show included Alexander Dreymon as Uhtred, David Dawson as King Alfred, and Emily Cox as Brida.
The fifth season was the end of the series, but a full length film has since been filmed for Netflix entitled Seven Kings Must Die.
Each season of the show was based on a novel or multiple novels, but signifcant changes were made to the plot along the way.
Related Authors
Fans of Bernard Cornwell also enjoy these authors:
- Simon Scarrow, author of the Eagle Series.
- Ken Follett, author of the Kingsbridge Series.
- Andrew Gross, author of the Ty Hauck Series.
- W.E.B. Griffin, author of the Presidential Agent Series.
- Stephanie Dray, author of: My Dear Hamilton.
- Jacqueline Winspear, author of the Maisie Dobbs Series.
- Emma Donoghue, author of: Room.
- Alexandre Dumas, author of the Monte Cristo Series.
- Anna Lee Huber, author of the Lady Darby Mystery Series.
- Jack Higgins, author of the Liam Devlin Series.
Bernard Cornwell: F.A.Q
When was Bernard Cornwell Born? How old is Bernard Cornwell?
Bernard Cornwell was born on February 23rd, 1944. Bernard Cornwell is currently 82 years old.
Where was Bernard Cornwell Born?
Bernard Cornwell was born in London, England and is English.
What was the first book Bernard Cornwell wrote?
The first book written by Bernard Cornwell was Sharpe's Gold, published in 1981.
What was the most recent book Bernard Cornwell wrote?
His most recently released work was Sharpe's Storm on December 2nd, 2025.
What is the most popular book by Bernard Cornwell?
Based on the number of readers on Book Notification, the most popular Bernard Cornwell book is
The Last Kingdom. Here are his most popular books and their average ratings:
- The Last Kingdom (8.72)
- The Pale Horseman (8.54)
- Sword Song (8.24)
- Lords of the North (8.67)
- The Burning Land (8.56)
What genres does Bernard Cornwell Write?
Bernard Cornwell primarily writes in the Fantasy, Historical Fiction, and Thriller genres. His work includes sub-genres such as Military and War Historical Fiction, Action Thriller, and Regional Historical Fiction.
Are there upcoming new books by Bernard Cornwell?
Bernard Cornwell does not have any upcoming books with a set publication date within the next few months at this time.
Click and we will notify you via e-mail when Bernard Cornwell next book gets announced.
How many books has Bernard Cornwell written?
Bernard Cornwell has written 67 books across 12 series.
- 27 books in the Sharpe Series
- 1 Sharpe Non-Fiction
- 2 books in the Crowning Mercy Series
- 4 books in the Grail Quest Series
- 4 books in the Starbuck Chronicles Series
- 5 books in the Sailing Thrillers Series
- 3 books in the Warlord Chronicles / The Arthur Series
- 14 books in The Warrior Chronicles / Saxon Stories Series
- 6 Standalone Novels
- 1 Non-Fiction Books
What happened to Sharpe’s Storm?
Originally scheduled for release in 2024, Bernard wrote a Facebook post on August 21st, 2024 announcing it would not be releasing that year. He has had to go through a health-related ordeal this year, but had still finished the majority of the book. He was given the opportunity to participate in the Cape Cod Shakespeare Festival and that also set things back. There was then also an issue in relation to the story and the chronology, with the book taking place between Regiment and Siege, but an issue where the ending would overlap with the Siege ending. Long story short - it's going to require an extensive rewrite and so will be out in 2025.