Bulletin Board

Just reading through some of the questions that you get asked and noticed someone asked a question about an officer named Scovell you mentioned in Sharpe's Sword, and you were not sure where the name came from. He was the man who cracked the French secret cipher system, as told in Mark Urban's book 'The Man who broke Napoleon's Codes.' I would also like to thank you for the huge amount of enjoyment all your books have provided me over the years. many thanks, Phil.

Mr. Cornwell, Just a short and sincere thank-you for hours upon hours of time spent in Sharpe's and Starbuck's worlds; the first war based novels that I have read with absolute enjoyment and understanding. (The map(s) you publish are an immeasurable help.) Wishing you many more hours of healthy and happy writing! Thank you, Linda Carrigan-Deerfield

Love your books, emailed before, come to Old Marblehead MA. I'm a vol. tour Guide at the Lee Mansion. There is a English story to be told. I know you'll love it here. Settlers from the Channel Islands and Cornwall England 1631.~TeeCee

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I confess that I have no real motive to write to you; no questions to ask and no patronage to request. I would just like to say thank you for writing books that have offered me so much entertainment over the years. Yours Sincerely, David Richardson

I've just finished reading the four Starbuck chronicles. I've read Sharpe, the Warlord chronicles etc and personally I think that Starbuck represents your best stuff. But I can't believe you've left it there! I realise that you have a lot on the go but if you don't get back to Nate Starbuck soon you'll have one very disappointed reader. Good luck with all future projects. Michael Bradley

Noticed the Discussion about the Battle of New Orleans. Do you know If Sweet William was there? Or how about Rider? I know Sharpie wasn't. Concur about Parkenham -- fool. I also read somewhere that he was killed in the battle, put in a cask of wine and shipped back to England -- and somewhere enroute the Navy drank the WINE!! As an author, you gotta love that!! As always, Scott

Hi again, Mr. Cornwell. Whenever the subject of Obediah Hakeswill comes up, you express regret at having killed him off so early. Well, I say WHY NOT bring Hakeswill back for one last fling? This is how you could do it: You probably have at least one post-Enemy Sharpe novel yet to write, and that would be the siege of San Sebastian, between Honor and Regiment (I know this gets into consistency problems, but you can fix that later). As a subplot to this, Hakeswill claws his way out of his coffin after they buried him. Sharpe's bullet didn't kill him, but rather traversed around the inside of Obediah's skull and exited in the rear. Since there was a bullet hole in his head and a lot of blood, Sharpe thought he was dead. Hakeswill is brain-damaged, but very much alive. He really is the unkillable man! He would have lost the power of speech and most of his higher thinking functions, but would remember Sharpe and his desire to see him dead. He disguises his face under a broad-brimmed hat and joins the army as a camp follower, doing any odd jobs he can. All the time that Sharpe is adventuring around the siege, Hakeswill is lurking in the background, waiting for his chance to stick a knife in Sharpe. I know that this is far-fetched, but your loyal fans will forgive you for bringing him back once more. Alan Kempner P.S. When Sharpe kills him THIS time, he'll probably dismember him, cremate the body parts, and then scatter the ashes at sea!

Sir, At the University of Texas I was able to take a series of classes on the History of Warfare from Dr. John Lamphear. At one point I asked him if he knew of any works of fiction based on military history and to my dismay he told me he didn't know of any. Purists, eh? A friend of my professor told me of Fraser's work about Harry Flashman and I'm sure you know how wonderful that series is and I know we all wait feverishly for Sir Harry to fight in the American Civil War. It wasn't long afterwards that I saw Sharpe on the History Channel. I enjoyed them. I also read your civil war novels. At the time I considered them an amusing sideline to the Flashman series. However, I then came across Derfel Cadarn and his story of Arthur. I've bought about a dozen sets for friends and just finished reading the trilogy for the fourth time. I cannot gush enough about how much I love your take on Arthur. You put so much life into it that I am convinced that it is the original and only telling of the legend. I feel that it is a stroke of great fortune that I recently picked up the Saxon tales and lo and behold "Lords of the North" just came out right as I finished the second book!! I then consumed "Lords of the North" in one day, and went back and re-read all three again. I hope that you've found a nice groove with the Saxon Stories and that you plan to keep the story going. I know it's a lot to ask, but I certainly hope the wait is not too long for the next one, and the next. While I love the Arthur books, I am spellbound by Uhtred of Bebbanburg. You've given Alfred the Great a chance to leap from the pages with life and color, and I think he deserves his chance to be firmly listed as one of the great captains of history. We owe you a debt of gratitude for bringing him to us. You weave your stories so well that I feel as though I'm part of the saga being sung by bards. I was once a soldier, long ago. Your writing has given me a very solid vision of Valhalla to yearn for. I don't want clouds and harps, I want to fight amongst my brother warriors, die gloriously, and then drink and fornicate the night away and start all over again in the morning for eternity. Your writing gave that to me and I am forever grateful. I wish you a long life and a bottomless inkwell so you can bring other great men for us to read about. Respectfully, -James Peacock

Thoroughly enjoyed your latest, Sharpe's Fury, as I have with a,ll the earlier ones. But having visited the site of La Barrosa on several occasions, including the official opening of the memorial to the fallen on 5 March 2003, together with local members of my History Group here in Nerja, together with the Royal British Legion, I was disappointed to read in your comment that "there is very little to be seen...these days". Obviously your friend Jonny Watt did an excellent job surveying "the old city of Cadiz" one of my favourite places here in Andalucia, but did not do justice to the battle site, if he did not tell you of the memorial, contrasting the various European countries represented on both sides of the fray, with the new millenium in a now united and peaceful Europe. I hope you will be able to visit this yourself one of these days, and that you will be able to create more adventures where Sharpe and Harper can march again. Best wishes, Dorothy Price. Meanwhile I hope that you continue to enjoy the better health that enabled you to complete the latest book.

Finally!!! Lords of the North has arrived. I've re-read the first two books of the series to get warmed up for this one. I've only gotten to the part when Uthred returns by ship to Northumbria, so I've got a long way to go. Beth Harrison