Bulletin Board

Mr. Cornwell,

 

This January, I had just finished defending my thesis for my doctorate, a four year journey, and could not read another book.  I’m not much for fiction, but decided that it might be a relaxing change, especially for the 24 hour journey  I was about to take.  So I entered a book store at the airport, but what to read.  After a long search, I stumbled on a book called The Empty Throne.

I sat on the plane, excited to begin reading and, alas, realized I had purchased a book in a series.  Worse yet, it was book eight.  I’m not one to read out of sequence, and I’m also not one to read a series. I just wanted to read one book to satisfy the need; then get back to my work.  While I sat and waited for takeoff, my mind wandered.  My wife and I had begun the search for our retirement life.  The plan was to continue to reside in Massachusetts, but I was done with the cold, so what about winter..  We knew somewhere south, but having lived in Florida for a year, that was not an option.

Daydreaming and thumbing through my new book, I came across your brief bio, and saw you spent summers in Cape Cod, and winters in Charleston, and area I had always been interested in.  When I finally arrived in Singapore, I called my wife and said, “I think I may have found it.”  We went on to plan a vacation in Hilton Head, SC to explore the area.  Fast forward to last week, we just returned from a wonderful 5 day vacation touring Hilton Head, Charleston, and Savannah, and will go on to further research the area as our winter retirement home.

But what about the Last Kingdom?  Oh yes, I decided to buy the first book, assuming that it would satisfy the need to read.  It did not, and so I have just finished Lords of the North, and will purchase Sword Song tomorrow to read on yet another long flight.  It appears that the new found genre of historical fiction satisfies both an intellectual and entertainment need, and of course, how could I abandon Uhtred at this point.

I thought I would share this story and thank you for the great reads, and the idea for the path we may follow.  Perhaps someday we will bump into each other in Charleston or the Cape.

Thanks and Regards,

Andrew Macdonald

Hi; I've been reading all your books ever since The Winter King; and I've particularly enjoyed the Saxon Chronicles - until the last one! Not that it was a bad story, but the deaths of Haesten and Brida seemed forced to me; Haesten was Uhtred's ever-recurring knuckle-headed nemesis, never to succeed but always to come back and try again, and I'll miss him - but I thought he deserved a better death than he got. Yes, he broke an oath; but Uhtred came close to doing that a few times himself! Brida is a lot more complicated; I always thought she represented Uhtred's wild side, and lived the life Uhtred wanted to live; I hoped she would have aged a lot more gracefully, and with Ragnar's death would have forced a choice on Uhtred - Bebbanburg and Brida, with Dunholm's help;  or continuing his pointless (and terminally boring) servitude to Aethelflaed. Getting chopped to pieces as a bitter, evil, ugly old crone seemed kind of a harsh end! Oh well, now that you have largely swept the stage clean, I'm looking for much bigger things in the next book!

John

Hello,

I just wanted to thank you for The Warlord chronicles, The Warrior Chronicles, and the Grail Quest series, with 1356, and Agincourt. I cannot tell you how much joy it is to get lost in one of your books and how fun it is to look at your sources. I would love the opportunity to meet you one day just to say thank you. I wish you everything that is good and thank you again for the incredible historical stories of England. It's where my ancestors are from on my father's side, my mother's from Norway. It's an incredible passion that I have and reading your books only makes it burn stronger.

Blake Davenport

I just finished watching all 8 episodes on Netflix. My wife and I put your program right up with Outlander and Game of thrones.   I can't wait it the new season to start.  I also want to say thank you for your work.  My wife and I don't watch tv much and like I mentioned in our opinion you have a top rated show. We like the history of England.  Thank you for your time.

Pat Runyon, USA

Hello, Mr. Cornwell.

Three years ago I wrote you about the amazing covers of your books here in Brazil. I don't know if you got the chance to see them, but here is a picture of the Saxon Stories aligned. So nice...

Love your books. Please, say hello to my friend Perereca.

http://novonerd.xpg.uol.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/cronicas-saxonicas-1024x2301.png

 

Fernando Fischer

A reader recently asked if you would consider writing a book about Sharpe's early life.

This has always intrigued me and I think it would make a wonderful story. Sharpe springs to life as a soldier in India, and you fill in some of his background in later novels (growing up in Shoreditch and recruitment by Hakeswill) but it's tantalising sparse! Please consider this. I believe your readers would love to know more about the young Sharpe, how he came to join the army, his training and his previous service.

I've even suggested a title for you! Sharpe's Genesis

Martyn Kerr

Mr. Cornwell,

I'm a math teacher, and I have absolutely no time for leisure reading during the school year.  But the summer is a time when I can sit back and delve into mythical worlds again.

Over the past decade or so, I've read a smattering of your books ... but never in any particular order because the library does not carry them in order.  I've always enjoyed your particular brand of historical fiction.

Earlier this summer, as I was surfing for something to watch on Netflix, I came across a 5 star rated show, "the Last Kingdom".  I didn't know it was the Saxon Tales ... until about episode 3 or 4.  I binge watched the series in 1 day.  Then I went to the library and picked up the latest Uhtred novel available at the library, "the Empty Throne".  I greedily gulped down that novel in less than a day.

I've since reserved all copes of the Saxon Tales and have begun re-reading them in order.  Thank you for a wonderful summer filled with shield walls, horsemen, screaming and dying warriors, and all those fun filled antics Uhtred is up to.

I'm hoping to finish as much of the Saxon Tales as possible before the season changes.  September is right around the corner, and it'll be back to lesson plans and math problems for another 10 months.  But I'll be looking for new adventures come next summer.

Best to you.

Ed Hou

Just wanted to say how much I enjoy the humour side of character Uhtred.

I have had a good laugh many times in this series and am just starting The Burning Land. I appreciate the historical context and your creative twist to it.

Well done.

Cheers

Drew

Damn !!......I've just read the excerpt from 'The Flame Bearer'  and I wish I hadn't, because now I've got that ....that....that 'urge ?'  I usually get when I'm reading about   Uhtred's adventures. Now I'm gonna be on 'edge' til the book is published......DAMN !!

Tracy Barakat

I have just finished reading all 8 of the Saxon series during this month's hot summer days - love Uhtred and learning the history of the period.  I learnt a lot and now anxious to do some more research into the period.  I do have one comment which might have already been brought to your attention (I haven't read through all the comments) and that is that you got your children mixed up in order of birth and age - Uhtred (eldest became the priest) daughter was second and the youngest by 5 years was the son who later became called Uhtred when his father disowned the eldest and became a warrior - In the Empty Throne you keep saying the daughter was the youngest when in your earliest books she is Uhtred second born.  Maybe this has been noted before but as I read all 8 with no break this jumped out of me .....

Eurilda