Bulletin Board

Q

Hi Bernard, Your may recall in a distant memory several years ago receiving a letter from a hotel in Sorrento in which I thanked you for making my holiday extra enjoyable having bought my first Sharpe paperback at the airport. I then had the pleasure of meeting you on your tour for the launch of Sharpe's Trafalgar at Wellingborough library in 2000 and look forward to again at some future date. But I'm put pen to paper (or digit to keyboard) to thank you for coming on another great holiday with me where I had saved Lords of the North and Sharpe's Fury to accompany me. I thought they were both great and I particularly enjoyed Fury as I went to the Costa Del Sol and felt I was only "around the corner" from the battles not being very far from the Cadiz region. We travelled into the mountains and crossed named rivers from the book, went to Gibraltar which was referred to on several occasions and it felt like I was there with Sharpe, but then I am in all of your stories. Thank you again for some wonderful writing, excellent stories and for making holidays extra special. I look forward to the next holiday (sorry, book) but will I have to wait until next September, according to Amazon, for your next publication? I hope its not that long but it will be worth the wait. King regards David Lightfoot

A

Autumn of 2007 is likely to be the publication date of the next book of the Saxon Tales.


Q

I finished a very pleasant task this past summer. Having read all the Sharpe books, randomly, I decided to assign myself the task of reading them all again, chronologically. I was stunned by the consistency of detail, the consistent and natural evolution of persons and places. Frankly, I think Sharpe journied once to many, to South America. But, whatever, it was a delightful summer of reading and I frequently evaded things I should be doing to keep up with Sharpe and Harper. My new task? To re-read your trilogies, in order this time. Thank you for hundreds of hours of intelligent entertainment. Robert Kent.


Q

V I am a huge fan! I have a comprehensive collection of your work including all the Sharpe books, Starbuck, Grail Quest, Warlord Trilogy & Stonehenge and yet I am still disappointed. The story of Richard Sharpe finished with Sharpe's Devil, after which you continued to write Sharpe books retrospectively even going back to his days with the 33rd in India. These books were of course excellent, but my favourite series is actually the Starbuck Chronicles which seemed to me to end in the middle of a story with so much more of the civil war to be fought. I have now waited in vain for 10 years for the tale to continue and would be eternally grateful if you could return to Messire Starbuck in the not too distant future. Lastly I would just like to say that I thought the introduction of Sharpe's son into the storyline was a masterstroke and very ingenious and to thank you for uncountable hours of reading pleasure.
Graeme Collins


Q

Dear Sir, I must congratulate you on a (so far) fantastic book. I am currently reading The Lords of the North and am just past page 88. I think that last night, while reading this book, I actually burst out laughing at one particular sentence. The sentence was to do with the carrying of St Cuthberts coffin, which was covered by a fine green cloth, and the discription of a raven flying overhead and "splattering the cloth with shit". It was just the way it was written, I couldn't stop laughing, it was such a random description of a seemingly unimportant event. It's genius and for some reason the image of a lone raven coming out of nowhere and covering this cloth with shit and the look of horror on the priests faces just has me in stitches. I congratulate you on a most masterfull piece of literature. If anyone is interested it is the middle of P88 of the UK hardback version. Great. Edward May

A

Glad to know you enjoyed it.


Q

Dear Bernard Cornwell, Sharpe's Challenge was recently shown on the Australian public broadcaster (ABC). I was looking forward to it immensely, but have to say I was disappointed. I thought the characterisation of Sharpe and Harper were excellent, just as I imagined them. However, the plot such as it was, was just a lot of colour and movement, not a patch on your novels. I do realise that this is down to the producers, not to you, and that it must be difficult to combine three novels into one mini-series. However, it was interesting to see how they restructured the action and moved it to 1818. And what on earth was an Irish horse trader doing in India anyway? Nonetheless, I hope to find the other Sharpe programs. I don't think they have been shown in Australia. Keep up the good work! Elizabeth Smith


Q

I wish to thank you for the many happy hours I have had reading your books, and also mention the sense of loss I feel after finishing each book. I hope you go on to write many more wonderfull books. Many thanks Derek J. Connell.


Q

Greetings, I've been a fan of your writing for many years, the Sharpe & Grail Quest series particularly. I recently began The Gallows Thief and can't tell you how much I am enjoying it. The characters and dialog are wonderful and I find myself re-reading paragraphs and whole pages to make the book last. The downside of course is the realization that there are no other Rider Sandman books to move on to. I'm not sure how you keep up the amount of writng you already produce, but another in this series would be much appreciated. Thanks for many pleasurable hours of reading! Dan Sheffer Tucson, AZ

A

Another Rider Sandman is a good possibility!


Q

I just finished Lord of the North and felt compelled to express how much I enjoy your writing. The Saxon Stories and Arthur series are my favorite books and you have become my Favorite Author by far. Thank you and keep up the good writing.
Anthony Whitley


Q

Mr. Cornwell- Until recently, I considered myself relatively well read. Then, a friend pointed out that I had neglected your works. He persuaded me to read one of your books, and I chose The Archer's Tale (which, I agree, should have been titled Harlequin here in the US). To put it succinctly, I was floored. The moment I finished, I began my hunt to purchase Vagabond and Heretic, and fully expect to follow those with Stonehenge, and most likely the Sharpe series as well. A writer of your caliber must recieve plenty of messages to this effect, but I felt that I needed to say my piece. You are, in my humble opinion, a master of your craft, and your books have earned a permanent place on the top shelf of my collection. PLease keep up the good work, and if it means anything, take pride in the fact that you are gaining new fans every day. David Knapp


Q

Hi Bernard For all your fans Down Under - rumours that Time Life Australia will be releasing the Sharpe series on dvd are true. I've just seen Rifles/Eagle listed on their website. Unfortunately they won't send to New Zealand and the series hasn't yet appeared on the Time Life NZ site but my fingers are crossed! Fellow Kiwis may like to know that I saw the dvd of Rifles/Eagle in The Warehouse this week so maybe the others will filter through as they are released in Australia. I already own this one as I imported it from the UK, but roll on the rest of them! Best Wishes Fiona

A

Thanks for the update Fiona!