Your Questions

Hi Mr Cornwell, In Sharpe's Eagle, Cpt Lennox is described as having stepped forward and steadying the line at Assaye. Having Just read Triumph and Fortress, I cannot remember reading Lennox's name appear at Assaye, there are plenty of times where one could imagine Lennox's intervention to save Wellesley's advance into the overwhelming enemy. But seeing how you wrote Triumph after Eagle, was there a reason you chose not to mention Lennox at Assaye? I suppose the drama of the situation was enough. thanks for your time.

Daniel Gill

Dear Mr Cornwell. I have written to you several times because not only are your books brilliant but this website is too. Today's question regards Sharpe's father. I don't know when it started but a lot of people seem to offering suggestions so may I ask you, have you made up your mind who Sharpe's father is and would you tell us if anyone got it right. My own thoughts are that if he followed his father for looks he would have to have black hair, and as you often make reference to Sharpe either shaving or not shaving it could be someone who has a dark beard growth. Add to this someone who is a fearless soldier and I get Black Bob Crauford. Not as his father but step brother or cousin. Thank you again for your wonderful books. Mike Walker, Worcester, UK.

Dear Mr Cornwell, I read and enjoyed the Fort; very good it was. At the end you commented on the relative veracity of the reputations of Lovell, Saltonstall and Revere. You finally came to the conclusion that perhaps only Revere really would have had the fire in his belly to carry the day, and the Fort. You said that Peleg Wadsworth might not have spoken to his grandson, Longfellow on the subject of Revere, and so Longfellow's poem selected Revere for canonisation without reference to what Wadsworth thought. But I wonder if Wadsworth didn't agree with you, thinking Revere might have been the better commander, and Longfellow was operating to reverse the balance on whom he might have seen as an unfairly excoriated man. Also we are not required to agree with grandfathers. My own grandfather (who had worked in the same bank as him) described Michael Collins as "a young fool who went off to die for Ireland" whereas I think the world of him. Regards Jonathan Mills

Hi Bernard, I absolutely loved Azincourt and hope that the movie does come through and is actually good, because the battle and the buildup are masterfully crafted. What really fascinated me about the book is its, by your standards, very non-cynical portrayal of Henry V, especially given the number of historians who attribute greed and ego to his actions. I noticed that this portrayal of Henry means that the story tallies neatly with the Bard's rendition, so is it a case of you deferring to the language's greatest author, or do you think Harry was simply that nice a bloke? I suppose on the law of averages their needs to be some pleasant monarchs.. (I also considered that the story's entirely from Nick's point of view, so his view of the politics is undoubtedly a fairly simple one..)

Jared Hansen

Firstly I love your rules- polite and to the point. I have just come by to say I am very pleased to hear the Thomas of Hookton will return. He is fabulous character and I look forward to the book when it comes out. I was just wondering if you do book signings on the Cape - since that is where you live. One more thing - John Wetton of Asia mentioned your name on his website a while back. Here is part of his description of one of his songs in which he talks about your good self "...I'm a big student of medieval warfare---one of the best authors to read for factual as well as fictional material is Bernard Cornwell--his detail is staggering, and his descriptions of Crusades battles are second-to-none..." The song by the way is called Holy War. Just thought I would drop that in for you to see if you haven't already. I am glad he did. I was reading your Saxon series at the time and when I finished I went to The Grail Quest series and he is spot on. The series is a real good read - and now I am going to look at Sumption's Hundred Years War series. Thank you very much. (Now I just need a good book on medieval weaponry to help with the details).

Debb

Mr. Cornwell, I was directed to your books during a sword demonstration at the local library. The Archer's Tale is my favorite of your books. Will Thomas of Hookton be appearing in any more of your novels? I enjoy all of your books very much. Anthony

Dear Bernard After writing about Sir John Moore in the Fort do you think you will ever write a one off book about the battle of Corunna and his death (though with many of the major battles in Spain it was the one Sharpe missed!) yet if the British had lost that fight there would have been no army for Wellington to use to win his victories?? Yours sincerely Geraint

P.S If you have not read it I can recommend A Matter of Honour: The Life, Campaigns and Generalship of Isaac Brock by Jonathon Riley as worth look as like Moore (And Wolfe before him) he seems to be another general that died in his hour of victory I guess again the question will you ever have go at him?

Dear Mr Cornwell, Stonehenge is a subject that interest me because early history is my passion (and Art History, 17th Century Holland) my profession. I have seen most great archaeology museums in the Western world including that of Vienna, Paris, Carnac. What I found while reading Stonehenge - it is a very readable story... however after page 100 or so, something started to itch and chafe: I detected an enormous chasm between a red blooded European outlook which would allow for unabashed description of bodily functions and bodily fluids and fierce sexual encounters - - - and on the other hand your USA based outlook which, it seems to me, is permeated by a politically correct thinking and thus infused by a very reticent attitude towards the above. Have you seen the HBO series entitled Rome? have you seen images of mural art in Pompeii? Have you seen Roman art depicting carnal life? Have you seen Greek art about the same? Further back in time the image store does not allow us to see much in factual images. However, what you do see in the visual arts and the texts of Greece, Rome is an example of how fierce and gory and bloody and carnal and unabashed that world was. It was not a USA-style, pilgrim father style politically correct and anti-sexual life.. Stretching the mind back to 2000 BC, I would expect the fierce primal urges to be visible and alive in daily life. Yours sincerely, Drs Kees Kaldenbach, Amsterdam, Holland.

I just ordered the UK version of Death of Kings on Amazon because I did not want to wait until 2012 for US version. After doing so I thought - is there a difference between the US english version and the UK english version. Please let me know. By the way - I love your books!

Scott Fraser

hello, I'm a huge fan from Belgium. At this moment I'm reading the saxon stories and i was wondering if you could give me some information about the recruitment of the saxon armies at the time? like the recruitment of the fyrd and who made a part of it(thegns only or also peasantry?). I have found a couple of things on internet, but i was wondering if you could recommend me some books? I'm very interested in Britain in the dark ages, but you find so few things about it. thx for your time

Henk