Bulletin Board

Dear Mr Cornwell,

I'm 60 now: I've never read Sharpe. ITV put me off him when I was much younger, and it's stayed with me. I haven't read that much fiction either, not until an old friend gave me a copy of The Last Kingdom and TOLD me to read it. That was about three years ago. Before that there was a bit of Wilbur Smith and Leon Uris back in my twenties, oh and of course Tolkien from the age of 16; I've never put him down, and read him more as history than fiction. And that's what I've read for most of my life, pure military history to accompany my passion for painting model soldiers. I've had a varied life from heavy industry to caring, with lots in between, and your writing has a depth of authenticity about it that draws me further in and has me nodding my head in agreement.

Well I'm up to date with Uhtred, Derfell and Starbuck and about to start on your "one offs", and I just wanted to say thank you.

I've laughed out loud and choked up with emotion.

You've taught me history like a time machine and added to my knowledge like an encyclopedia. You've improved my understanding like a philosopher, and painted pictures in my head like a grand master. You've sewn seeds of inspiration like a diligent farmer and filled the long empty moments like a best friend.

 

And that's enough sycophancy for a life time.

Well done, and many, many thanks.

Live long and stay fit, for all our sakes. :-)

Michael Nichol

Hey Bernard!

I know you must be busy so I won't prattle on.

We at Cultured Vultures just published 7 Most Anticipated Books Of October 2016 and included The Flame Bearer:

http://culturedvultures.com/most-anticipated-books-october-2016/

We hope you enjoy the read and may even consider sharing it with your audience.

Have a good day.

Jimmy

Dear Bernard Cornwell:

I recently finished the latest installment of the Uhtred books and had to write to you.  I'm an author myself with much less range and I'm in awe of what you've accomplished in the series.  Everything fits perfectly: setting, characters, action, historical details.  But that sounds mechanical, and I don't mean it as such because your books breathe the period.  Uhtred enslaved, Uhtred in the marshes, Uhtred betrayed (too often, he'd say), Uhtred in mid-battle all are so vivid each book took over my life when I read it, and transported me the way the very best fiction should.  And your prose, wow!  Your descriptions of nights before battle, or distant towns on fire, or the hunt for a safe port, or the savagery of the shield wall couldn't be more evocative.  Best of all perhaps is the way you've situated him between two worlds that are in such sharp conflict.

I've moved on to Agincourt which is also beautifully wrought, and plan to follow it with the Grail series, as the 14th century is one of my favorite periods of French history.

Thank you for the many hours of enjoyment.  Your work is truly inspiring.

Sincerely,

Lev Raphael

Dear Bernard,

with interest I have read your story about Waterloo twice in succession.

Please allow me to point to the fact that the battle today is called Schlacht von Waterloo in Germany.

The term battle of Belle Alliance may have been in common use for long periods after the event. If you know a person in G. understanding b.of BA without consulting books or Wikipedia you have met somebody with deeper/extended knowledge of German history.

This did not happen with ABBAs song but many years before. Consulting my old history shool book "Zeiten und Menschen 3" on page 1o4/1o5 I found just Schlacht von Waterloo. The copyright of this book is 1968. Unfortunatly there is no poosibility to add a scan of the respective pages, but I am prepared to mail these scans to you if desired.

Best regards from Sauerland/Germany

Anton Boellecke

Hi Bernard,

Just wanted to say I grew up reading the Sharpe Series and have recently been given the Saxon Series for my birthday (last week) and am halfway through Warriors of The Storm!

They are awesome books, please keep them coming!! Top Author!! :)

Reuben

 

To Mr Cornwell,

I have been a fan now for a couple of years, your books sent me into researching coinage, early British exports to Europe, as usual I was provoked to thought...

Arthur, Eohhere, Uther, ohhere,

When we lived in Dorset, we visited Eggardon hill, Eohhere's Hill, by translation. It is a truly breathtaking site, especially in the evening after a summer's hot day, when the white mist rises to fill the deep dry river valleys that now run seawards.

My mother a keen walker, botanists and amateur researcher liked to take us on country walks, in which botany and history, are a focal point, we Roman remained, climbed summits, walked river banks and visited quarry cliffs and screes searching for ancient sea bones or shells.

