Your Questions

Q

Bernard I have read, reread and read again the Sharpe, Starbuck and Thomas novels. They are fantastic. I know that Thomas is finished but please keep Sharpe & Starbuck coming as fast as possible. You've said that Starbuck is on leave but I'm really looking forward to his next adventure. In the meantime could you please suggest any good novels based on the American Civil War. Best regards Declan Hennessy

Submitted July 23, 2004

A

Many people adore The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, so why not start there?

Q

SIR, congratulations on ESCAPE, another tour de force. am looking forward to Last Kingdom, Oooh ninth century, king alfred, could this be another series? I hope so I love the period. I've just read in the press touting another tv outing for Sharpe, in India. ANY TRUTH??? If so I do hope the TV people don't make Hakeswill a figure of comedy and derision. HAKESWILL is the most chillingly evil character you have given life to. I have no doubt that such people as he actually lived, and your characterisation of him was brilliant. Didn't Pete Postlethwaite bring him to life? What is your opinion sir? many many thanks for all your hard work, and hours of enjoyment. Jimmy Fenwick

Submitted July 21, 2004

A

Pete Postlethwaite was wonderful! There has been talk of a Sharpe tv series for 2005, but there are still a few things to be worked out so keep your fingers crossed. The Last Kingdom is the start of a new series.

Q

Dear Mr Cornwell, I have just read the first chapter of 'The Last Kingdom' and thoroughly enjoyed it and can't wait for the book to be released in October. I was just wondering if the Last Kingdom is part of a series? If so how many will there be?. Also what period/s of history are you interested in/want to write about next. Thanks for your time, Ben.

Submitted July 21, 2004

A

The Last Kingdom will be part of a series - don't know how many books there might be - three? four? maybe more? I do have some other projects in mind, but don't like to say too much too soon.

Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I have a lot of question for you but I won't ask them all right now. I have three of your Sharpe books, The Warlord Chronicles, and I am in the middle of The Grail Quest series. The Warlord Chronicles were the best books I have ever read, and will probably never read anything better. The Sharpe books I read (the India Series) were also great, and I plan to eventually read them all. The Grail Quest series, which I am reading right, (in the middle of Vagabond), and I am really enjoying it. My first questions are about the Warlord Chronicles. Do you think that your tale is the most accurate portrayal of Arthur, because to me it is the best version I have ever read. And also did Derfel die in the end. I know you said Sansum gave him Hywelbane and told him to stand gaurd when the Saxons came but we never learned if he was killed or not. Also, in the Vagabond, Thomas tells Robbie about Robin Hood, and I was wondering if you would ever write a Robin Hood series? I hope this e-mail gets to you sometime. Thank you, Cody Smittle

Submitted July 20, 2004

A

The most accurate? Lord knows! I tried to set the tale in an accurate portrayal of Britain in the fifth and sixth centuries, and I would make fairly high claims for the accuracy of that background, but Arthur? We know nothing about him, so really have no standards by which to judge anyone's portrayal, but I'm very flattered by your comments anyway, so thank you! I'm sure Derfel died, Hywelbane in hand, but I'm happy to leave alternate endings to your imagination. I'm not terribly interested in Robin Hood - maybe I haven't read enough - so at present a series on him is not likely.

Q

Dear Bernard, I read a previous question some weeks ago which suggested that you might write about the Irish Rebellion of 1798. You said that there were too many raw wounds waiting to be scratched. I wonder does that mean you are reluctant to offend the Irish? I am an Irishman, and I would be fascinated by a story of Sharpe in Wexford in 1798, or even more so by Sharpe in Mayo where the French army landed. I read a novel by an American named Thomas Flanagan called 'The Year of the French' which dealt with the French/Irish attempt to defeat the British army on Irish soil in 1798. It is the most extraordinary historical novel I have ever read, even though it was written some time ago now. I wonder have you read it? It covered most profoundly the British, Irish and French viewpoints in the course of the war. It wasn't a simple Goodies vs Baddies story, it was about real men and women on both sides of the conflict. I think, of all authors, you could pull this off as well as Flanagan did. I really do hope you might consider doing a story about 1798. Might you? Paul Reid

