Your Questions

Go ahead and add me to the pile of Uhtred-lovers wondering when book 9 will come out. Can you give us a ballpark? This last book was probably my favorite, and my previous favorite was the first. He's such a great character, thank you for creating him!

Cheers,

Maxwell Buehler

 

Hi Bernard

I wondered if you could tell me when the book you are writing now which is your 9th in the series will be released I have read them all twice and derived a great deal of pleasure from them  thank you

Dave Buck

 

Dear Sir,

After reading and finishing the full Saxon series I was just wondering if you have any plans to continue the story?  I'm asking this because of have never read anything like it in my life before  and now feel I know Uhtred so well and it seems silly but I need to know what happens to him in the future. I have since tried to read other books by other  authors but can't seem to get into them as much as I did with the Saxon series. Once again, thank you so much for bringing this character into my life,  yours,

Mark.

 

Recently, I read your book "Waterloo"- an excellent read and so deeply researched.  I noted quite a few references to the German Legion, so I think you must have looked into that unit's records.  This is the reason I'm contacting you.

My great great grandfather was described at his marriage (1838) in Caernarvon, as "gentleman".  When his three daughters were born, he was variously described as "half-pay officer", "Captain in the Army", "Army Officer".  When one of his daughters married (long after he was presumed dead) she described her father as "Captain in the Army".

He was not present at the births and baptism of his first and third daughters but he was present at the birth of his middle daughter.  He was the informant of the birth to the civil authorities and, as the baptism was the same day, it's reasonable to suppose he was present.  The Llanbeblig parish records show his occupation as "Captain in the German Legion".

His wife remarried in 1849, in the same church in which she married George Austin, describing herself as a widow.  So he died (no record known to me) or scarpered.

I cannot find this fellow in the Army List, the Waterloo Record or anywhere else--he may have been a liar/conman -- who knows?

Can you suggest, from your experience perusing German Legion records, where I might look to see if this great greatgrandfather was a hero or a fake?

Best

David Burton

I'm a yank!  But, I caught the "Peaky Blinders" on NetFlix and it is amazing.  I hope some of the same BBC crew work on our Lord Uhtred's film debut.  As you imagine, they had better get it right!  We (your faithful reading horde) all have, in our fuzzy brains, a unique way of imagining how Uhtred's war cry sounds, and against all odds we must be made to believe it is really Uhtred on our screen and not some impostor.  No pressure!

 

Two things:

1) Have you watched Peaky Blinders?  If no, well, you my friend are missing out.

2) Not sure if this has been mentioned before, but... you should read less fan-mail and get back to work on the next Uhtred book.  Tick tock!

 

Best regards from a faithful reader,

Ethan

Hi

I am planning a trip to follow the making of England as per your books (The Warrior Chronicles). My first stop will be Winchester followed by Malmesbury, Gloucester, Tamworth, Bamburh Castle and Lindisfarne (Holy Island). I expect to take my time and it will take me 5 days. Is there any advice you can give me as to what to look for or people I can speak to while on the trip? I dont really wish to go and see battle sights as mostly they are just fields now, but anything else. I will be seeing the graves sights and tombs of Alfred, Edward, Aethelflaed, Aethelstan.

Regards

Neil Smith

Dear Bernard,

I'm a big fan of your Saxon Stories and would like to thank you for bringing this very interesting period to life for us all.

Without giving anything away, 'Ice Spite' plays a big role in your latest book. In your end notes you thank Thomas Kane, MD; can you elaborate on what medical condition he was advising you on? Some sort of abscess maybe?

Best Regards

Robin Baker

Hi Bernard,

First I would just like to thank you for creating such vivid worlds and inspiring me to have a go at creative writing myself. I just have a couple of questions if you have the time.

In the Last Kingdom Uhtred talks about being a Sceadugengan, a shadow-walker. Is this an invention of yours, or did people of the day believe in such creepy entities lurking in the shadows?

I am currently researching for a Viking inspired fantasy novel, but find that most books on the Vikings are generic and don't have anything special about them. Are there any particular books you have read when researching the Saxon Stories to get the creative juices flowing that you would recommend?

 

Thank you, and all the best,

Stuart

Dear Sir

I am currently re-listening to Sharpe's Gold.  Everytime from the first time I purchased the paperback, to listening to the fantastic William Gaminara read it to me on Audio-Book, the genius of your writing inspires me to get extremely annoyed at Major Kearsey.  Major Kearsey is adamant that Britain has let Spain down, and what frustrates me is he's conveniently ignoring facts like broken promises made to Britain/Wellington by Spain.

I actually admire Sharpe's restraint in this book, because I think there must have been occasions where he'd have liked to give him a little slap?  Particularly when Kearsey was being patronising or condescending.

He was an honest man, which i know is supposed to be admired, but I cannot bring myself to either pity or like the man.  What did you think of Kearsey?

Also, Harper aside, whom have your 3 favourite friends of Sharpe been?  Mine are Sweet William, Hogan and Jorge Vicente.

Lee

Hi Bernard,

It's very interesting about the grenadier regiments. I understand they began as 'ad hoc' assault units within line regiments, handpicked for their strength and elitism. As years passed, they became regiments in their own right, finally attaining ostentatious titles such as 'grenadier guards' or 'marine grenadiers'; cream of the cream in military hierarchy. Foot Grenadiers of the Old Guard (have I translated that correctly?) are perhaps the most famous unit in Napoleon's army with their distinctive bearskin helmets. However, I'm curious if the early French grenadier regiment - similar to the Fusiliers wearing shakoes but with red poms attached and wearing white trousers without the black or white spats - was abolished at some point, or did it continue beyond establishment of Napoleon's Old Guard? And was Napoleon's Old Guard established around 1800? The game Napoleon Total War features such a grenadier regiment descended from the regular (Fusilier) regiments.

Robert Douglas

Hello Mr Cornwell,

I am a huge fan of your books (particularly Uhtred's stories) and I was wondering how you organise your great battle scenes. I know a lot of the battles are written in the Anglo Saxon chronicle etc. but I would imagine that they are not written in much detail and therefore you have to theorise and "work out" how they would have played out based on the terrain and tactics of the day. I was wondering if there are any useful books that explain strategy with regards to warfare of this era (I have tried searching on amazon but with little success). I would love to know how decisions are made how to deploy particular men to particular positions and how the army is organised etc. Sorry for wasting your time with questions like this, I am on tenterhooks waiting for the next Uhtred story and hope there are many (many) more to come as they are my favourite series of all time! Wishing you all the best.

Nicolaas Nicholson

Looking forward to the BBC2 drama that is coming soon.Its about time your work was made into TV.Any idea when it will be? With reference to Burning Land; which Farnham did the Battle take place,it doesn't appear to be Surrey,what was your source?

Sue Morrison