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Rebel (The Starbuck Chronicles, Book 1) [Paperback]

Bernard Cornwell
3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
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Book Description

10 Jan 1994 Starbuck Chronicles (Book 1)

The first book in Bernard Cornwell’s bestselling series on the American Civil War.

It is summer 1861. The armies of North and South stand on the brink of America’s civil war.

Nathanial Starbuck, jilted by his girl and estranged from his family, arrives in the capital of the Confederate South, where he enlists in an elite regiment being raised by rich, eccentric Washington Faulconer.

Pledged to the Faulconer Legion, Starbuck becomes a northern boy fighting for the southern cause. But nothing can prepare him for the shocking violence to follow in the war which broke America in two.


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Product details

  • Paperback: 448 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; New Ed edition (10 Jan 1994)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0006179207
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006179207
  • Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 16.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 39,756 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

‘His series of Sharpe novels earned him almost every accolade possible. This is even better’ DAILY MAIL

From the Back Cover

In the summer of 1861 the armies of North and South stood on the brink of America’s civil war, 'Rebel' tells how a northern boy, Nathaniel Starbuck, came to be fighting for the southern cause.

Jilted by his girl and estranged from his family, Starbuck arrives in Richmond, Virginia, capital of the Confederate South. He is rescued by the rich and eccentric Washington Faulconer, who is raising his own elite regiment to fight against the Yankees. Starbuck enlists in the Faulconer Legion, even though it could mean fighting against his own people.

Others face similar dilemmas, but soon all confusion will be resolved by the shocking violence of the war which broke America in two.

'Rebel' marks the beginning of a magnificent new series from the best-selling creator of Richard Sharpe.

“A sure-fire best-seller”
FINANCIAL TIMES

“His series of Sharpe novels earned him almost every accolade possible from British newspapers. This is even better”
DAILY MAIL

“What Cornwell really likes is battles…you will be duly rewarded with the smell of quality cordite rising from the pages”
DAILY TELEGRAPH


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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A slow start to an excellant series. 26 Oct 2001
Format:Paperback
At first i was dissapointed, both in the amount of time it took to get anything to actually happen to Starbuck and the character of Starbuck himself. This is a slow and very slightly boring book but vital if you want to enjoy the delights of Cornwell's American Civil War series which is easily as good as his famous Sharpe series. Starbuck takes the entire book to transform from the indecisive, lost little preacher's son to the intelligent, decisive rebel captain of the next book. As an introduction to the series i was almost put off but i persevered and was grateful for doing so, Starbuck ends up just as strong and entertaining as the great man, Sharpe himself and i'm already eagerly searching for the next book in my series. The end of the book is well worth the wait though and the battle scene is wonderful, describing the ineptitude of both armies and the emotions of the men fighting their first war. The Starbuck chronicles are great and i strongly recommend this book to get into them.
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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A cracking good read 29 Oct 1998
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
A rather ropey start sets this novel of the American Civil War off on the wrong foot, but stick with it few the first half dozen pages and you're in for a treat. Good characterisation and wonderfully patient description rub shoulders with high action in a novel which shows Cornwell is capable of a good deal more than the Sharpe novels which brought him to fame. Rebel is the first of a series of novels (subtitled The Starbuck Chronicles) which chart the history of Nathanial Starbuck, a Northerner who turns his back on his own kind to join the Confederate army of the South. In addition to the jibes and aggravation of his new brothers in arms, Starbuck must deal with the ethical problems of fighting against friends and family through some of the biggest battlkes of the conflict. All in all a cracking good read and highly recommended to anyone with an interest in America's most turbulent times.
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars An Inauspicious Begining 10 Nov 2002
By A. Ross TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
One of my favorite writers of historical fiction kicks off his Civil War series with this remarkably tepid tale. A number of flaws make themselves manifest over the course of the book, the foremost of which is an unlikable hero. Cornwell seems to have decided to take the hero of his wildly successful Napoleonic era series, Richard Sharpe, and make his new hero come from the exact opposite background. Unfortunately, while one is naturally inclined to root for an orphaned, gutter-bred, ill-mannered rogue who rises through the ranks due to sheer merit, one is much less likely to root for the privileged scion of a Boston abolitionist preacher who joins the Confederate forces as an act of rebellion against his strict upbringing! Indeed, while Sharpe grows and learns a little in each book, the only thing Starbuck seems to learn in this first volume is to devalue human life! Indeed, his overall transformation seems rather forced.

It doesn't help that Cornwell appears to be creating the same setups as in the Sharpe series, giving his hero a dangerous and loyal sidekick, a passel of idiotic officers, with one or two sprinkled in who recognize the hero's value. There's even a tempting woman to lead all the men astray! It's also rather slow and plodding compared to the Sharpe books, although granted, it appears to be designed more as a prelude to the series than anything else.

The story follows 20ish Nate Starbuck, as he enlists in a local Confederate force being mustered by the fabulously wealthy and dangerously vain father of his best friend. The book sees the slow build to war, as the "Faulconer Legion" equips and readies itself, before finally getting into action at the Battle of Manassas (aka Bull Run 1). The battle/action scenes are adequate, but not as gripping as his Napoleonic stuff. I suspect this may be because the Civil War is more familiar to us Americans-we've seen it in print, on TV, in film, even reenacted!-whereas the Napoleonic battle has the allure of something new.

As always with Cornwell, there's a ton of interesting little details, and various historical figures popping in and out of the plot. He does seem to play rather loose with a number of facts, but it is fiction after all. I'll read the next in the series, but this one was a serious disappointment for this Cornwell fan!

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Rebel
Excellent read. I have read a number of books by the same author and I have never been disappointed. Fiction set in a background of historical fact.
Published 13 days ago by CMac
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Really interesting read. The battles were really good, just purchased the next book in the series. Would highly recommended this book.
Published 1 month ago by james fraser
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Cornwell?
Yes, five stars! This reader studied American history at university where he became fascinated with the tragedy of the Civil War. Read more
Published 1 month ago by phantomphixer
4.0 out of 5 stars A vivid account
This is the second Bernard Cromwell book that I have read, and like the first, ("Sea Lord"), I was most impressed with they way Mr Cromwell draws the reader into the story... Read more
Published 1 month ago by caseyatche
2.0 out of 5 stars Not one of Cornwells Best
I like Bernard Cornwell but not this one and wont buy rest in the series. Possibly just not my tyoe of book.
Published 1 month ago by Mr. D. Macbeth
4.0 out of 5 stars could not put down
slow and detailed start but once characters are established very good and factual re battle scenes also informative to followers of the civil war
Published 2 months ago by chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Cornwell and the American Civil War
Cornwell writes well and with pace in his books against any historic background. His Sharpe series is one example and his short Starbuck series against the backdrop of the American... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mr. S. Richardson
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating read keeps you spellbound
The tale of somebody trying to find himself in a time when insanity reigned is extremely well written and the real heroes of life highlighted.
Published 4 months ago by COLIN SELF
3.0 out of 5 stars Rebel
I am a great fan of Bernard Cornwell and read as many of his books as I can get my hands on. His grasp of the historical/fictional mix is totally rivetting. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Derek Cj Pitman
4.0 out of 5 stars Yet another good rread from Cornwell
I've read all but this series of Cornwell books ....they now complete the set and are a superb read and partial History lesson
Published 5 months ago by D. Andrew Allen
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