Your Questions

Dear Bernard,

My name is Adam Hopper, I'm 20 years old and an Archaeology student at the University of Reading. I have a keen interest in the Anglo-Saxon period and I am a huge fan of your Warrior Chronicles series. I've always wanted to have a go at writing and your books have inspired me to try and write a historical novel of my own. I am only in the beginning stages of research and although I have a good knowledge and understanding of the period, due to my degree, and personal interest, I need some help in producing a more accurate historical context. I wanted to ask mainly, how did you manage to produce a map of Britain during the 9th/10th century and where is the best place to gain information on things like place names and Anglo-Saxon settlements. Also, to what extent do you invent characters such as Lords of certain areas of lands. I want my character to swear oath to a Lord in Northumbria, but I do not know who the lord of an estate near the River Humber in the Early 9th Century is nad whether it is likely that I could find one. Also, How much can land boundaries be theorised?

Thank you for your time and I hope you are able to help,

All the best,

Adam Hopper.

Dear Mr Cornwell,

For the sake of brevity, please take the usual complements as read but nonetheless sincerely meant.

I was intrigued to see that in Warriors of the Storm, you have chosen to site Brunanburh on the Wirral Peninsular. Without wishing to pre-empt book 10, presumably and logically it will be the site of the subsequent Battle of Brunanburh in the spring or summer of 937. As you doubtless know, despite its importance to English (and indeed British) history, the date is as unknown as the actual battle site, which is disputed by several other contending locations.

My question is whether you had considered the merits of the claims of the other contending sites, which would have been your second choice and why you opted for the Wirral (which admittedly seems to be the more favoured location amongst academic opinion).

Best wishes for 2016.

Peter Ranson.

 

Having just finished  THE EMPTY  THRONE, I would like to comment on an alternative location for BRUNANBURH.

If you take a look at the Runcorn / Widnes railway bridge  on Google you will find that it is known locally as the Aethelflaed bridge. According to local historians the south pier of the bridge is built on the remains of Queen Aethelflaed Burh on the banks of the Mersey at Runcorn If so, then the dream of King Alfred for the kingdom of England was started in Runcorn at this site Your thoughts please.

David Duckett

I was intrigued by the moving towers you described in 1356. Is there anywhere you might suggest that would show a picture of this? I can't quite my head around what it looks like.

Dave Pierce

Hi Bernard,

Your starbuck chronicles are rated alongside my favourite books, Lord of the rings and the game of thrones series as my favourite re reads. I really hope you go back to finish Nate's story. It was a brilliant read and the kind of book you can't put down once you start.

Do you have plans to finish Nate's story in the near future?

Thank you for writing such brilliant books.

 

Ben

 

Hi Mr Cornwell,

huge fan of your work, whilst I have read and enjoyed your other series the Starbuck series is my favourite work of yours- have you given any recent thought to writing the next in the series? I'd love to find out what happens to the combined Faulconer Legion/Yellowlegs in the Fredericksburg campaign, and of course the fates of Thorne, Delaney and Billy Tumlin!

Regards

Brad Cohen

 

You are with out a doubt my favorite author. Where i live in California Warriors of the Storm has not been released it and its killing me waiting to finally get the book.I love the Starbuck Chronicles and it kills me that the story is left unfinished with no books in sight. I seen on your website that you stopped writing the series due to the Sharpe series getting a TV show made of it, and the two stories being very similar. I know people have asked you this before and probably drove you up the wall asking this question. With the Sharpe done now are there plans to writing the Starbuck Chronicles again. I would love to finally get to complete that unfinished story.

Kenneth Pate

 

I have recently been listening to the Starbuck Chronicles while driving to work. I read the books a few years ago and I was wondering if there might be more someday. I know that you stopped writing them because you were also writing Sharpe stories at the same time, but since Sharpe seems to be done would it be time to continue?

James Elliot

 

I love all of your books! I love everything about the history of England. and your books are exactly what I have been looking for, in terms of historical facts mixed with fiction.

You have said that the character of Uhtred is an idea based on your ancestor.Have you ever made your genealogy  open to your readers? My family and my husband's family go very far back in English and Scandinavian history- according to Ancestry.com. The  DNA tests that I had done verify this fact. The name Cornwell just showed up in one my DNA matches and I would like to know if we are distantly related. And it would be cool to think that one of my ancestors may have had a role in some of the stories  that you write about.

I know you are very busy right now,but I think that you have an interest in family history as I do. I would love to know more about your family.

Sincerely.

Candace Cobb

I wonder if you have ever met George R.R.Martin? I imagine you might have at some writers' convention. Your Saxon story, which I am currently enjoying hugely, is a fiction created in an actual historical setting whereas his story is a fiction in a fictional historical setting with fantasy elements. I'd love to know what you think of that genre. I hope you had a good Christmas.

Love your books Mr. Cornwell, I have an idea for a last Sharpes book.    Could you write a book where Sharpe looks for his daughter by his wife Teresa, and finds, her and have the adorable character from Sharpe's Peril, Angelina I think come back to him and tie it with a happily ever after retirement.  And maybe tie Harper in it somewhere?

Sophia Mackiewicz

I have really enjoyed your books particularly the non fiction Waterloo. Have you ever considered one for saxon england? I find the historical note and maps as equally fascinating as the story itself.

Kent

 

I would like to know if your name was originally Cromwell? My family tree goes back through the early years when the Danes we're trying to take over all of England.. But to bring it up to a more recent event, Pardon Tillinghast served under commander Cromwell. Pardon Tillinghast was the first of the American tree of Tillinghast, in Providence Rhode Island. I have read all your novels and enjoyed them immensely

Howard Tillinghast

Mr. Cornwell,

first let me thank you for the hundreds of hours of reading enjoyment that your books have given me. I have read them all; many of them twice.  Uhtred's saga is my favorite and I eagerly await "The Warriors Of The Storm" on 1/19/16.

I watched the final episode of the BBC's "The Last Kingdom" today. I thought the series was well done.  Readers generally tend to be critical of adaptations of of their favorite novels, citing even the smallest plot deviation as heresy, but TLK was quite enjoyable. Do you know if a second season is in the works?  I certainly hope to see more of Uhtred and his adventures.

Thanks,

Frank Evanov

 

Hello Mr Cornwell,

I saw The Last Kingdom series on the TV and that made me want to go and buy all the books and read them. I have bought the first book The Last Kingdom and i am loving it but i bought the TV book cover, so my question is will all of the series be re released with the TV book covers with Alexander Dreymon on? If yes then where will i be able to buy all the series with the TV book covers?

Many thanks,

Paige