Dear Mister Cornwell,
first of all I would like to tell you how much I love your books. Your heroes are my long time travelling companions and some guys on Amazon were probably surprised when they learned someone is ordering six Sharpe ebook novels from deep of Iran (because I simply had to read on and couldn't wait until I got home).
But I have one really, really small friendly complain. I've just finished Archer's Tale and was really pleased when you put into Battle of Crecy parts about John of Bohemia. Im from Czech Republic and let just say we do not have much warrior kings, so it is nice to read about his last charge (despite the fact that out of battlefield he was poor ruler).
What surprised me was that in the scene of his death dies his son Charles too ("bled to death"). But Charles was just three times wounded (probably by arrows), but survived, became Emperor of Holy Roman Empire and probably best and most famous Bohemian king (unlike his father, Charles was great builder and administrator). So...didn't you just by accident killed beloved future king?
Please, don't take it as criticism, Im historian myself, just for Middle-East, and I know how hard is to get all historical characters together. Also, I really, really loved the scene with father and son shouting "Prague" and dying on the same part of battlefield, it has beautiful tragic in it.
Oh, and if you are interested about John's death... I think works of professor Emanuel Vlcek were not translated into english – he is (or was, died few years ago) first class anthropologist who specialized to „forensic“ pathology of czech rulers. From John's skeletal remains he found that there were two mortal wounds apparent from skeleton. One was cause by three-sided weapon that stabbed through eye and bones behind to brain. Maybe english arrow? Second strike went from behing, pierced left shoulderblade and went into chest cavity. Hole in bone was round and about 1cm wide, so maybe another arrow? Also, his right hand was (probably after death) almost cut off by three strikes with axe or sword, probably to get his expensive sword and/ or rings.
Sorry for the lenght of the email, it is just natural response to your books – I need to get into more and more details about some parts of the book. Well, in fact you made me love Napoleonic Wars.
So, thank you very much for your books, its great pleasure to read them and learn new things. And sorry for my english, Im simply much better in reading than writing in it.
Sincerely
Ales Smutny