Rebel: The Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles: Book One

Cornwell made his reputation with the superb Sharpe series, but his writing in this wonderful book surpasses Sharpe. He does an even better job describing the American Civil War than he did for the Napoleonic Wars in Spain. He has a deep instinctual feeling for the era, it's people, and the thorny issues that ripped apart America during this tempestuous time. " Rebel" shows the war from a Confederate perspective, yet Cornwell is far from an apologist for them and he displays great sympathy for both sides. Nathaniel Starbuck, the protagonist, is a deeper, more complex, and more conflicted character than Sharpe and unlike Sharpe, is an educated man. It's fascinating to watch a Yale Divinity School drop out evolve into a warrior. The characters are many, but all well drawn and engaging. The description of the Battle of Bull Run is lengthy, brutal, and highly realistic. Cornwell pulls no punches about the horrors of battle and he writes about it with a confidence and attention to detail that makes the "The Killer Angels" take on the war seem superficial and sugar coated. Cornwell is an Englishman; often an outsider sees things insiders miss. If Bruce Catton and Shelby Foote were alive today, I am certain Cornwell's book would be in their libraries.

Fans of Bernard Cornwell will not be disappointed. The story takes a long time to build. Sometimes frustratingly so. But Cornwell takes great pains to demonstrate that Nathaniel Starbuck is NOT Richard Sharpe in a Grey uniform. But the climax at the battle of Manassas is what the readers came for and it does not disappoint. As usual, Cornwell's research is meticulous, from the place names, the movements of armies, the events of battle down to the detailed minutiae of how a civil war era rifle works. And more than that, he places you squarely on the field of battle with the sights, the sounds and the smells. He puts you inside the heads of the combatants so that you feel what they feel. A great read for the fan of military history.

I read his series called the Saxony Tales about Vikings in medieval times and they were great so I saw he wrote about the civil war and tried this novel and it too was great. He takes a fictitious character and builds a history around him so you learn a lot about the times painlessly. The characters are well-formed and interesting and the detail of the time they lived in is exacting making for a wonderful novel.

Bernard Cornwell is the best writer of historical fiction around, and although his Starbuck Chronicles aren't necessarily his best, they are really excellent. I highly recommend them. Definitely read them in order. Hopefully someday he'll finish the series, but each novel is basically a standalone.

, but Cornwell's battle descriptions are page-turners. It is a bit amusing that he has less of a grasp of America than of the last 5000 years of British history.

Like many others, I came to this book after reading the Sharpe and Viking series. I enjoyed those immensely. This one certainly drew me in right away. It kept me reading and interested.And yet. Starbuck the character was never entirely believable. Family conflict yes, girl-crazy fine, but it was impossible to believe he never looked at the broader picture. Or if he didn't, one could not see him as intelligent.The bigger problem is that I began to suspect Cromwell was a Southern apologist. Look at the portrayal of northerners in this book. Starbuck's father, the famous abolitionist, is humorless, loveless, and consumed with hatred for the South -- a perfect example of confederate propaganda. Other northerners are equally cold or venal. I can't think of a single positive example. Perhaps in later books?I knew this series was incomplete, so I decided to see where it ended before buying any others. As expected, it stops after Antietam -- the last moment that anyone could really think the South would win. I guess Cromwell did not want to see his side lose. I am glad the North won, and can't see supporting this series financially.

Nathaniel Starbuck is the son of a Boston firebrand, preacher. He leaves seminaryschool and finds himself in Virginia and on the Southern side of the Americanconflict. Can he survive his first battle?Brilliant depiction of the battle at Bull Run. The made up characters act as realpeople, and the story flows well. Good insights to what both sides were thinkingand acting. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Nate Starbuck is every bit as interesting as Richard Sharp and thoroughly American. Great to read a Cornwell tale about this side of the pond. If you liked any of Cornwell's heroes, you'll like Starbuck. I've always loved Cornwell characters. His heroes are wonderfully flawed and his villains are wonderfully human. Sit back, fasten your seat belt and get ready to enjoy a great series.

I hadn't read this series of his books so I decided to try them. I have read 2 so far and there are two more to read.

Veeru satisfied. Got this book only from this seller. I had earlier ordered twice from different sellers, but received different products.

Con ottima originalità ed un'impeccabile preparazione storica B.C. coinvolge il lettore in uno degli episodi più bui e cruenti della storia americana. La dipendenza dalla lingua non è un grosso ostacolo, salvo qualche termine, e la lettura si presenta scorrevole e molto piacevole. Speriamo un giorno lo traducano pure nella nostra lingua.

Downloaded straight away making my 45 min flight delay fly by.

Cronwell hat sich hier dem interssanten Thema des Amerikanischen Bürgerkrieges zugewendet und beschreibt die Geschehenisse aus Sicht mehrerer Protagonisten von ca. 1860 bis zum Ende der 1. Schalcht von Bull Run/Manassas.Im wesentlichen veranschaulicht er den Verlauf des Konfliktes anhand der fiktiven Faulconer Legion, von deren Aufstellung bis ins erste Gefecht.Die Darstellung des ersten Aufeinandertreffens von Unions und Konföderationstruppen ist sehr detailiert und spart auch nicht die grausamen Realitäten aus.Insbesondere die Arbeit eines Feldchirurgen liesen si9ch bei mir die Nackenhaare aufstellen. Auch werden die Auswirkungen des Krieges auf die Charaktäre der Handelnden glaubhaft dargestellt, ohne das dieser psychologische Teil jedoch aufdringlich wird.Die Hauptperson des Nathaniel Starbuck als Nordstaatler in den Reihen der Konfoderierten gewährt hier eine interssante Perspektive und ist sehr gut durch weitere Charaktäre auf beiden Seiten ergänzt.Empfehlenswert für alle die sich dem Amerikanischen Bürgerkrieg im Roman annähern wollen.Wer das Thema mit breiterem Fokus zu Ursache und Verlauf lesen möchte dem sei die Romanreihe von John Jakes (dt. Fackeln im Sturm) ans Herz gelegt.