Bulletin Board

Being a history buff your books are fantastic I've gone on and studied the books you've used as source material,and many others,I wanted to read more about the Anglo and Saxons so spent hours and hours researching,then you came out with the saxon series which for me have been incredible,MY surname Brereton supposedly came from a knight who fought for William the bastard at Hastings he was Ralph de Breton a Breton knight promised land for his services ,MY deceased father told me as a child that every eldest son in our family has to have William in his name as a mark of respect my father was Leonard Willam his father and father before where both Williams and my eldest brother Ralph William, I've read some good books on 1066 by Tim Severin and Julian Rathbone,however you remain my favourite auther,sorry about spelling and grammar I'm a dyxlesic,reading has been my education,so thank you, Vince.

Hello, I know that this won´t be the first nor the last mail that says this but I really like the Arthur Books. I´m from the Czech Republic and if I´m not mistaken, the Warlord Chronicles was the first work of BC published in Czech, the stories about Sharpe have been published here only recently. I read other books about king Arthur including Thomas Malory´s (well, not every description of battles) but since I have read the Warlord Chronicles my view on this subject changed. These stories are not a fantasy books, for me they are true, it is something I can believe. When I first read it I imagined Derfel as Sean Bean before I knew that he played this character in the movies (I admit that it was when Lord of the Rings came in cinemas). These books change the fantasy and myths into reality just as Colleen McCullough in her stories changed ancient Romans in living and feeling characters. I´m not good at writing fan letters but I just wanted to express my feelings. Thank you and please forgive me the mistakes I made. Jarmila

Dear Mr Cornwell, I discovered Sharpe in a charity shop, and having watched him on TV was eager to read your books. I have to say, your books are so thrilling, I am now completely hooked. I have just finished your latest one, Sharpe's Fury and was puzzled because it comes in the middle of his career, but I didn't let that spoil it for me. I have been collecting all the others you have written about Sharpe but can't find any mention of Sharpe's mission. It is on TV Gold at the moment, and if a book is there I would prefer to read the story before I watch the film. What really made your books so exciting for me is many of the historical facts. It is just like having a wonderful history lesson as well as a literary one. I have collected some of your other novels and plan to read them when I have finished Sharpe. Thank you so much for the wonderful entertainment you have given me. Because of arthritis I have had to give up so many of my activities, and now swimming is the only thing I can do without pain, I have loved reading since I was a child, my first real book being Rudyard Kiplin's Jungle book.Now I have discovered you and you continue to exercise my brain in the most exciting way. Many thanks and good wishes Patricia Tos (Mrs)

just wanted you to know. i've been an avid fan of edward rutherfurd having read all his work. i have a new hero. just finished reading last kingdom. you have me hooked. great work bernard. thank you. george

I would just like to say what enjoyment your books have given me over the years. I am a blind person in my early 40's and read the books on audio format which is brilliant, once started you can not leave them alone. I am very much enjoying the Saxon books very exciting and I feel Richard Sharpe is a personal friend we've all been through so much together. I heard you a few days ago on radio 5 live I hope you are better after the cancer and I look forward to the new Sharpe book. THANKS YOU AGAIN. Steve Reed

Hello Mr Cornwell. Allow me to begin by saying how much I enjoy your books, particularly the Sharpe series. I teach history at the Royal Military College of Canada and also conduct War of 1812 battlefield tours; I make use of excerpts from your stories describing battles for conveying what smoothbore era warfare was like. Indeed, these passages sometimes bring a tear or two to my students eyes. My main reason for writing is to bring your attention to a new biography of Lt Col Thomas Pearson, written by Donald E. Graves. Pearson wass commissioned in 1796 and fought in the West Indies, Europe and the Peninsula. At Albuera, Pearson was a senior major in the 23rd Foot and by then end, he was the only senior officer left in his brigade and as a result, in command. Pearson was later wounded at at Aldea de Ponte and sent to Canada for a "quiet" posting, only to find himself in another war; he participated in many of the major actions in 1813 and 1814. Anyway, if I read the end of Sharpe's fury correctly, our hero finds himself back in Portugal in 1811 and happens to find his way to Albuera, Pearson - who was a soldier's soldier - might be a wonderful character to include in the story. Find more about the book from the publisher at www.rbstudiobooks.com. Thank-you again and I look forward to Sharpe's next adventure. John

Dear Mr Cornwell, Firstly let me thank you for the signing of my photograph From Thomas of Hookton,in Southampton's Waterstones, ref War bow Archers of England,I forgot to tell you that I was actually on the Battle field of Azingcourt,in a full re;enactment,and most of the archers have been Thomas at one time or another(little boys).When I ask of a possible follow on to the Quest series you said there could be (no pressure but please) If you every had the time have a look at www.englishwarbow.com and will see the tradition still carries to this day.I know it sounds cheeky (as I am )if you do look sign the guest book the lads would love it. THANKYOU again. Martin C.H.R.