So, when I say that Eggardon Hill has a seemingly magical air about it, you will understand, it really does have a unique atmosphere.

At the bottom of a steep slope to the northern privately owned landward part of Eggardon Hill, is what I would call a geological anomaly, it could be an ancient rubbish dump, not uncommon, an area where there had been a cliff fall, although the hill slope is not that steep!

Eggardon Hill, is well situated to reach all places, like London, Wales, and the Coast fast and with relative ease is on ancient trackways, and the arterial London route from the South West, Bristol and Salisbury etc are on a good dry flat route...

Eggardon like Eohhere both equally sound like Arthur or etymological translations of Arthur, the site is grand enough for a Royal defensible base, and central enough to that world.

Arthur is historically buried under a hill, since visiting the hill, and seeing that geological anomaly, the hill is chalky limestone, and seeing documentaries on the way Saxon warriors etc were buried, in Europe, it strikes me that Eohhere might well be buried under that hill.

There is also a linked hill that was once the site of a Royal Castle, providing supporting evidence to hypothesis a lineage of Monarchical ownership...

A previous owner of the private part of the hill, was a Smuggler pirate, running rum and brandy up from the coast, in the river valleys no doubt, but wouldn't he have needed a large undiscovered hidden cave system to store the cargo, from his huge smuggling operation..?

I would love someone to consider Eggardon Hill, as a potential Camelot, with Arthur hidden beneath its northern edge, in true Saxon warrior burial style.

And hope the Dorset smuggler didn't find this ancient treasure and turn it into a fleet of smuggling ships...

Kim

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

I like the Saxon Tales very much, but now, when  reading Warriors of the Storm I think its time to bring the Story to an end. This book is- I'm sorry - boring.

Jürgen Nussbaumer

I have already told you in the past how much I like your work. That is still true. I hope you don't get bored with it. If so I will certainly be bored if you quit! So, about Starbuck, any plans to continue that? The Civil War has been done and redone. Your method is a bit different though. Also more interesting than most pure history (Mr Sears excepted). Since we obviously know how the war ended I have a suggestion if you get that far: where and what would Nate do after the war? Going home would seem to be a bad thing. Forgiveness was not common in the country and most likely the same would be true in his family. Oh well, just an idea I had. Finally, good luck, hope your family is well and thanks. Oh, I can't write so if you do like that idea you are welcome to it. Lawyers? Don't get me started!

Larry Crow

Dear Sir, or it should be.

I started reading 'Hornblower' when I was about 10 I'm now in my 70th year and still flip back and have a read. As well your own brilliant novels love the reference to Matthew Dodd. I have just re-read Foresters autobiography 'Long before forty' If you've never run across it it's brilliant. Any budding author should have a copy. Also his book 'The General' must have been one of the best novels about WW1. I can only imagine how it would be received nowadays. Especially if written by a certain author whose initials are BC . Can't wait for the 6th October, I land in the UK on the 5th, guess where i'm heading next morning. Stay well keep up the outstanding work, grovel grovel.

Roy Manton

 

Dear Mr Cornwell,

I just want to say thank you!

I'm an italian girl and I can say that I grown up with your novels. Now I'm 25, but I met Derfel when I was only 9: I've always loved reading stories and I was looking for something new in my city's library. Of course, I didn't like childrens' books..they were too easy for my taste ;) so on a shelf I found a big grey book with a silver helm on the cover..and it caught my attention. I can say that it was the beginning of the end :D The Arthur Books, Grail Quest, Stonehenge, Azincourt, 1356, all I can find published in Italian. Well, I admit..I haven't read Sharpe Books anymore. I don't know why, but in my heart bows and swords beat bayonets and guns (but never say never). That's why I literally fell in love with The Saxon Series: it's one of the best things I've ever read. I don't know if I cried more at the end of The Pagan Lord or when I heard about the publication of The Empty Throne! Now I'm waiting for the Italian launch of the last books..even if I'll probably start reading them in English, I can't stand it anymore!

I apologise for the lenght of my email -and for my English too-, but I really wanted to thank you for keeping me company (in the past, in the present and in the future too) with your amazing novels!

Waiting for a thousand more Uthred's battles,

Beatrice