Your Questions

Mr. Cornwell,

I am a (relative) neighbor of yours, living in Summerville, SC.  I have LOVED reading your Saxon series!  My ancestors came to America in the 1700's and my surname is of Scottish origin.  Following is a possible lineage.

 

The progenitor of the Irish family of Fordyce, from which descend all the Fordyce's of Washington and Greene Co.'s Pa. was one

 

1527. Hugh Fordyce b. in Drumasole Co. Antrim, Ireland, in 1527. marrying July 3, 1552, Mary Conyngham, of Kilbirnie, Co. Ayr, Scotland, daughter of Patrick Conyngham, of that ilk and this would tend to indicate that Hugh, himself, or his father, had come from Scotland, presumably from Ayrshire. What his father's name was we do not know, as yet. (Conyngham Coll. 69) Children: Mary, Sarah, Martin of whom presently, Hugh, John.

 

Hopefully, you are still reading...  because this is where I would like to make a request.  There still remains a Fordyce Castle near Aberdeen, not too far from your Bebbanburg.  Maybe you can insert a Fordyce into your chronicles (as a hero of course), just sayin', ha.  Maybe Uhtred could have run into some Fordyce's in his travels around the northern parts of Scotland, what do you think???  I don't think this would fall into the category of suggesting plotlines or some other irregularity, so think about it a bit...

 

I hope to start on the Sharpe series soon, as I really enjoy the historical novels and your storytelling is getting to be addictive!!

 

Happy New Year and best to you,

Christopher Fordyce

Hi

I have read and enjoyed the entire Uhtred series (but don't like the series Last Kingdom - doesn't follow the book, or make as much sense). But, in the early books Hrothweard is an enemy of Uhtred, and in Flame Bearer Uhtred has never heard of him. He seems like the same character but now is an archbishop.

 

Thanks for some terrific stories,

Les

First and foremost I have truly enjoyed this entire series....I read in a few months what took you years to create. I recently finished book 10 and can't wait for Uhtred to continue his journey. I've truly never enjoyed a series or a book as much as this from the first page until the last. Just wanted to say job well done and ask when the next one will be released?

TY Chad

 

Will there be future books of Uhtred?

Linda O'Connell

 

Hi Mr Cornwell,

Having read a lot of books from the Templars era, plus "les rois maudits", Robyn Young's Brethen and Scotland trilogy, I then got my hands on your 1356 book!  I was then hooked.  I got myself all the Last kingdom books of the series at that time (last year) (9 books - one shot).  I am now reading The flame Bearer and I am anxious to know if there will be a 11th book.  Your Uhtred story is marvelous...I had a lot of pleasure reading your work and I thank you for that.

François Beaulieu

 

Just to let you know how much enjoyment your books bring to me whenever I read one as i find them difficult to shut once opened.  I was just wondering how long we will have to wait for your next novel in the series?  Many thanks always a brilliant read.

David Allanson

 

So I finished book 10, The Flame Bearer, just before bed last night.  I was amazed I was able to immediately fall asleep despite my elevated heart rate from the excitement of the book.  One observation - for some reason I almost loathed Uhtred for slaughtering his cousin.  But that feeling didn't last long.

Clearly there will be a book 11 of this series. Any idea when?

Best wishes!

Tom Keyser

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

finished the "Flame Bearer" a few weeks ago. First time in english, i am not native english speaking. Fantastic was Uhtreds "inner monologue" about warriors. Must read it loud to my son. The peak part of the story, great!

 

Besides: Aethelflead calls someone the "bishop of York"? Never heard of York in that story. Where or what ist it? :-)

: Ulrich Noll

Hello, I recently finished The Burning Land and loved it. It said at the beginning that it took place in 892 and the story seems to me to cover over a year which would put us into 893. When I started The Death of Kings it said it took place in 898 which would be 5 years from the conclusion of The Burning Land, however when Uthred references it he makes it sound like it happened just the year before The Death of Kings took place. So i'm just wondering, did 5 years actually take place between the two books stories or am I misinterpreting Uthred?

Jordan Burks

Dear Bernhard Cornwell.

I have read many of your books with great joy, and there are many more I have not read yet.

I am currently in the "Utred modus", and I have to thank you very much for making me understand much more of the influence in Britain and Ireland by the Scandivavian vikings. Together with the great book by Bergsveinn Birgsson "(The Black Viking)(ISBN:978-82-430-0812-0)  I gain a much better understanding of what could be the reality.

