Bulletin Board

I just wanted you to know how much that I have enjoyed your books in the Grail Quest, Rebel and Saxon Tales series. I was stationed at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk in the late 60s and thoroughly enjoyed flying over the legendary places in the UK at 500' AGL and 360+ knots! It is a marvelous country.
Don Schmenk

Mr. Cornwell, I love every book I've read that you've written. I started reading your Saxon series, which I read, and then went on to read Sharpe, The Gallows Thief, the Thomas of Hookton books. I really loved A Crowning Mercy. I fall in love with every one of your heroes, but I don't tell my husband that. They all have one thing in common, they are true heroes. They are brave and good and true and strong, and all a bit (or more) unconventional. I love learning about all the military history too. I love learning about the Napoleonic Wars and early British history. I am now reading the sea Thrillers and am loving them. You are such a compelling writer. Bravo!
Elizabeth Schmidt

Dear Bernard I recently bought one of your Anglo-Saxon novels but cannot bring myself to read it yet. It worries me that someone else's ideas might somehow intrude into my plots! I am half way through a third novel set in 9th century Wessex. I began these in early 2004 and I'm reluctant now to leave my protagonist who I think is maturing faster than me! A couple of agents liked the first two enough to ask to read the full manuscript but that's as far as I've got! Comments such as "well written" and "well researched" have encouraged me to press on, though I suspect I may not have enough gore for some modern tastes. That said, I've thoroughly enjoyed returning to a period of history I studied at university back in the 60s and the mental challenge of developing good plots must help to stave off dementia. I promise I will read the Uhtred books once I get tired of Winfrith! Kind regards, John Ward

A Strange Coincidence. Dear Mr Cornwell I am about to write a biography on a Freemason whose life and times, need to be recorded. He was in short, a Scallywag and Freemason involved in what has been termed Fringe Masonry, that is Freemasonry beyond the Craft. Before going further, and before you start to think, not another fruit cake!. Let me explain, I am a masonic Writer, and Freemason, I write on many subjects on Freemasonry. But I am drawn to the spooky side of freemasonry, anyway getting back to the story, this Scallywag was called Robert Wentworth Little, his life story, which is to long to record in a short post, But if you should feel you may like to know more, I can let you have more detail. It is his Father which may interest you, when I visited the Principal Probate Office, to check out Little,s will, I had a bit of a shock, it was recorded that his real name was Robert Cottrell Wellington Waterloo Little, Why Wellington Waterloo ?. His father Cottrell Little was in the 2/44th Regiment of Foot, of which you are fully aware. His father was a Sgt and Irish, and involved in every aspect of the Napoleonic Wars, which you record in your books, and survived, he was invalided out with war fatigue, I have his pension records from the TNA, he had a Waterloo Medal. Anyway, I just thought you may find it of interest, it is a bleedy good story though ain't it. yours sincerely David Peabody ( the name is kosher)

Hi Bernard, I deployed overseas earlier this year to Afghanistan with the Australian Army and after reading the few books I had managed to stuff into my baggage at the last moment I became very bored. That is until my boss started on about the Sharpe series, so I asked my wife to start sending them over one by one. I have to say Sharpe is a frigg'n legend!! I am thoroughly enjoying your books and am ploughing through Sharpe's Company at the moment. I am hoping against hope that Obadiah ends in a very sticky, violent way :) Up until recently David Gemmell was my favourite author. You may have known David, I had read his books since I was 12 years old. When he died in 2006 it hit me surprisingly hard (almost as if I had known him personally). He is a sad loss and he will remain one of my favourite authors until I die, that I can guarantee. But I just wanted to say that for me I now rate you up there with David Gemmell, I have enjoyed and am enjoying your books and once the Sharpe series is finished I will be moving onto Azincourt first (have always loved that battle, and always thought they should make a movie of it (other than Brannag's version as written by Shakespeare)), and then onto the others. Forgive me if that sounds like an arse kiss, it isn't intended to be, it's just that stories that interest me are few and far between. David had that grounded, gritty, realistic style in his books that a lot of other authors don't and never will have. But it was refreshing for me to find that you have that same gritty, grounded style too. Best of luck and keep em coming! :) Regards, Keith.

Dear Mr Cornwell: I am a huge fan of your work and I just recently watched the interview you did for HarperCollins Canada. It is because of that particular interview that I'm writing this now. I was impressed by your interview in the sense that you portrayed yourself as not only a writer, but a lover of the craft. As an aspiring historical fiction writer myself, it is something I can appreciate, and sadly often loose sight of. I often get so caught up in writing, that it turns into work, instead of what it should be, pleasure. The reason I like your writing so much is that this fact is never lost upon your words. As one reads your books you not only convey a sense of realism, but true pleasure and belief in what you put to paper. It is because of this that your finished product feels so real, as if it was actually written by the character and not through him. Your style of writing reminds me of my favorite book, Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem. If you have not read this particular book, I suggest that you do, for it feels so real sometimes I wonder if Mr. Breem somehow actually was General Maximus. I wish you continued success. Josh.

Dear Sir, So many have said it, and at the risk of one more "me too", your Saxon Series is phenomenal! To say that I devoured the four books would be an understatement. Your balance of sublime plot twists, exciting battle narrations and unforgettable characters now places you very high upon the list of my favorite authors. I can't speak for others but I suspect the ovations for your main character Uhtred, is for many of us, he's the man we'd like to be and act like sometimes. The world could use a few more Uhtred's out there. I'll do my best to carry the best of him with me as I face the hordes during "one of those days". Cheers and well done sir my family already knows what I want for xmas the year your next installment comes out. Regards, Ray

I have read, "Master and Commander" five times and, "Shogun" just as many. I loved the early Wilbur Smith novels until his writing turned to commercial shit. You Sir are good. Really good.
Stephen Clendenin

From Jane Austin To Bernard Cornwell....... After seeing the last release of Pride and Prejudice I had to read the book and from there got obsessed with regency romances. But I could never really see what the authors were trying to explain in terms of the style of the regency period. I found a TV movie that was set in the regency period called Clarissa starring Sean Bean who played a really evil character. From there it was a small hop, skip and jump to the Sharpe TV series and then onto the books. I have been reading them in order and I am in the middle of Sharpe's Enemy. Loved them all. It's like web surfing, you never know where you will end up! Ingrid

Mr Cornwell. Stumbling about on the internet, I happened to find your site here, and after some browsing discovered the possibility of contacting you, something I have always found a friendly option on an authors webpage. I really have nothing in particular to ask of you, but I wanted to tell you that I have greatly enjoyed many of your books over the years, and I look forward to reading many more of them. I am an historian by trade, and work as a consultant for the Museum of Cultural history in Bergen, Norway, in which we store many objects from the viking age, or scandinavian iron-age as we like to call it, and so I have had much fun reading your books from Wessex, set in that period. Anyway, enough rambling. Keep up your fine work, and I promise you I'll continue to buy and read your books. Best regards, Stian Slethei.