Your Questions

Hi, Bernard, You may recall we had a brief exchange some time ago about the name Uhtred appearing twice in the Welsh Mabinogion as Uchdryd ab Erim and Uchdryd Farf Draws, and I said it was a popular name among the Welsh. As you already know, we are all eagerly awaiting the further adventures of Uhtred. I've read the archives where you mentioned that the 6th. instalment in the Saxon series is going to be called "The Thorn Crown". When is this book coming out in print? I will most certainly pre-order it. Best Wishes, Karen Han

Dear Bernard Cornwell, Please note that I have read every book, story and parchment of literature that you have ever made possible to the general public to read. You are my favorite author, I feel like I have learned a good amount of history from you and would love to keep reading your novels. Do you have any idea how much longer you plan to write and publicize your work and/or when/what your next writing will be? I find the getaway relief that a good fictional novelist strives for from your writing and the sought after knowledge that a historical non-fiction writer assumes in all of your works. Waiting on the world to change, Michael, Dallas, Texas Favorite Books "The Pale Horseman" "Sharpe's Tiger"

Hi Mr. Cornwell. Why is it okay for Frederickson to break his parole and go to America, and yet you won't let Sharpe do it? Alan Kempner

How is the new dog? James Trethowan

Dear Bernard Cornwell(my favourite author), I'm slightly disappointed to learn that your next book will be about Uhtred and the death of Alfred and the events that followed this. Why am I disappointed? well it's because these are such wonderful books and I had thought after the way The Burning Land ended that the next one would be about Uhtred's pursuit of Haestan and the sieges that followed in Buttington and Chester and then the subsequent raiding the vikings did in the Welsh kingdom of their former ally Anarwd ap Rhodri.I really liked how from a minor character Haestan became a recurring nemesis to Uhtred and it would be a shame if their final reckoning has been skipped over.Since I enjoy this series so much I hope that longevity is a family trait with Uhtred and that his uncle will have a long life but not a happy one before Uhtred eventually fights his way north to claim his birthright and bloody vengeance. I have recently re-read all five and I'm enjoying how the hints from the earlier books are coming to fruition i.e Uhtred's woman of gold,the cause of Uhtred's dislike of his eldest son and hopefully in the future how is daughter becomes a mother of kings and his second son makes him proud.Lastly I noticed in the opening of The Last Kingdom that Uhtred writes 'I dream, and know that one day I will take back the land from those who stole it from me' which I thought implies he hasn't captured Bebbanburg yet but by the time of The Lords of The North he seems to be living there, does he take it back between writing these?also he writes 'He was my king and all that I have I owe to him. The food that I eat,the hall where I live and the swords of my men, all came from Alfred, my king, who hated me.' From reading the books so far I feel Alfred dislikes Uhtred but felt that he had a grudging respect for him, does something happen between them in Alfred's last years to cause this hatred? I'm guessing Uhtred relationship with Aethelflaed wouldn't go down well! Apologies for such a long message and I hope writing these books gives you as much pleasure as it does to me reading them,hopefully it will be a 10-12 book series and that a extract from the next book will be up soon. Thank you, Rhun (please give Pyrlig and Beocca long lives!)

Hi Bernard, firstly I would like to thank you for your outstanding novels. Particularly the Grail Quest series. I've been thinking on your Sharpe's father "riddle" as of late and would like to know if I'm going in the right direction. I've started with the world Bachelor (8 letters, happy person.) I've taken out your initials (BC: reference to "me") and replaced them with AM (The questioners initials). This has given me the letters aheloram. Now this is obviously a completely different result to the guy who suggested smuggler. His horse reference was the letters gg, mine is that it contains the letters for the word "mare". Should I keep going with this line of reasoning? or start again? Many thanks Ben

Dear Bernard You have been asked in the past about the war of 1812 I was always curious why you are really reluctant to even comment on that war as say compared to O'brien whose later works pretty much had Aubrey and Maturin against the Americans rather than the French. Even in Sharpe's Siege Sharpe does not seem to mind that British troops deserted to the Americans (as opposed to say the French) and does not kill any of Killick's men and they are all jolly good pals. I was curious if that was a personal preference on your part or whether at some point you might be tempted to write if not about Sharpe but say Fredricksons (if anyone could carry a spin off its him in jmo) time in Canada? Geraint

I very much enjoyed "The Fort". We had a chance to stop at Moose Pt State Park for an hour several years ago on our way back to IN. from Acadia. It was a beautiful August morning; like the last day on which the rebels started to burn their ships; so I felt a small connection to the geography when reading the book. I also found your historical notes interesting. I see that the British recovered most of the cannons left on the bay floor after the rebel ships burned. I was wondering if anyone had tried to do underwater exploration for ships timbers during the current era? Or would wood that old be totally deteriorated after 230 years? Maybe we can get Clive Cussler interested in an expedition?

Chris Otterstedt

I've only been able to read a few of the Sharpe books so far, although I have read several of your other series'. I'm reading The Pale Horseman now and I noticed you dedicated it to George MacDonald Fraser, and that made me wonder. Will Harry Flashman and Richard Sharpe ever meet? Richard Bartholomew

Mr Cornwell, I am a great fan of your work, particularly the Saxon and Arthur series, but I have to say that Simon Scarrow has raised the bar very high with his recent Napoleon and Wellington books. Each one is an epic, and they very rarely lose any pace. I must ask is the change of style evident in The Fort in anyway a response to this competition?

Daniel Weller