Your Questions

Mr. Cornwell,

I just want to thank you for the characters you bring to life, your recreations of our world’s past and the moments of escapism that inevitably end will my wife demanding “are you listening to me?!”

I truly hope you enjoy writing your stories as I hope they will continue for many years to come but I am curious about the chicken and egg of your storytelling; do you envision a character first then find a place in history for him or are you inspired by a setting and create a character that is a likely product of the demands and environment of the time?

I wish you continued success and happiness!

Sincerely,

Colin McEwen

Dear Bernard,

I was overjoyed about having two new Sharpe books, however I would like to bend your ears again about the missing period of Sharpe's career, and that is the time between giving up his red coat and musket as an ensign in India and obtaining his Green Jacket uniform as a Second Lieutenant carrying a Baker rifle in the UK, both of which feature throughout his entire career, there could indeed be some intrigue at this point of this young new officer, how did he get to Portugal? I call this the 'Missing Link'. even a short story would suffice.

Kenneth Blackman

Dear Bernard

Most people are aware of the Peninsular War with Wellington. What they might not be aware of is the Peninsular War in the Seven Year's War and this victory by John Burgoyne of Saratoga Fame.  I wondered of you were ever tempted on a Prequel of this First Peninsular War or of the 7 years War in General?

Regards

Geraint

Hello Mr. Cornwell,

I first wanted to say thank you for you amazing books. I loved the Saxon Tales and Uhtred is a great character, but Sharpe is one of my all time favorite characters and the Napoleonic era is one that fascinates me. After finishing Sharpe’s Assassins, I listened to your interview with Dan Snow on HistoryHit podcast and you said you’d like to do more on Sharpe. I was wondering if you’d ever go back to Sharpe’s first campaign in Flanders in 1793 under the Duke of York. I know this campaign was a disaster in many ways for the British, but I’d love to read about Sharpe’s first days in the army. I also must say Id love to see  the Duke of York as a main character, I found your portrayal of his brother the Prince Regent to be one of the best moments in the whole series. I was laughing out loud reading his sections. Julian Fellowes was amazing in the series too. Did you have as much fun writing those parts as I did reading them?

Last question is if you’d ever think of delving into Marlborough’s time and his campaigns against Louis XIV? I could see you having a lot of fun writing Queen Anne as you did the Prince Regent.

Thank you again for your books I have the Grail Series on my shelf I just purchased and will read as soon as I finish a biography of Edward III I’m reading.

Thank you

Jack Tilghman

Hi Bernard,

hope life is good..

I've noticed Uhtred increasingly looks for omens, and by War of The Wolf he's more superstitious than previously.

By the time he prepares to take revenge on Skoll he's searching for omens everywhere, and feels cursed.

What was it do you feel that is making Uthred increasingly superstitious? Could it be his increased age and a sense of judgement day approaching?

I find it fascinating how you have given your character such depth that there is a sense of increased vulnerability within him..

This is one of the finest series of historical novels I've read.

Thanks so much for writing them.

Best wishes

Toby

 

 

 

Listening to War of the Wolf

Did you consider at any time

That with lead and silver mines in the area that the wall could have been sapped like Jericho

Teddy

Dear Bernard

This Article on the 1808 Russo Swedish War will be of interest to read. Given that the Royal Navy and a British Army under Sir John Moore ended up there. I wondered of you were tempted to get Sharpe there. There would be time before the Peninsular War but after Sharpe Prey. The Swedish King does sound absolutely mad and the Swedish and Finnish Troops seemed to out fight and beat the Russians a lot but tragically for them were let down by a terrible High Command Regards https://www.napoleon-series.org/military-info/battles/c_finnish.html

Geraint

P.S Please please consider a book on the War of 1812. I know I'm not the only Fan, British or American of yours  to want that. Even if you're reluctant to use Sharpe you could always use Frederickson or Chase instead.  The Glengarry Light Infantry were nicknamed the Black Stumps and operated in the 95th Role in Canada and in a lot of fights

Hi Mr Cornwell,

my name is Nathan I'm 14 and from Belgium.

I'd like to thank you, your many books have given me countless hours of joy.

I've read The Saxon Stories, The Warlord Chronicles, The Grail Quest, Agincourt, and I'm now reading the books about Richard Sharpe. I'm about to begin reading Sharpe's Battle, but i thought I'd see if you had a fan mail, so here I am. I've always been interested in history, but your books have inspired to do something with that interest. I'm sure you hear this often, but you write really well, and your books have also made me more interested in English literature. If you don't mind, I have a few questions. In the Richard Sharpe books, are the majority of officers real, or does it depend which officer I would be talking about? Was the guerilla warfare in Spain truly so brutal as you describe it? And is it know who really killed Tippu Sultan?

Since you most likely get many messages, I'll end my message here.

Thank you for writing books and thank you for reading this,

kind regards,

Nathan

Hello,

Are there going to be any more Starbuck Chronicles ?

Best regards,

Stephen

 

Dear Bernard,

I know you’ve been asked this before so bear with me!

My mother in law gifted me ‘Battle Cry of Freedom’ for my birthday, a vast improvement on the usual pants/ plants nons nee, and  having read most of that I decided to revisit an old friend of mine, your Starbuck Chronicles. I’ve almost finished #4 and I’ve never read such a visceral description of a battle as your writing on Antietam. I’m right there with Starbuck. The writing is phenomenal, and whilst your favourite work of mine has to be the Warlord Chronicles, Starbuck is a close second.

Anyway, it appalls me that Billy Blythe got away with his deeds, and I’d love to read how Starbuck gets his revenge on that sumbitch and how he, Truslow, Pecker and Swynard fare at Gettysburg and hope that they aren’t part of Picket’s bridgade.

Do you have any plans at all to revisit Starbuck?

Yours imploringly

Owe Phillips

 

Just a small nudge in case you have forgotten. I thoroughly enjoyed the Sharpe series and the Arthur trilogy, all your books in fact, but I do have a moan... why have you abandoned Starbuck? I read the first 4 in the 90's with great pleasure, but it has been a long wait for the next... :( I keep hoping,

best regards,

Dave

Dear Bernard

Given your half Canadian I wondered if as a 1 off you've ever considered writing about the 1775 Siege of Quebec. A fascinating but rather unknown campaign it seems. Yet there's a reason Canada didn't go independent with the other Colonies and this was it.

I don't know if you've read these or not but if not can I recommend War at Saber Point by John Knight on Tarleton and the British Legion.

War at Saber Point: Banastre Tarleton and the British Legion https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08Q8P3K5P/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_48QAYF341HE0MQHRRWM3

 

As well as Fusiliers by Mark Urban on the 23rd Royal Welsh who fought in most of the major battles from Lexington to Yorktown

Fusiliers: Eight years with the Redcoats in America https://amzn.eu/d/74ccqKj

Geraint