Your Questions

Q

Dear Bernard, I was wondering what you newest publication is going to be. I just read Death of Kings and loved it and was hoping for another book about Uthred and his journey fighting the Danes. Thanks for your time, Zach Carder

Submitted February 3, 2012

A

My next book will not be Uhtred, but rather a return to Thomas of Hookton.

Q

Dear Bernard, I've read many of your books. They're fun and informative, concerning history. I just finished the Sword Song and am in the beginning of the Burning Land. I realize things can't always make total sense in fiction. You have to ask your readers to suspend logic, become gullible enough to let some stupid thing take place in a story, just so the story can go on. But when Uhtred has Skade with a rope around her neck, and Harald starts killing his Saxon women and children hostages, Uhtred, instead of likewise putting an axe in Skade's head, or just having Harald shot full of arrows, meekly says, "cut her loose", and away she goes! It's beyond stupid. How is that the slightest bit believable? Bernie, that's way too hard to swallow. You can't expect anyone with an once of intelligence not to shake their head and wonder if they should even continue with the yarn. I realize this isn't expected to be great literature, but please try to make it somewhat believable, in terms of basic sense. On the whole, I enjoy your books, but that gaffe was a clunker! Sincerely, Denny Waite

Submitted February 3, 2012

A

Obviously I disagree. Uhtred reckons Harald will kill all the hostages, who have no intrinsic value, while Skade obviously does have value, and is therefore safe - for the moment. So he saves the hostages' lives. It escapes me why that is so reprehensible, and in the end Uhtred prevails. Seems okay to me!

Q

I'm listening the the audio of "Death of Kings" and note that Uhtred is now known as Uhtred of Bambria and not Bebbenburg? Did I miss something...Paul Tombleson

Mr Cornwell, First of all, I just read your interview with George R. R. Martin, and wanted to say that I am very excited to hear that Thomas of Hookton is up for your next novel. Thank you! Second, I mentioned this to you once before when the fifth Uthred book (The Burning Lands) was released on Audio-Book, and it has happened again with Death of Kings. For some unknown reason the reader of the book Stephen Perring refers to Uthred as "Uthred of Bambra(sic?)" instead of "Uhtred of Bebbanburg". (This is the Audible.com release btw) Last time you replied to tell me that you where unaware the change had been made. The website claims that the audio is an unabridged version. Does this mean that the UK version has a different text than the American version, or was this change made by the audio producers? Thank you again and keep up the great work. -Eric

Submitted February 3, 2012

A

I honestly have no idea - it's Bebbanburg in the books so I can only assume that the reader or the producer preferred Bamburgh????

It must be a change made by the audio publisher as the text for the books is the same in the UK and US editions.

Q

I thoroughly enjoyed Death of Kings, and almost regret inhaling it in one night. Uhtred in 900 AD is now 45, and it looks like he'll be pushing 55 by the time he's back in the shield wall at Tettenhall. Up to this point I thought Uhtred was based on Ealdred of Northumbria, a "favorite" of King Alfred, but he alas passed away in 913 and Uhtred appears to live well into his 60s or 70s. I'm now thinking Uhtred is a combination of Ealdred and his son Eadwulf, but I'm not sure because Ealdred also had a son Utred who as near as I can tell was not a major player like his father and brother. Who is your historical inspiration for Uhtred of Bebbanburg? Also, when is the next installment? Hopefully Uhtred finally gets his rear in gear and takes Bebbanburg between now and the final bloodletting at Tettanhall. It's high time Uhtred retakes his birthright!

Alex Gregory

Submitted February 3, 2012

A

Uhtred is one of my ancestors. Not that we know anything about him, but he's there, lurking in one of the darker patches of the family tree and my novels are a way of fleshing him out. The next book of the Saxon Tales won't get written for at least a year!

Q

Dear Bernard, I often ask myself this question, and it's rather daft given that we don't have time travel, but if you could pick just one episode of history, perhaps months-long or merely seconds-long, which one would you love to witness? Paul, Ireland.

