Hello Mister Cornwell!
I have been a tremendous fan of yours for some time and have been wanting to reach out and offer you my appreciation for your excellent work for nearly just as long-- but only now have I plucked up the courage to do so. Though I am a fan of everything of yours I've read, Sharpe in particular, I must say, is nearest and dearest to my heart. Because of this, I decided to start up the series again last month-- only this time, I am listening to the audiobook version narrated by Rupert Farley! And how amazing! He really does your work justice. It will also be interesting to see how my perspective evolves as I pass over the events of the books for a second time. Already I am noticing little easter eggs that had been placed that went unnoticed by me during my first reading. In hindsight, these little moments really come into focus, such as when Sharpe thinks to himself (during his faux-desertion in Sharpe's Tiger) how he would no more pass as an officer than Lawford could pass as an enlisted man; not knowing that in a few years he will receive a battlefield commission. I also appreciate when Sharpe, in Seringapatam, first handles a rifle and misses, unaware how one day he would be a career rifleman and his life will depend on his competence with the weapon. Those are just a couple examples of what I found to be very nice homages. Since I've noticed you have been writing in the Sharpe series again lately, I was wondering if you have any plans to revisit India or even take us to Flanders in 1794 or so? I find myself captivated by "the early years," so to speak, and have privately wished for more installments in the series from that time. I also have wondered for a while if Vimeiro or Rolica will ever get books of their own, or if perhaps Sharpe may join Cochrane in Brazil and later Greece during their revolutions somehow. If so, I would find it all most exciting! Regardless, I am grateful for wherever you take Sharpe next.Thanks again for all your wonderful work, and for inspiring generations of historically minded readers.
Your Loyal Fan,
Emmanuel Dalley