Your Questions

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

I wanted to express how much of an avid reader of your book series The Saxon Tales I am and how much I admire your storytelling abilities to focus the readers attention.  My favorite part in the series so far is the Battle of Beamfleot.  I had a question regarding your research into your family history concerning the time before 1066 and the Norman invasions.  I am asking because my family origin name of Boyle resides in Ayr, which is directly across (according to your book flap map) on the opposite shore. Do you happen to know what sources of information I might seek if I wanted to do some further research into my family in Ayr? Please continue to write your stories, I am looking forward after i am current with the Saxon Tales I am looking forward to reading your Grail Quest series.  Thank you for your stories.

 

Sincerely,

Benjamin Boles

A good friend we met on a Viking River Cruise back in 2009 put me on to your writing, initially the Last Kingdom series, and I have been hooked ever since.  After retiring six years ago, I have devoted myself to tracking down copies of that series plus other stand alone novels.  I have read 12 total including six of the Last Kingdom and have three or four others calling my name. (I also watched the TV series).   Every book has held my attention from start to finish except the Fort.  For me, this book was a change from the others because I read about half over a two month period and then gave up.  Please do not take this as anything more than a comment about the Fort only because I am presently engrossed in Stonehenge.  I had learned that Paul Revere was not the hero we learned about in school after reading Paul Revere's Ride by David Fischer.  Longfellow did no favors for students of US history with his poem.

 

Anyway, the stories of Viking travels to Great Britain are fascinating.  I am half Swedish and speak the language, half Danish, find many town names in the UK with Scandinavian roots, and have traveled to Scandinavia on several occasions. A history I read several years ago claimed that original Swedes were much shorter than what one sees in films, but dark haired with fair skin.  Uhtred meets that description in the TV series and old buildings visited from the 17th and 18th centuries seem to bear out people were short. Will there be any more episodes in the TV series?

 

I have rambled on enough.  FYI, I have enjoyed several fiction and non fiction books on the Knights Templar .  Do not interpret this as anything more than sharing a reading topic.  I also like Steve Berry, Tolkien, George Martin, Frank Herbert (I met him at the University of Washington in the early 70s, but that is a different story), and other authors of historical novels.  My friend encourages me to track down Sharpe novels but that will be a project after the Last Kingdom.  Please keep those stories coming.

 

Ron

Hiya. I know you're not working on the Uhtred books right now but should we expect book 11 this year? Thank you x

Zoe

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

 

I am writing to thank you for such a gripping series of books. I have just finished reading The Flame Bearer (I think book 10 in the series) and can honestly say that I have not enjoyed such enthralling stories for a long time. The character of Lord Uhtred is both humorous and impressive, and I have opened each book with excitement.

 

Although Uhtred has just recaptured his home of Bebbenberg, and so the series could  end here, I would love to know if you have any plans to continue his tale. It has inspired me to read non-fiction about this period in our history.

 

I am just about to begin reading the first of the Arthurian Warlord Chronicles, and am anticipating great stories!

 

With kind regards,

 

Elizabeth Ashley

Dear Sir,

I've enjoyed all of of the novels I've read of yours (Sharpe, Saxon series, Starbuck). I'm starting your Arthur/Warlord stories next.  But do you have plans for more Starbuck novels?  I'm most eager to read those.

Thanks for all of your work, I recommend you to many.

Melanie

Hello Mr. Cornwell,

First of all I would like to say that I am a wild fan of your work.

Do you intend to write a book about pirates? I would love to read a story about Blackbeard.

Arthur

 

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

I first read "1356" and was hooked (pun intended) on Thomas of Hookton.  He is a compelling character and I am enthralled by the history of the period as a result of reading that book.  So I've gone about this backwards and had to go back to the beginning of the Grail Series to experience the origin of the character.  Now I'm two books into the Saxon books.  Uhtred is a marvelously conflicted character and I'm looking forward to the remainder of the series.  Of course I had to have a look at Agincourt in the interim and there was one thing that struck me immediately: By your naming the protagonist Nicholas HOOK I  wondered if an unstated relationship with Thomas was being hinted at; not important, really, just curious.  So I have a new hobby, namely, to read as many of your books as possible except that it seems you are writing them faster than I can read them!

Best wishes.

P.S. Are you performing Shakespeare this summer?

Dear Bernard,

Firstly I would like to thank you for inspiring my love of reading, I started with the sharpe books which I still love. Obviously Sean bean was greatly cast for the tv role and this is what initially sparked my interest. However sharpe was left behind when I read the stories of Thomas of Hookton and Starbuck, and of course now especially since I'm from the north east and a regular visitor Bambrugh as a child, Uhtred I think is your greatest creation to date. I just wondered how you felt about the casting of Uhtred, no doubt a talented actor but I can't replace the image I have had in my head for years. I look forward to hearing from you.

