Your Questions

Dear Bernard, I have read and enjoyed every book in your brilliant Sharpe series (as well as most of the others), thanks for writing such a brilliant set of books. However as someone from the north of England there seem to be very few characters in Sharpe from there, any chance of adding one perhaps, you could even use my name, or not. Not a complaint really, just a bit of a shame I feel, you might well disagree, they are your books after all. Also what is your greatest regret in writing the Sharpe books. Warmest regards from a devoted reader, Matthew Hitchen, Lancs.

Dear Mr. Cornwell, Congratulations on the wonderful achievement of the Saxon Stories. My wife and I have both loved them and are eagerly awaiting the next installment. I have been writing on Alfred for years, so it wasn't long before I was saying to myself, Wow! He has done all the research! The rendition of fighting in the shield wall was tremendous, Homeric in intensity, and in my experience unprecedented. If you care to recommend any further reading in the period for us to divert ourselves while waiting for Sword Song, we would appreciate it. Best wishes, Bill C.

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I am an English Professor who did my Ph.D. work on Sir Thomas Malory's _Morte Darthur_, and I want to tell you, first of all, that I very much enjoy your excellent adaptation of the Arthurian stories. It seems to me you have succeeding in doing what the film _King Arthur_ only pretended to do, which is to construct a real historical space for Arthur. I sometimes teach a course in the narratives of Arthur from the Middle Ages to the present, and your book _Excalibur_ has been the capstone for that course, with great success. Having now read quite a lot of contemporary adaptations of the tales, both out of interest and for professional purposes (great excuse), I've increasingly noticed the interesting relationship that the authors of Arthur have with the historians of Arthur. Obviously, without some historical record, the Arthurian stories would lose a great deal of their "punch"--its that connection to a real past that makes the better written versions of the books especially compelling--that moment, when even though you know you're reading fiction, there's a kind of shimmer in time, when you almost feel like you can look back and see...something. At the same time, the tone many Arthur authors take towards Arthur's historians can be challenging, as I felt the last paragraph of your afterword to Excalibur challenged an historical establishment that sometimes denies Arthur's existence--maybe failing to do him and us justice in the process? My question is, how do you feel about the histories and historians who are the bones of the narratives to which you give your literary bodies? Is there a sometimes sense of conflict there, or is it just my fevered imagination? I should, as fairness demands, add that I _am_ an academic, so don't be surprised if your answer ends up someday in a conference paper or an article. It's an occupation hazard--or, at least, a hazard of dealing with those in my occupation. Best wishes, Roberta Roberta Davidson, Chair Department of English Whitman College Walla Walla, WA 99362 U.S.A.

Dear Sir, thank you for many hours I have enjoyed reading your novels, my favourite being Sharpe. I was wondering, if you are going do more than one Sharpe book, if you could do a French recurring villain, introduced in one book, does something nasty to Sharpe and in the next book Sharpe has his revenge?

Currently, I am reading Dennis Wheatley a bit, Gateway to Hell and Devil Rides Out, but he also did a historical series with Roger Brook during the Napoleonic era. I have got The Dark Secret of Josephina and quite enjoyed it. I have just discovered that Roger Brook got to Waterloo in Desperate Measures, which I'll try to get. Have you read any of these (Roger Brook series) novels and what do you think of them? Is Desperate Measures worth getting? Thanks for your time, Adrian.

Hi Mr. Cornwell. Is Uhtred's recapture of Bamburgh going to conclude his adventures, or will he play a role as Lord of Bamburgh in the wars between Alfred and the Danes? Would this mean that his re-acquiring of his ancestral home will occur more in the middle of the series? Alan Kempner

Hi Bernard I have noticed that many authors recommend other author's books i.e. comment from author on front cover, back cover etc of another authors novel. Out of interest how do you decide which authors/books to supply a comment for? Is it purely dependent on your enjoyment of the author's previous work or being associated with the same publisher? Yours being very nosey. Phil

Hello - I always enjoy your attention to sight/sound/feel detail, particularly the sounds of battle, the references to cigars, and of course Sharpe's various injuries. Have you thought about using more sound "imagery?" Particularly, the sound of the pipes? There is a great website called the "Bob Dunsire forum" (www.bobdunsire.com) that you may find interesting. You may have an interest in some of the more obscure history subsections of the forums, as well as the often humorous "beer-tent." PS: my bookshelf is anxiously awaiting the next "Uhtred" installment. Regards, JEM

HI, just a quick note to say I was just wondering about your Saxon stories which says in the beginning " But I am Uhtred, son of Uhtred, and this is a tale of a blood feud. And it is a tale of a woman and her father a king " and I was just wondering if that Uhtred's "woman of gold" who Gisela mentioned is Alfred's daughter ? thanks Adam Shanks !

Mr. Cornwell, First, I would like to say that I absolutely love your Grail quest trilogy and the first three Sharpe novels (as I'm sure I will enjoy the rest of the Sharpe novels as I read them). I just finished Sharpe's Fortress, and am actually planning to go to Northern India with some friends of mine currently serving in Iraq when they finish their tours of duty in December. While Seringapatam is too far south for this trip, I think Gawilghur may be an option, but I can't find anything online about it other than what relates to your novel. I was wondering, since you've been there, if you would be able to give me some tips as to how to get there and what to expect as far as travel times go. I think I will send my copies of the India books over to Iraq for my friends to read so they will be as excited to see the spot as I am. Any information you are able to pass along would be very beneficial. Brandon Darnell

Hello, having read, re-read and re re-read (and then some) nearly all your books I have a question regarding the printing of The Saxon Stories. Having all your paperback books sorted chronologically in my bookcase, why are the UK paperback Saxon Stories a different size to all your other books?

Also being a former Sapper please can you have the Corps of Royal Engineers either helping or being helped by Sharpe. Keep up the good work and roll on the next saga with Uhtred. Thanks for many many hours of reading. Paddy Davidson