Your Questions

Dear Bernard,

Firstly, a point of information. In all the chronological lists of the Sharpe series, Sharpe's Havoc is listed as after Sharpe's Eagle, which surely cannot be right. Havoc is Spring '09 and Eagle is July '09. Plus, Rifleman Pendleton was alive in Havoc and died at Talavera, ("only seventeen and so many pockets left to pick").

I also noticed a previous correspondent wondering why Sharpe never met any Polish Lancers. I noted your reply, but if you recall, Sharpe, or rather Major Kearsey, did meet Polish Lancers in Sharpe's Gold. Admittedly Sharpe didn't face them in the open field, but he certainly met them in the dead of night in the Spanish village.

The Flame Bearer, you will be pleased to note, was the top hard back seller in the UK as of a week ago, but what I find curious is that I have not seen one newspaper review of the book in the British papers. I wonder why that should be?

Keep up your wonderful work, Sir, and I look forwarded eagerly to your next offering. Much as I've loved Uhtred, I do hope it's a Sharpe.

Regards

John Hill

Would you consider interrupting the chronology of the Saxon stories in future novels, as per the Sharpe series?  While I am eager to see our hero reclaim his birthright at Bebbanburg, it would be refreshing to read about further adventures of younger Uhtred. Certainly there must be some gaps to fill in Saxon history that involve Uhtred and his impressive companions (Alfred, Pyrlig, Staepa....to name a few) during their prime.

Jeff

Hello,

When you started on the "Starbuck" novels, did you consciously tailor your writing for an American reading public??? i.e did you assume the  U.S Civil war setting would attract more American readers, so you had to change your research/writing style to hold them?  Or was that not on your mind?

Regards and thanks,

Adrian.

Hello Mr Cornwell,

I am an avid reader of all your books, having powered through most of your Last Kingdom series (3 to go), Grail quest series and Arthur Books, all of this in under a year, you do write incredible pages turners !

I was wondering, considering the success of the Last Kingdom TV series, are there plans/opportunities for a TV or film adaptation of the Arthurian book series ? I have been a great fan of Derfel's story, and I could only dream of seeing how it could be adapted to the little or big screen !

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to reading the rest of your books !

Alex

Mr Cornwell,

Sir,  What a captivating author you are.

Loved the Sharpe books

But Uhtred is awesome,  best character ever. Did a 700mile round trip to Bebbenberg just to feel a part of this tape Just finished the flame   bearer. Brilliant.  Need more books to tell his tale,  can we expect some and if so when?

Thanks for so many hours of pleasure.

Dane

Hello Bernard,

I just wanted to say a big thank you for your books. Until seeing the TV version of The Last Kingdom I had read very little fiction and certainly never any historical fiction. Well I wanted to find out more about Uhtred and have just finished the 9th book in the series and along the way have taken on board The grail quest and books on Arthur. A question just occurred to me out of the blue. I'm sending it to you with tongue in cheek - will you in a future book be revealing how Uhtred at a late age in his life found the energy, time, space, ink, parchment and facility to write so much about himself and stash the said writings away to be found so well preserved then published?!

 

Thanks again, very best wishes

Yano

Hi Bernard,

 

I'm a Huge fan, read every book and enjoyed them all. You very kindly publish a book (in the U.K.) timed to coincide with my Birthday, so I'm always looking forward to getting older, and now I age with Uther!

 

I understand the Uther series will end with the Battle of Brunanburh, and for that you will need to decide (perhaps you already have?) where to set the site for the Battle....however I'm convinced the Battlefield is not at any of the locations that anyone to my knowledge  (over the last century) has put forward, some suggestions I believe are in the right 'shire' but as an Ex Dragoon Guard with a trained and experienced eye for 'fighting ground' I'm not convinced by any of them.

 

I have read and understood all the guidelines for contact and I can assure you (and those lawyers) that I herewith give up any and all rights on any idea I might have on the location of the Brunanburh Battle-Field, you are welcome to all my thoughts and ideas, they are yours, free of charge.