Keep up the great work

Steven Forth

Hello! First of all, I'd like to start apologizing for any english mistakes. I'm brazilian, and even though I've been studying english for a long time (not to mention reading in english and movies/music/tv shows), I have never practice with any english speaker. I hope I can make myself understandable!

 

Second, and of course I need to say it, I love your books! Especially The Saxon Stories (and I'm looking forward to start The Sharpe Stories). One day I'll have all of your books on my bookshelf ;)

 

But currently, I'm reading "Waterloo". Now, I can't quote exactly because I'm reading it in portuguese, but it's about this passage: "Great Britain had just fought a war against the United Stated and most of its best regiments - veterans of Wellington's victories - were still across the ocean. They were coming back, and some battalions found themselves traveling directly from America to the netherlands" (I'm so, so, so sorry for this poor translation. By the way, there are some words missing).

What I want to know is this: in 1814, how long it took to travel from USA to Europe? I thought it was something about a month. But the american war ended in january, and Waterloo battle took place in june, so I can't really understand how the army was traveling still. Am I missing something?

 

I really hope I hear from you!

With the best wishes,

Roberta.

Greetings, Mr. Conrwell.

I hope you are doing well!

 

I believe I have sent you a message before, but I am unsure if this is the case. At any rate, I would like to say great praises to your stories. I was introduced to your works back in Mid 2011, my senior year at school. I read the first book of the Arthur Series, The Winter King, and was overjoyed to read a very gripping tale of fiction. I wasn't an avid reader at that point (having read only J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books until then). But thanks to you, I was able to get great inspiration as well as a good motivation to read more. My grandfather, being an avid book reader himself, recommended more of your works, and that's when I bought the remaining Arthur books, The Enemy of Good and Excalibur, and read them. I have only good things to say, and it is a great book that mixes lots of themes well, being Leadership, Compromise, Friendship, Allegiances and so much more. By 2014, I began reading The Saxon Chronicles, and dare I say, it is my favorite series of ALL time. The story is forged with blood, battles, betrayal and non-stop action, and I truly love it! I have all the 10 books so far, and I plan on getting the first 5 ones in hardcover (I am not sure, I am a great fan of hardcover books, and I consider it a sign of... "respect" to a series I like so much?). I truly love many characters in it, Uhtred, Gisela, Finan, Alfred, Aethelflaed, Ragnar, Leofric, Steapa, and so many others. I believe one of the best antagonists you have done (with the exception of the 10th book, as I have not read it so far!) is Skade, Cnut Longsword, Erik Thurglisson, and Kjartan. Skade and Kjartan for being cruel villains, who wouldn't think twice to torture their victims before death (Hell, Skade is seen flaying Edwulf, and it was a very striking scene to me. I am not sure why, but I see flaying/skinning as one of the worst tortures ever to exist, and I can't help but to love and hate the characters who do that.). As for Cnut and Erik, while not related, they seemed more like the anti-villains, two characters you can get used to and like their ideals, despite being on the "opposing team", and this is very nice for a story, as it is possible get behind the Saxons as well as the Danes, not being a "Black and White" moral fiction.

 

With all that said, I truly look forward to reading the Sharpe novels, as well as the Starbuck Chronicles, as the Napoleonic Wars and the American Civil War seem like great periods of time, and sadly, two that I don't know much of!

 

I have a few questions for you:

1 - The Arthur Series had not only a map detailing every location included on the series, but also a character list. I noticed the absence of that in The Saxon Chronicles, and wanted to know if you do plan on bringing this back on the newer releases? I say that because at times, we can't help to remember every character's name, and having a list of characters on an appendix really does help to memorize the ones present within the story. With that, see this as a personal "request" of sorts, as I believe a release of an appendix would be very much welcome to many readers!

2 - In the later books of The Saxon Chronicles, there is an "absence" of the year the story is set. It must be due to Uhtred getting old (can't blame him! haha) but I confess I am a person that particularly likes to pinpoint the years in which the story is set. With that being said, I would like to know if we could consider the dates the historical characters being on the series? For example: Ragnall Ivarson, that died on year 921 last I saw, and pinpoint that to being where the story is set in The Warriors of the Storm, or not quite?

 

Also, this is a nice little disclaimer: Your stories has motivated me into getting a new hobby: writing. I will of course, not request you to read the script, as my stories will be set in the present time, and it will be a much different focus as your stories take place, but rather, this is a way of saying "Thank you" for writing such amazing stories and motivating many youngsters to get the taste of literature, and bringing many veterans to appreciate the historical fiction.

 

Sincerely,

Patrick Gainher