Your Questions

Dear Sir, with great interest, I read "The Fort". You forward, though, the idea that the green uniforms of the later British rifle formations might come from the green uniforms of the US Marines J. Moore encountered at Penobscot. Isn't it rather inherited from the German (e. g., Hesse or Ansbach) Jäger units fighting in British pay in North America (e. g., the later Prussian Field Marshal von Gneisenau, Blücher's Chief of Staff during the Waterloo campaign, and instrumental in the Prussians arriving in time, served with the Ansbach Jäger Corps in north America)? Was Moore instrumental in choosing green, at all? I think, the Hesse Jäger even had a written manual, of course in German. By the way, perhaps you look up on Wikipedia "Johann Gottfried Seume". He was a German writer and poet who served with the Hesse Jäger Battalion in North America, and later became a commissioned (Russian) officer promoted from the ranks. Sincerely, yours D. Rottgardt

Well you sucked me into the Sharpe's father riddle - so I will just make one guess and give up. My thoughts go to whomever might couple with a prostitute in 1776 (around October). So I will say John Montagu, the Earl of Sandwich. Thanks for the Sharpe series, in my opinion it is second only to Patrick O'Brien for originality and historic accuracy. I know I learned more about the Battle of Waterloo from your book than several texts on the subject.

Jerry Desmond

So, is the famous pattern welded sword discovered at Bamburgh castle really Uhtred's serpent breath?

Nicholas Smith

Hello Mr. Cornwell. Thank you for another great read in Death of Kings. I frequent your site and have certainly noticed that many of your readers (myself included!) are clamoring for more Uhtred, or more Sharpe, or more Thomas, or more Starbuck, or more of all of the above. I noticed from your bibliography that as recently as a few years ago, you published multiple novels per year. With so much interest in your various works, are you the least bit tempted to go back to such a release schedule? Of course, I'm afraid with even the most diligent of effort, we'll always read them faster than you can write them.... Thanks again for your wonderful stories. Best regards, Shawn

Hello: I am a great fan and poor because I cannot get enough of your books. (White Lie) My question involves the Peninsular War and your recommendation or referral to "The Peninsular and Waterloo Campaigns" by Edward Costello. 1967 on page 316 of the paperback edition of "Sharpe's Sword". It is the first printing by Signet. I have gone to Amazon and researched the book and was inundated by books of the genre and would to ask you to recommend a good read, by an author of your choice on the subject. I promise not to sue, I just want to enjoy learning this marvelous history. Please stay healthy and inspired as I look forward to anything you write. A devoted and happy fan Sharkey

Hello. Would you ever consider writing about Edgar the Atheling, who I think is a fascinating character in British history? He had a very interesting life, and is often known as 'England's lost king'. Many thanks, Andrew Storey, Leeds.

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I can't fully explain just how much I have enjoyed your books over the past year or so. I stumbled upon them after reading a very positive review that Orson Scott Card gave of Agincourt when it came out and I haven't stopped reading them since. My question is this: why did you decide to make the narrators of both the Arthur and Saxon books outsiders in much the same way? Is there something about an outsider as a narrator that makes the job of telling a story easier? Though both Derfel and Uhtred are ethnically Saxons they are each playing for the other side, as it were. Is that just because as an Englishman yourself you thought it would be fun to have the narrators of each series be Englishmen in the same way? (That seems as good a reason as any, I mean results are excellent and speak for themselves.) I haven't read that many of your books yet, am I just looking at two superficial similarities and seeing a pattern where there is none? Warmest Regards Jacob Smith

p.s. I do believe it is possible for a modern person with scientific training to be a believer in religion. I like to hope that I can be a believer (in my case in Mormonism) and still be intellectually consistent and morally decent without falling too far into the traps of hypocrisy or mean spiritedness. You have never said otherwise. Heck, if anything I imagine you are being kind in your treatment of Christianity. I am just saying, I believe in science and in being a decent human being and I think my religious convictions help me be better than I might be otherwise.

Hello again Mr Cornwell! Been looking at some Yankee Civil War stats, and it seems to me that the North lost a lot more men than the south (something like 1/3 more from what I saw). My pa, whose a bit of a historian, reckons it's coz the North could afford to lose more men than the South and so used tactics that cost more men. Could you shed any light on this? Very much looking forward to reading the entire Uhtred series when you finish them, the last one was awesome! Obliged as ever Owe Phillips

hallo. In Italy the last book available ( in italian language ) of Sharpe, was Sharpe's Gold,two years ago. How many time we'll have to wait for another? Please, tell to your italian publisher to wake up. With kind regards Gianni Rizzi

You're a great pen and have a great imagination, but when you decide to let us finish reading the series dedicated to Richard Sharpe in Italy in Italian?. saluti Raffaele Treccioni by Florence - Italy

Hi Mr. Cornwell. I miss Sharpe! I know it will be a few years before we see another novel in his saga, and that right now, you are working on Thomas of Hookton at Poitiers. If you are able to finish the latter on schedule, might I request that you bring out another Sharpe short story to tide us over? Alan Kempner