 

I am pretty certain (all things considered) precisely where the Northern 'Allies' could have arranged to 'form up', given where they started from, and subsequently where they would have then waited (and prepared) for the Wessex/Mercian Army to arrive, if I'm right then it becomes obvious where the latter would have set up camp on the eve of the battle and where the battle was fought.

 

Wherever you choose, I know the book will be great, you are the very best of authors....another book in a 'Fort' series would be great, really enjoyed it.

Dean Nicholson

Dear Mr Cornwell,

I am reading all The Last Kingdom books which I originally bought one by one for my son but am now enjoying as much as he did.

I have just finished The Pagan Lord which, as someone from Wolverhampton,  I especially enjoyed because of its coverage of The Battle of Teotanheale or The Battle of Wodnesfeld as many locals maintain.

However I feel I must point out that Wodnesfeld is modern Wednesfield (a part of modern Wolverhampton) and not Wednesbury as stated in the Place Names list. I  do realise that this is a small point but it is a matter of fact and not conjecture and does matter to us Wulfrunian locals! It also makes sense of the part in the book where one local Saxon states that the nearby village is Teotenheale whilst this is contradicted by another stating it is Wodansfeld as the exact site of the battle is a source of local dispute to this day.

The mistake is easily rectified in future editions by just changing the entry in the Place Names list.

Meanwhile I am now reading The Empty Throne and am looking forward to reading the others in the series. Keep up the good work.

Regards,

Chris Irvine

I was just wondering how familiar you are with your family connection to Bamburgh Castle? I know I had in the past read an article where you mentioned when your family's possession of the Castle ended, but I don't remember what it was. I have just today finished Marc Morris' excellent book "The Norman Conquest". At the beginning of the book he covers some of the events that lead up to the Conquest, including how Edward the Confessor came to be King of England. In this vein, he covers the story of Uhtred of House Bamburgh, also known as Uhtred the Bold, the final Anglo Saxon Earl of Northumbria and the murder of his son and usurpation of Bamburgh Castle by Siward Digri. I thought this little nugget fit perfectly in my current reading, as I am also rereading the Saxon Stories in anticipation of the American release of "Flame Bearer".  I was wondering if you knew where exactly your particular branch of the family fit into this snippet of time in history. It is highly interesting, and would make your familiy connection to the Saxon Stories, and especially to "The Last Kingdom" possibly much deeper than you might have thought as it could also make you a lineal descendant of not only the real Uhtred the Bold, but of Bjorn Ironside, son of Ragnar Lothbrok and brother of Ivar the Boneless, Halfdan, Sigrud Snake in the Eye and, of course, Ubba. I won't post the breakdown of my reasoning, as I have a few more questions and don't want to create an even larger wall of text than I had already planned on.

 

I have also began reading "The Plantagenets " by Dan Jones. I apologize if this a time period in history that you don't get to study much, as you haven't written about it, but if I understand the geneology of Henry the II correctly, is he the lineal descendant of not only Rollo of Normandy and William the Conqueror, but also a number of characters in the Saxon Stories like Alfred, and Edward, but also of Kings Duncan and Malcom of "Macbeth", thus making him an ancestor of the real Macbeth?

 

Lastly, when you orignially wrote "the Warlord Chronicles", did you already envision writing a series involving Alfred the Great? I only ask because Your description of him looking like a Preist or Clerk are almost identical to your descriptions of Cerdic. So I was wondering if the Saxon Stories were in your head when you wrote that, or if you just used your description of Cerdic as a basis for Alfred. Sorry for the wall of text, and I can't wait to read Flame Bearer.

 

Thanks,

Luke

I was just wondering if you intentionally married Sigtryggr into Uhtred's family as a vein to allow him to pass freely to Bebbanburg, or if it is another hidden reference to previous characters in your books, as the real Sigtryggr would have been a Grandson of the real Ivar the Boneless?

Luke