Dear Mr. Cornwell,

let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of your books! I have read all your books apart from the Starbuck Chronicles, simply for my lack of interest in that particular part of history, and I loved all of them all. I’m very much looking forward to last books of the Sharpe and Saxon series’ respectively. My favourite ones are still the Arthur books though, because I love the way you used the old Magic, with a particular luminous squid coming to mind. Now to my Question though: Am I mistaken, or has Durham/Dunholm lost much of its power, wealth and men since Uhtred made Sihtric the Lord there? Before it always seemed a great force to be reckoned with under Kjartan, Ragnar and Brida, but now barely plays a role anymore(which I regret, because I always loved him by Uhtred’s side, but I suppose he deserved that castle). Also, Sigtryggr Ivarsson seems a lot weaker than all other Nortumbrian lords/kings before him. Why do so many of his southern Lords fail to support him with men? What happened to Northumbria’s power, which in Cnut’s times could field many thousand men and now Sigtryggr struggles to field a few hundred?

Greetings from Colombia

Jonas