Your Questions

Hi, I just finished the Arthur's books. I'm writing a RPG about Arthur and Keltia. I found something in your book, that I couldn't find anywhere else : warriors collecting rings on adversaries' corpses, like once Celts cut heads, to prove the killings I suppose. Did you invent that ( great idea) or did you find this detail somewhere ? Thanks a lot for these great books !

Valerie Laproye

My crack at the Sharpe's father riddle: My collection of all the hints and clues dispensed so far includes the fact that we're not looking for an historical character or a fictional character as such. That suggests more of a role or type than a name. You've said he was most likely a rogue and that he may have been French. And the word we're looking for has 8 letters. So, my wild guess is: Corsaire Taking you out (removing the 'I') and putting you in (adding 'me') yields the letters corsaure, which means nothing in itself but it's an anagram of Oscurare - which was the name of a very obscure American racehorse. Oh, and there's a French comic series (and a band too I believe) called Joyeux Corsaire - happy pirate.

Helena

Your narrators in the Arthur trilogy and what I call the longbow books are very firmly certain what and who is good and what and who is evil from the first word. Arthur/Merlin good...Mordred/Lancelot bad. The women are more realistic (love how you write your female characters--one of best male writers for women), still...there's some quibbling, but no true conversions or shocking revelations. Is this by design to make for a more soothing read? Or do you, the author, see Good as Good and Evil as Evil.?? If so, please share with me. I'm stuck in the Uncertainty Principle vortex. Keep Writing! Back further in time, and more women...my 2 cents request! Anna

Mr. Cornwell,I am a big fan of yours, ever since I ran across "The Archers Tale" while shopping at a Costco store. Since then I've purchased and read the Grail Quest series, all of the Sharpe Series (even watched every episode), The Warlord chronicles, Stonehenge, Gallows Thief,and the four Saxon Tales. Now, with that being said I was very excited to run across The Burning Land. I live in Texas, but the cover (according to your site) is from the UK. (The bookstore had five hardback copies of it.) I immediately picked it up, because I've been waiting for the follow up to Sword Song. Mr. Cornwell, to be very honest with you, I was rather upset and felt somewhat "cheated" as it were, that upon getting myself situated in my library and diving into it, it began to seem familiar. By page 21 the Deja'vu really set in, and by page 24 I had to pull the cover off to see if it matched the book! You are an excellent novelist and I have recommended you to several friends and even to a gentleman across the aisle from me on a flight back from Seattle Tuesday when he asked me what I was reading. This book however has me perplexed. I even pulled out the other books to check myself and the pages in The Burning Land look like a cut-n-paste of the first four. I mean The last paragraph in Sword song is, "The long oars dipped, the riverbanks closed on us, and in the west the smoke of Lundene smudged the summer sky". The Burning Lands last paragraph is, "The long oars dipped, the riverbanks closed on us, and in the west the smoke of Lundene veiled the sky". Is The Burning Land intended to be a compilation of the first four? I'm sorry to ramble on, but I just want to get an understanding of this books intent in the Saxon series. I do look forward to the next ones release in January 2012. Thank you, and I look forward to your response. Sincerely; Walter White Rowlett, TX

I love your story about Lord Uhtred, I am looking forward to read the last chapter, I can see in your site that has just been published in UK. Do you know perhaps when will it be published in Italy?

Sabina

At Waterstones last night&.Bernard Cornwell How refreshing it was to hear religion not handled with kid gloves. Also refreshing to have swear words freely spouted. I did feel sorry for the little twerp who was there to have all his prepared questions answered before he got a chance to whisper them. And how grand it was to have you throw off your jacket&..push aside the microphone and simply get down to talking to us. I was amazed to hear that you do all your own research. It was my first book signing. You wrote something in the book beneath my name Susheela. I showed it to my husband who is a linguist(Cambridge), French, German, Latin, Malay, Geordie. He hadn’t a clue what it meant. I’d love to know. Maybe something Uhtred would have known! Live long and tell us more. Sush

Dear Mr Cornwell, On your website you said the following: "don't please send me ideas for a book. I cannot use your ideas for a Sharpe book for the same reason that I can't read your manuscripts. Lawyers." I have an idea for a book (it reads like the beginning of a Robert Louis Stevenson novel) and it came from some family correspondence written by a since deceased relative in 1938. Because the author is dead does that mean you can safely use it? Yours sincerely, Edward Kendall

I truly am your fan I never liked reading until I started reading the series saxon, actually after I started reading I have not stopped, the last book kings death did not get here in Brazil yet. More'm looking forward to buy, you do not want to convert to Christianity Uthred in the series finale? Thank you.

Maxwell

Dear Bernard, Many thanks for all your great books! I love reading them, especially those dealing with British history. My question is: Is Death of Kings the last part of the Saxon Stories (hope not!) or is the series going to continue (hope so)? Kind regards, Karel Czech Republic

Hello Bernard, I've just read 'Death of kings' and would like to thank you for yet another amazing book, the trouble is I cannot wait for the next Uhtred storey. I've heard the your next book will be a very welcome return of Thomas of Hookton,is that true? Regards and many thanks Bob Warburton