Mr Cornwell: First of all let me say that All your books that I have read are extremely fun, interesting, compelling, action-packed, and very hard to put down. Thank you for that. As a former history teacher I appreciate the excellent research and the honesty in any anachronisms. I've introduced your works to a couple friends, and I hope they will be as hooked as I am. Your writing is so vivid that I have often wished that more of your novels could be made into big Hollywood movies. (Particularly the Arthur Books or the Saxon stories) Do you have any plans for this? Thank you Brian Mosbey

Dear Mr. Cornwell, First, let me tell you how much I love your work! It was a rather fortuitous accident that I came across your work, and I'm glad I did. I'm a huge Patric O'Brian fan, (which is quite puzzling to many people due to the fact that I'm a young woman living in the Midwest, i.e. Michigan) yet I know good historical fiction when I see it! I read the entire Aubry/Maturin cannon three times then branched out into Allan Mallinson's Napolionic tales of young Dragoon, Matthew Harvey. And from there, in conjunction with straight history, I tried many others. But the crux is, that I too write historical fiction but for the female audience, yet I love reading historical fiction written by men. I took a break, thinking I should concentrate more on the market I'm after, and began re-focusing on getting my own work sold. ButI keep getting turned down because, or so I'm told, people aren't interested in Viking folklore, an 18th century nautical tale told through the eyes of a Norwegian woman, or Americans writing about England--which very well could be true, but I'm rather passionate about good stories, history and the influence the Norsemen had on Europe before the turn of the 1st millennium. So, I wandered the bookstore again in search of answeres, when all of a sudden I turned the corner and found a Viking Dragon ship staring me down! It was a brilliant cover, and the title was The Last Kingdom. I knew then that there was another person out there who shared some of the same interests as myself. But it wasn't until I picked up the book and read the 1st chapter, a chapter that was set in Northumbria, at Bamburgh Castle (I don't know the old spelling) near the Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, that I knew I found a real treasure. Of course, I bought the book, much to my husband's dismay (he's used to my strange proclivities by now)and devoured it. I loved how you handled your main character Uhtred, and the struggles he has with the two vastly contracting religions. Your detail on Viking (or Norse) pagan rituals and superstitions was wonderful, as was the way you portrayed the two clashing cultures. Anyhow, I next purchased The Pale Horseman, and again, I was hooked. I am now patiently awaiting the US release of Lords of the North, and in the meantime have been systematically picking off all your other novels. It's so refreshing to find (after all this time) such a gifted, prolific author of historical fiction! Please keep up the great work, and someday, (I know many fans probably say this, and you likely wish the contrary) if the weavers are kind, I would love to chat with you on history in general. I can tell by your work that you're as passionate about a great historical story as am I. Anyhow, I'm going to keep on plugging away here, attempting to convince American agents that Historical Fiction is not dead. If you have any suggestions or anicdotes about your personal experiences with the publishing industry, I'd love to hear them. But if not (I know writers are very busy people) I'm still, and will always be, a huge fan! Best wishes, and thanks for all the great stories! Sincerely, Darci Hannah

Mistreatment of Irish Soldiers was not confined to His Mayesty's army. The US Army's officers were no slouches when it came to maltreatment of Irishmen. At the time of the United States War with Mexico, a large number of Irish soldiers serving in the American Army deserted, and fought under the Mexican flag as the "San Patricio Batallion". Several books and at least one movie have been made about them, the latest, as a novel titled the "St Patrick's Batallion". The leader of the "San Patricios" was a man named John Riley. The unit, probably the most effective and deadly in the Mexican army, was wiped out at the battle for Chepaultepec Castle with the survivors being tried by courts martial for desertion. A large number were sentanced to death by Winfield Scott, the US forces commander, and the executions by hanging were carried out the moment the US flag flew over the Castle. Sgt Riley and several others escaped the death sentance as they had deserted before the formal declaration of war. They were branded as deserters.
Sam