I myself grew up in mid west of Norway, in the old area of the "Møre Jarl", just south of Trondheim. A boat grave of a "free farmer" was found just 200m from my home place,close to the current church yard, and the area was/is a nice farmland upstream a river.

Now I come to a point that both you and Bergsveinn Birgsson are dwelling with, and also Wikipedia does not have much information.

The name "Beinlause, or Beinlausi,, or Boneless.

-For myself, I think your description of Ivarr is the most realistic. The reason I think so is as follows:

When I grew up in the early 60's, particularly my mother very often said; listen; it is "han beinlaus som går", meaning it's him; the "boneless walking"

The meaning of this was when we could hear a door moving or a window slapping without a human intervention,, meaning often the draft; it was common to say it was "Him the Boneless". "Han Beinlaus"

When reflecting upon this, it could give assosiations to a ghost, or a phantom, or someone which was so tiny and light that it was difficult to notice him doing it.

Or someone very clever to move unoticed, as you described Uthered while he was young.

But my mother in law suddenly came with another expression out of the air. Have never heard it or expected it: We live now besides Hafrsfjord, where Harald Hårfagre defeated the other Norwegian kings as you know.

We where sitting discussing some other people, and she suddently said; he was soo thin that you could not see the legs inside his trousers,,, he was like "Ivarr Beinlause". ( she is soon 90years old) This is the other setting I have heard the name mentioned.

My personal conclusion is therefore that your description of Ivarr is very correct, and maybe he was a specialist in moving around unseen and unnoticed as well.

He could have been so, and if my mothers saying was a heritage from Ivarr himself, he must have been.

However, my mothers saying could have been a general saying of this phenomena, and that this gave the name to Ivarr as he could move unseen, but it would help to be very thin and light...., hence, maybe a combination.

-Now my wish: Hopefully this can fill in for what you have found of information earlier. My wish is that you in power of your person propose to update the information in Wikipedia, so that people can have more information to draw an conclusion towards the origin of Ivarr's name.

The reason.... The reason is that I feel ashamed of the person they make up in "The Vikings" describing Ivarr Beinlause. I think it is absolute out of the concept to present him with paralyzed legs, and it disturbs the story, and also make people fetch wrong impressions of a formidable worrier.

 

Well, I do not expect you to do anything, as this is definitely not research,  but i have had this on my heart for a long while, and I feel much better by telling you this. At least I can share it with someone that can have an objective view of the information avaliable at Wikipedia.

 

Wish you have a Merry Christmas. I will be going trough the "Flame Bearer" during this time, enjoying a lot.

Thank you very much.

Best regards

Lyder Moen.

Sir,

I have enjoyed all of your books, thanks!! I particularly enjoy reading The Warlord Chronicles every few years.

Are you ever going to push out more stories regarding the Celts or Welsh in early Post Roman Britain?

By the way the Flame Bearer was fantastic...

Best Regards

Danny

Loved your Flame Bearer and all others. Not a real fan of our civil War, however. You indicated decent from Uhtred. How was this determined? Using internet search engines like ancestry.com or inspecting UK source documents? What does "crapard"mean?

Bob Nearine

Hi Bernard,

My girlfriend and I had the immense pleasure to meet you in York a few months ago when you were interviewed and stayed to sign copies of your books to celebrate the release of The Flame Bearer. You won't remember us of course, but Zoë thanked you profusely for your creations and demanded, in the way women do, that you never let Uhtred die because she loves him. She really does, too. I made an off hand comment about my relationship being usurped by Uhtred and you laughed and also complemented her pagan hammer around her neck. Anyway, since then, it's been our running joke that the next book will have 'usurper' in the title. She'd be livid if you were influenced by me and not her; I'm just here to say, if you want to use 'usurper' in the title, it's ok by me! If not, just weaving the word alone in the book somewhere or other will put me 'one up' in our relationship for eternity. I'm sure you'll do the right thing! Keep up the brilliant work, it was great to meet you.

Ben G.

Hello,

I had seen Mel Gibson's 2000 film " The Patriot" on TV, but recently I viewed it on DVD. The audio commentary featured the Director and Producer. Before listening to the Audio Commentary, I was hoping they, the Director and Producer, would redress the thrashing of   Banastre Tarleton and the scene where redcoats burn a church full of American civilians. They  did not touch on any of the film's controversial aspects. I don't read a lot of American Revolutionary War, or on the  War of 1812. Was The Patriot typical or atypical of what you have read on American's view of their wars with England, in Film, TV and non-fiction???

Regards and thanks,

Adrian.