Dear Bernard If you could somehow be magically present to witness any of the great battles you have expertly described what would be first on your list? Thanks for so many wonderful hours of entertainment. Stuart

Submitted February 2, 2012

A

Oh, Waterloo. With Kevlar and penicillin, please.

Q

Hi,mister Cornwell,I'm one of yours Italian readers. I want to ask to you when will be ready the translation of the new book of Sharpe.The last book that we read is "the Sharpe's Gold".I know that you had already write the next books but we are waiting from a long time the translation.I thank you for your time,and i apologise for my English but i hope that my email could be intelligible. Flavio

Submitted February 2, 2012

A

I hear the next one scheduled to be published in Italy will be Sharpe's Escape.

Q

I love the Saxon Chronicles and I have now scurried to find the history of the Danes and King Alfred the Great. I'm an indie film-maker and dream of making these into films. I then read recently that these might be made into a TV series. My fingers are crossed that it falls through and I get to do them. :) But just in case I'm too late - any news on this front? I'm still holding out that Uhtred gets converted...

Ron Newcomb

Submitted February 2, 2012

A

I haven't heard anything lately....

Q

I've just enjoyed "Death of Kings" with the all important shield wall. It's always puzzled me that no-one tried a battering ram against the shield wall. An arrow shaped front with two large wheels at the head of a long pole pushed by 12 men (six a side) would be irresistible I think. Seems an obvious idea. Was it ever tried? Colin Patterson

Submitted February 2, 2012

A

Not so far as I know, and the men pushing the ram would be horribly susceptible to missiles . . . I suspect that if the idea had any chance of working then they would have tried it - but I can find no record of it. I suspect such a thing would have been too cumbersome and too vulnerable, but who knows?

Q

Hello Bernard and thanks for allowing me to contact you. I am a great fan and I just wanted to ask you a few questions, hopefully they don't sound bad or personal. I was just wondering how long on average it takes you to think of a plot, stick with the plot, make all the characters up and then write the story. Is writing for you like an 8 hour day? do you have breaks while you write and how much research do you do before you feel confident enough that you won't make historical inaccuracy (which is a worry for me in case I slip up on something important) sorry for all the non stop questions I was just curious how you do it. For me, thinking of a plot is a very hard and worrying motion, trying to find the best plot in my head is time consuming and usually I change it. Writing the actual story for me is hard work to, but then again I suppose writing isn't supposed to be easy. Thank you for the lovely reads, looks like I'm off to do some more medieval clothes material research for my story.....have always wanted to do historical fiction like you. your writing style is so enjoyable to read. Have fun and happy writing!

Andrew Orrow

Submitted February 2, 2012

A

Some writers (lucky people) know their plot before they start a book, but I'm one of those who don't have a clue. E.L. Doctorow cleverly said that writing a novel is like driving on an unfamiliar and winding country road at night with very dim headlights, and you can only see as far ahead as those inadequate lights reveal - and that's true for me, so you end up discovering wrong turnings and dead ends, and go back again and again, and again and again, however many times it takes. I usually reckon that the first two thirds of a book will be rewritten about seven times . . . the last third ought to be a bit easier because by then you can see the road's ending (you hope). But writing on a computer - well, they're not separate drafts as they used to be with a typewriter. I go back a hundred times a day and change something . . . As for research? Research never really stops; I'm continually researching - if not for the book I'm currently writing, then for the one I'll write next, or that I'll write a year or two from now. I've been reading history since I was a child, and all that reading contributes to what I do. However - when thinking about a new book I'll spend some months reading in a very concentrated way, though how long and how much depends on the book.

Q

When is book 7 in the saxon chronicles coming to Australia?

Alex Gatward

Submitted February 2, 2012

A

Do you mean Death of Kings, the 6th book of the Saxon stories? It's been available in Australia since October 2011. I won't start the 7th book of the series until next year.