Your Questions

Q

Mr Cornwell, Since having read your first Sharpes novel back in 1996, I decided to really get into the series last month (June), and so I ended up purchasing and reading the rest of the series. All I can say is that the books aren't nearly thick enough. I feel as though I were a man who had gone into the desert without water and suddenly happened on and oasis but because I was so very thirsty I drank up all the water and could still not get enough. There is one area of his (Sharpes) life that I feel needed more coverage and that is the period of time during which he joins the Rifles and undergoes their training. In Sharpes prey, there is some mention of certain individuals and how Sharpe gets on their bad side, yet nothing precedes that. Perhaps a book devoted to the time after Trafalgar and before Prey would serve to give us some coverage of that time when he arrives at the 95th rifle Regiments headquarters and then encompass those conflicts between himself and his fellow officers and subordinates. Is their a chance you will do a book about that era? Fred Mannheim

Submitted July 12, 2005

A

I'm not very sure I want to go backwards in Sharpe's life again - it throws up too many continuity problems, but I never say never.

Q

I just finished the three Derfel books and I just loved them, my boyfriend even named his new kitten Derfel. I was just wondering, all through the three books the different Pagan Gods, Goddess, Rituals and sometimes Lamets - I want to know more about all the pagan things, and I'm just wondering were there any websites that were really good that you went to, or any books you read that were really informational? I just want to learn more, thank you Sarah

Submitted July 7, 2005

A

I wasn't on the internet when I wrote those books - so alas, no websites that I can recommend. Books are extremely patchy, but I'd advise starting with The Celtic World, edited by Miranda Green - you should be able to find a copy in a library, and the bibliography will guide you onwards.

Q

I have just finished The Bloody Ground..last in the Starbuck Chronicles. Is this really the last book? So much was left unanswered. I have recently visited Gettysburg. Your series made my visit so much richer... almost sacred. Thank you for that. :-) Also, you did not sound unfriendly in your contact information here. These issues should be common sense..unfortunately, they are not. You are wise to state the issues up front to save yourself much time. I shall not take up any more of your time. Thank you. I enjoyed Starbuck Chronicles very much. Amy

Dear Mr Cornwell, I have just finished reading the Starbuck Chronicles and while I understand that these were probably not as popular as the Sharpe novels, I would like to know if you are going to finish the series. It is very unfair to leave Starbuck with so many more battles to fight. David McColl

I've read many of your books. Most recently Scoundrel. Not your best. What was your best work was the Starbuck Chronicles. So if the most frequently asked question is "when will we see more of Nathan Starbuck" what seem's to be the problem Mr. Cornwell? The hell with Sharpe! We've had enough of him. Dennis Kelly

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I have just finished the Warlord Chronicles so now I have read all of your books (that have come out). I was wondering when you are going to write another of the Starbuck books? Sam Peele

Submitted July 7, 2005

A

I hope to get back to Starbuck someday, but right now I don't know when that day will be.

Q

The Trafalgar 200 year anniversary has made me re-read Sharpes Trafalgar, and I think it is the best book you have ever written. Will you ever take Sharpe back to the sea or create a new sailor in Nelson's fleet? I hope so. James Trethowan

Submitted July 7, 2005

A

Thank you! I like it too, but I doubt I'll ever write another naval story - they're incredibly difficult because you can't shift characters out of each other's way - they're all stuck on board a ship. Writing Sharpe's Trafalgar hugely increased my respect for CS Forester and Patrick O'Brian.

Q

Hi, I'd just like to say that your one of my favorite authors and the Sharpe series keeps the fire of patriotism burning inside me. I don't suppose you could let me know if you're working on a Sharpe title as we speak? It's seems like eternity since the last one. Warmest regards Adrian (Peterborough, UK)

Mr. Cornwell, I came across Sharpe while in Cornwall with the US Navy. It was love at first read! (Of course, Wednesday ITV helped - or confused...) Paging through the archives, it seems that Rolica may be up in the air. OH NO, please, please, please follow through. Sharpe is more than just the battles for me. (Girls need character development, not just sweat and blood.) In Prey, Sharpe and Harper brushed by each other. There are hints that Hagman and Cooper were with him longer (Rifles and Waterloo).... I NEED MORE. What was Sharpe's intro to Green jackets like? How did he get from one battalion to the other? What is it that the characters remember from Rolica that they keep so quiet even amongst themselves? See - there is plenty to write about. I look forward to the next instalments. Now that I have found out Patrick Lassan continues on, I'll have to start in on Starbuck. Last question - any chance Killick (Siege) will show up anywhere? Kristin Rickard

Submitted July 7, 2005

A

Who knows? I won't be writing another Sharpe for at least six months, and I'll have to wait and see what happens in it, but anything could.