Submitted July 20, 2004

A

Still probably not, sorry. Not just because I might offend the Irish, but because I would offend the English/British. I think I'm really at my best (?) writing fairly straightforward adventure stories, and don't need the trouble of getting involved in a story (however fascinating) which still has a real and fairly intractable relevance. I know that's cowardly of me, but I'm not sure what I could say that would be useful to the dilemma of Ulster. I spent three years as a journalist in Belfast and left knowing that I knew less than when I arrived, or rather I knew much more and that was the problem. So, for the moment, I'm going to go on being a coward, but I would endorse your recommendation of Thomas Flanagan's terrific book. But perhaps one day I'll take on the subject, but not yet. Sorry!

Q

Mr. Cornwell, I wanted to write you and say that I have never been as spellbound with a set of books as I was with your Warlord Cronicles. It instilled a more profound interest in that specific period in english history than I have ever felt before, and I feel compelled to ask you one question for a visualization clarification. I always had trouble understanding the exact logistics of the contact of two largely spear armed units. There is a very clear description of what happens from the general's perspective, in the middle of the line, but the flanks are what elude me. When two spear armed units smash into each other, should the men be trying to hold their ranks as strictly as possible so that an observer on a hill would see two rectangles hitting each other, or would men on the flanks be tempted to run to the side of their partners to get at enemies so that the two forces would start to resemble two triangles hitting each other, with the most force being in the center where there are the most men still in ranks? I understand that this question might be rather hard to actually know, I just thought that I would ask the most approachable source that certainly would have more information on the subject than would I. Thanks so much for your time and your books especially! Grayson Brill

Submitted July 20, 2004

A

It's a very good question! The answer appears to be that there is 'mission creep', or rather that each shield wall probably edges to the right (because most men are right handed), and that inevitable means that each will outflank the other's left flank (given two equal combatants). The answer would appear to be twofold - you either protected the vulnerable flanks with terrain (stream, marsh, wall, whatever) or you put more forces there, probably cavalry, to keep the enemy honest. At Agincourt, which was basically a shield wall to shield wall battle (or at least an edged weapon to edged weapon battle) the archers on the flanks restricted the French to the centre where they got slaughtered. And yes, you kept ranks! Otherwise you're dead! Keep your shield touching your neighbour's shield, and the men behind keep shoving you forward and, when you're disembowelled, they take your place. I doubt the sides would resemble two triangles, though undoubtedly the wedge formation was used in attack in the hope of piercing the enemy's line, but once the point of the wedge was stopped then the men behind would spread into a thick line. I also doubt that such fights lasted very long. In the end the sheer number of casualties will make a barrier and allow the losing side to break contact, which would be a very vulnerable moment. The infantry clash at Agincourt was over very quickly - but only after hundreds were killed in a sudden orgy of slaughter. I'm sure these things were never neat - the shield walls would bulge, turn around each other, stumble, then one would suddenly break and all hell would be loosed.

Q

Dear Bernard, In regards to your image gallery which is very good, I was wondering if you could ever put up pictures of the lines of Torres Vedras cause I always wondered what they looked like and of course the famous ridge at Bussaco ???? Also your new book Fallen Angels which is about the French Revolution will there be a cameo of a certain Richard Sharpe or is he staying out of this one?? Also can I second what another poster said about seeing a book or series on the Swamp fox and Tarleton which would brilliant under your pen. btw a interesting website on Tarleton I found at www.banastretarleton.org is quite good and very knowledgable (his impersanation of Wahsingtons cousin and capture of James Bradley and his militia quite brilliant) Quite a different man (and different clothed) from the child killing church burning man of Mel Gibsons film. And I can reccomend Richard Holmes and Hugh Bicheno's Rebels and Recoats is very good if slightly sarcastic read. P.S you said you reckoned Nelson the best Naval commander and while he was undeinably great just for debate and to stir the pot did not Nelson himself reckon he was not Blakes equal. And even others like Rupert/Monck/Anson could have given Nelson a run for his money as Britains greatest sailing commander. Anyway look foward to the Last Kingdom Regards Geraint

