I have enjoyed discovering and reading your work since the newly published "The Winter King" made me aware of your very existence and from then I was off backtracking what I might have already missed. Since then I have pretty much been on the lookout, as it were, for whatever I could lay my hands on (sans the Sharpe series as I'm a pre-firearms kind of fan). Medieval history is a bit of a hobby of mine and I've read the likes of Sharon Penman (before her romance novel phase which she now seems have left behind with the upcoming "Lionheart"), Morgan LLywelan, Sile Rice, Richard Kluger and others. I very much enjoyed your "Agincourt." I've always been fascinated by that particular battle. I'm very fond of your writing style. Obviously we can never know how a historic person truly thought, spoke, felt in their hearts, yet your characters are believable to me and often stay with me in reflection of what you wrote. You do not turn the battles into glorious notions, or religious fervor; instead you describe them as what they would have truly been- bloody, violent, sadly graphic. I have some small skill with a sword and taught Martial Arts for many (MANY) years. I'm an ex Marine and Army Military Intelligence. As suggested above, I discovered your Saxon stories (books) quite by accident with "The Burning Land" and have fairly devoured it. I see the 6th book is imminent, however I must read them in order and am frustrated that I found 5 before the others, believing it an independent plotline. Oh well, the quest goes on I suppose. There is no point to this missive; perhaps appreciation of your work is enough. My own first novel was published in 2007, relating to my childhood growing up in Brooklyn during the 60's (if you wish to call it a childhood). I had to find the publisher I could being a first time novelist during a bleak and imposing recession and although I am not SELF published I have nowhere near your credentials and doubtless never will. My second book is a compilation of short stories, emotional faux pas and flights of fancy and speculation. I write because I must. I believe you do as well, so perhaps that is the point of this letter. Thanks for writing. Chris Lay
Bulletin Board
Dear Sir, thank you so much for your books. I have discovered you only about two month ago and since than I finished Saxon stories and am on 4th Sharpe's book. I hope so much that The death of kings will be two thousand pages long and I will read it the whole week. I am collecting all your books and no doubt will read them over and over again. Respectfully Milan Stanford
Hi Bernard Cornwell - I was at your talk Sept. 1 in Castine (I'm the National Geographic producer writing the novel set in North Carolina during the French and Indian War.) I am a great admirer, and thoroughly enjoyed hearing you speak - and just had to share the experience with 450 friends on a guitar forum populated by many fans of historical fiction. http://acoustictalk.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=tempttt&action=display&thread=24663. Looking forward to diving into your age of Arthur books, having done a bit of writing on the subject myself for the Geographic. Best regards Donald Smith
Thank you very much - and for sharing! It was good meeting you, albeit too briefly, in Castine!
Hello my name as you probably now know is Jay i hope not to bore you but i would like to say that i am a teenager coming up to the age of 16 this month and am a very heavy reader a rarity among those of my age and am often ridiculed by my peers because of this though despite that i still continue to read a lot in my spare time the book of yours i read was THE FORT and i confess i didn't really look at who rote it until after i had read it and was very pleased by my purchase then i came across AZINCOURT at my local library and fell in love with it where i then later bought my own copy when i came across the saxon stories i could not stop and whenever i go near books now i keep an eye out for Bernard Cornwell's my favourite stories are the Saxon ones by far they seem to me to bring the past to life in beautiful written stories that i deeply deeply enjoy i hope you continue writing for a very long time and eagerly await your next book as more are all ready on my birthday list. I hope i didn't bore you with the length of this letter. Jay O'Connor
Happy Birthday! (hope you get everything you want!)
I've loved your books for years now (I believe I read the Arthur series shortly when it came out). I've been an awful fan and fell "out of touch" for a couple of years. Life got busy, I started reading some real dry history texts...honestly for a while I was on a huge non-fiction kick but I am back with a vengeance and trying to pick up all the books you've been writing these last years. I can't believe how busy you have been! And I'm extremely excited and grateful! I have just read your story on this site about your wife and why you started writing...it's like a movie (or maybe a really good book). Anyway I just introduced my boyfriend to a couple of series that I have collected of yours and he's fallen in love with your writing. We both are having a great time collecting more of your work! I live in Maine and am kicking myself that I waited until now to find your website. You'll be passing through here in a couple of days and had I known, I would have tried to get a day off from work to get a book signed and listen to you speak. Argggghhhhh! I will be checking your diary now to see if my boyfriend and I can catch you at some other time. Just wanted to say THANK YOU!!!!! You've brought hours of enjoyment into both of our lives and we look forward to the next chapter! Thanks! Shyanne Sullivan
Love the Saxon Chronicles. Now why if I have a kindle in this age of technology must I wait for a US release? Truly makes no sense to me? You live on the Cape? We should get it first. Or have download capability in September like the UK. Just a thought. George
Really enjoy your books, but I would love to see the Saxon Stories on film or as a series. Henrik
I suppose I'm a late reader. You have a lot of skill and I've enjoyed many of your series and some of your single books (i haven't read them all.) I have to say though: I love Sharpe, I love the Arthur series, I particularly love the Saxon series (my introduction to you) but my favourite is the Starbuck Chronicles. I find that odd actually, as I'm not a civil war fan and not a big fan of gunfire stories in general. I realize you hear from a lot of your readers but I'd like to tell you that though I appreciate most of your work for some reason the Starbuck series feels like genius and it's not the same as the Sharpe stories. Enough said. I doubt you'll read this but for some reason I felt the need to share with you. I have not done this before. Allow me to reiterate please, Starbuck is not Sharpe. I don't know why. He's just not, he's captured my imagination. Maybe it's my Army training, maybe I'm just a dumbass. Who knows? In any event, I appreciate your writings. Chris
Dear Mr. Cornwell, I don't know how to say, in a way you haven't heard a thousand times, how much your body of work means to me. With Uhtred, for example, I have traipsed the wilds of England, smelled the death of battle, and felt the lash of the salt spray on my face. I was reading a list of "greatest books of all time" and they were impressive as you can imagine, but, sadly incomplete. These were the standards of high school English and very well in their own right, but none of them has ever moved me, or made me stay up way, way too late and be tired, but fired up for my day ahead. The first line of The Last Kingdom hooked me and drew me in like a vortex and my imagination has never been the same. The armchair adventurer in me revels, and for these things, I thank you.
Marianne Matthews
I just finished watching Sharpe's Peril which I bought. I think the Sharpe fans, as I am, don't care if Sean and Darragh are barely able to walk and talk;keep em coming. I started over with the Rifle Series and saw 2 tonight. As all of your fans, I get totally involved and love each series...I'm also reading Starbuck's Bloody Ground..I just go from one to another and get excited with each one. So many thanks yet again and keep on writin'. A real fan. Jan Schaeffer