Q

Mr. Cornwell, It always amazes me how prolific you and a handful of other authors are by putting out one (sometimes two) books a year. But, thanks for that. My question is when you are writing a novel, do you sometimes have ideas creeping in that would work better for another novel, or are you totally focused on the novel at hand? Also, is it easier to write a Sharpe novel, since you have been writing him for so long and know what he would pretty much do and say in a situation, or is it easier to begin a fresh novel with new ideas and characters? Thanks, Jonathan Mullins

Submitted July 7, 2005

A

One novel at a time! I don't think I've ever had an idea during one book that I thought would work better somewhere else. Writing novels with established characters is much easier than starting afresh each time, but it's still good to give the old ones a rest - I'm giving Sharpe a rest right now and concentrating on writing the Saxon novels that began with The Last Kingdom. That's the only one published, but the second one, The Pale Horseman, is all done and the third is at least halfway through, and it is nice to write them one after the other.

Q

Dear Mr Cornwell, Just a small question regarding the excellent Sharpe's Escape - where did you find the name "Ferragus"? It's not a very common Portuguese name. Thanks for your attention, António Rodrigues Afonso Lisbon, Portugal

Submitted July 7, 2005

A

It's the name of a legendary Portuguese giant.

Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell, HI, I am 14 and am really enjoying your Richard Sharpe series. Historical Fiction is my favorite genre of books and you have really hit the nail on the head. I really like the mix of fact and fiction in the books. I haven't made much of a dent yet in the series, as I have only read Sharpe's Tiger and am in the middle of Sharpe's Triumph. However, I am happy about that for that means that I have many good books to look forward to. I have just a couple of questions for you. 1) Do you recommend reading the Sharpe series in the chronological order that you have posted, or in the order that you wrote them? 2) Every now and again I have become confused with the different ranks in the army in Sharpe's time. I have researched them, attempting to find a list of highest to lowest rank (in the army) and what each rank commands (if anything). My reasearch has been fruitless and I was wondering if you could tell me the order of the different ranks, and which each rank commands. Thanks very much for your time, and for the great Sharpe series that I am enjoying reading! Kevin Guckian

Submitted July 7, 2005

A

I do generally recommend reading the Sharpe books in chronological order. Click on the Sharpe books page of this website for a complete chronological list of the series.

Ensign: Lowest of the low, doesn't really command anything except at the whim of his superiors. In the Rifles he's called a Second Lieutenant.

Lieutenant: Still fairly lowly, subordinate in a company to a Captain
Captain: Probably one of the best ranks. A captain commands a company (each battalion is divided into ten companies, so a company will have anything from 50 to 100 men)
Major: Getting impressive now. Ostensibly a Major commands half a battalion, but they're really there to assist the battalion commander and be ready to take over if he's killed.
Lieutenant Colonel: He commands the battalion. He's god.

Those are the officers with the battalions, but above them are:

Colonel: He's a bit of nothing really. Not senior enough to be a general and too senior to command a battalion, but he might well be given some specific responsibility - commanding troops from more than one battalion to guard an outpost or attack some small objective.

Then come the Generals - in ascending order, and the higher you get the more units might fall under your command.
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General

and at the very top

Field Marshal - who really is god.

Hope that helps!

Q

I continue to enjoy all of your books especially the Sharpe series. One of your readers asked about Americans who served in the Napoleonic wars. I just learned from Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton that one of his sons served under Lord Wellington. He then returned to the United States and onto another career. In many ways Sharpe would have liked Alexander Hamilton who also came from illegitimate birth, was a brave soldier, rose in the ranks through competence, had his share of scandals, and created resentment as he rose in rank. Sharpe however, would have survived a duel with Aaron Burr and not have wasted his shot. Howard Zlotnick

Submitted July 7, 2005

A

That's fascinating! I wonder what Hamilton thought? And you're right, Sharpe would have liked him - he's a most impressive and extraordinary man,

Q

Hello again, Mr. Cornwell. You are perhaps aware of the literary genre of "alternate history?" This is where an author chooses a significant historical event and asks "how would history have changed if this one event happened differently?" The author then writes a ficticious history of the subsequent events. Newt Gengrich has just completed a trilogy on the second half of the American Civil War and how it would have turned out differently if Lee had won at Gettysburg. I think you would be great at an alternate history novel. You should ask "What would have happened if Napoleon had succeeded in invading England in 1805?" Could the English have stopped the Grande Armee on their home turf? Please think about this one. Maybe some day? Alan Kempner

Submitted July 7, 2005

A

I'll think about it, but I must express a preference for real history. I'm not decrying alternative history, it's just that I find sufficient inspiration in the true events.