Submitted July 20, 2004

A

We could, but will we? The main reason for not putting up pictures of the peninsular sites is that 1) they take up cyberspace and 2) there are plenty of pictures already available. Julian Paget's Wellington's Peninsular Wars, Ian Fletcher's Fields of Fire are 2 good sources available at libraries. Osprey's book on Bussaco has wonderful pictures of the ridge before it was covered in trees. The Lines of Torres Vedras are more difficult - they've been allowed to vanish under the plough, or erosion, but there are plenty of pics of the Fort of San Vincente which was one of the showpiece bastions. Pictures of the Indian battlefields are much scarcer, which is why we show them.

Sharpe is not in 'Fallen Angels'.

Nah. Nelson rules.

Q

Hello. I'm a Classics student at Leeds University, and I'm hoping to write historical novels myself - although unfortunately I find myself agreeing with Russell Baker: 'The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn't require any.' (Not strictly true of course... as I understand it writing does require some work!) What I was actually writing to ask you about though was a quote I read of yours on the cover of Conn Iggulden's 'Emperor: The Gates Of Rome', where you said that you wished you'd written (personally I wasn't that taken with it). But what it did get me wondering was whether you had ever considered writing something set in the ancient world? I for one would love to read it. Anyway, aside from that all I can say is thank you for the books that you have written and that I'm enjoying reading them (I've waited to acquire the whole 'Sharpe' series to date before reading it and have poughed through the first five in chronological order in the last week - don't really know if I want to continue given that at some point I'll have to reach the end! And I think the 'Warlord Chronicles' are absolutely brilliant). Thank you again. MSL.

Submitted July 20, 2004

A

I've never been tempted - and it seems there are plenty of good new novels about the ancient classical world - but thanks for your message.

Q

Dear Mister Cornwell, I recently discovered your Sharpe books, and I have read 10 or 11 of them, and I must say I have never read a better account of a battle. I recently read Rebel, but found it hard to relate to charcters that kept slaves, but it was still a great book. I was wondering if you would happen to know anything about American tactics in the war of 1812? Did they use collumns of lines? What sort of cavalry did they have, etc? I would be much obliged, and Keep up the good work, Mickey O'Donohoe (pronounced oh-do-ah-hue, you probably knew this but a lot of people don't, so I am just making sure)

Submitted July 20, 2004

A

Have a look at John Keegan's book - Warpaths or Pierre Berton's two books on the war. The tactics were very non-European, dictated by the terrain. The US did not use columns, though. It was mainly infantry versus infantry, with artillery mixing it up, and very little cavalry work. I'm not an expert, though!

Q

Mr.Cornwell, Thanks for writing all your books, I loved them. Gripping stuff. Anyway a few questions: Are you going to write a book telling us about Richard Sharpe before India,ie his days as an orphan. And, Secondly, how many characters does Sharpe meet that can beat him in combat? (until luck/fate intervenes). Thank you for making Reading enjoyable.Regards,Fergus O'Neill,Ireland. p.s. (laughing) Please include me in a Sharpe story somewhere, make my name famous, or infamous even!

Submitted July 20, 2004

A

No plans for an early Sharpe book. Fergus O'Neill? Rifleman O'Neill? Why not. Sharpe seems to fight alongside so many Irish (mainly because I lived in Ireland once and, inevitably, fell in love with the place). I'm sure Harper and countrymen could beat Sharpe, but Sharpe's too sensible to be on the other side. I sometimes wonder which regiment I'd want defending me if I could only choose one, and there really isn't any contest - the 88th - the Connaught Rangers - who came out of the Napoleonic Wars with a reputation second to none. Impossible to discipline off the field and utterly unbeatable on it - Wellington deployed them wherever the danger was greatest and they never let him down. So far there isn't a Frenchman who could beat Sharpe - though Calvet came close and it might be interesting to launch Dulong (from Sharpe's Havoc) against Sharpe.