Just love Bernard's books, especially the new stories about Uthred, but Sharpe will always be a bit special. Miranda Brickley
I am only two thirds through the book, but I have just got to say that The Winter King is one of the best books I have ever "read." I find myself looking at old maps in an effort to picture the events. John Hunter
Thank you for all of your truly wondrous work; you have made my spare moments ever so much more enjoyable! Larry Farrell
Dear Mr. Cornwell, I just wanted to say "Thank you" for your wonderful books. Last Christmas, my wife gave me _The Winter King_ as a present on the suggestion of a friend from Chesham, England. That same friend gave me _Enemy of God_ for my birthday, and though I was slow to engage due to work responsibilities, a trip to Texas gave me the necessary time to become completely engrossed, and then to start my own quest for _Excalibur_, unsuccessful at first in Texas, but on my return home I found a last copy in a shop in Hoboken, NJ. I have since been neglecting some of my work reading during my train commutes to finish _Excalibur_ and begin _The Last Kingdom_. My wife and I have just returned from a two-week holiday in Scotland, which was the perfect setting to complete both _The Last Kingdom_ and _Stonehenge_, and during a stop in Ft William, a bookseller had both _The Pale Horseman_ and _The Lords of the North_. I look forward to their contribution to my further dereliction of work duties. ;) It's a little difficult for me to explain what draws me to your writing, but it's something about the visceral and capricious qualities of those times, where at a moment's notice everything can be taken from you and you become completely helpless, yet the protagonist, through a combination of luck, help and his/her own quick wits, manages to persevere and also rise above the prevailing supersititions and ruthlessness. It makes me wonder what I might have been like in one of those time periods, though I tend to doubt I would have lasted more than five minutes. I am a miserable student of history, but your books also make me want to pursue some historical non-fiction. Thanks again. Cheers, Ed Trembicki-Guy Dover, NJ p.s. It must be very difficult to avoid anachronisms with the time periods of your works, but I had to smile when a man in _Stonehenge_ reached for the gunwale of his boat. ;) Ed Trembicki-Guy
I have been reading the Sharpe series - I've got to the book rifles and so far I just can't get enough They are a fantastic read and I want to say thank you and respect the work you have done to write these books - they are just fantastic. Dean Mumby
Hi, Bernard! I saw you interviewed as part of the making of Sharpe's Challenge on BBC America and you were great. It was a real treat for me and I'm so glad you are doing so well. This is just a friendly "hello" from down south. Take care. Best, Sari
Hey! I'm probably going to handwrite a proper letter for you to physically hold and (hopefully) read within the next couple of months, or even possibly earlier, so I'll try and keep this relatively short and sweet and keep what I find important till the day I post it. First of all, at this present moment, I'm around halfway through Sharpe's Tiger (first book I've tried reading by you) , and it's pretty good, I'm enjoying it. So I gotta say I'm a little frustrated by the fact that none of your touring dates include where I live... Scotland! Maybe if you ever do arrive I'll be able to briefly meet you and get an autograph or something. Whatever the hell, so long as I get to say I managed to even catch a glimpse of Bernard Cornwell. Anyway, uh... Carry on? Cheers! Vince
In your answer to my question of August 16th about the Baker Rifle you asked me for the name of the article: The Article was "Britain's Brunswick Rifle," by Garry James in the September 2006 edition of Guns and Ammo magazine. I quote Re: The Baker Rifle " With its slow twist (one quarter turn in 30 inches) and rather shallow rifling, the short Germanic-looking Baker had been designed with as much concern for ease of loading as for accuracy. It was at least a better group-getter than the smoothbore Brown Bess out to 100 yards, but anything past that was pretty much touch and go. Also as designer Ezekiel Baker was a buddy of the Prince of Wales, he had something of an inside track on getting his arm tested and adopted. By the mid-1830's , however, stores of Bakers were running low, and the 40 year old flintlock was beginning to show its age. Officers of the rifle regiments to whom they were issued complained that a new gun was sorely needed. Rifles on the Continent were outstripping the Baker in long-range accuracy, and the emergence of the percussion system had rendered the flintlock obsolete.
Bob Long
Thanks for that . . . I suspect the writer of the piece was using some really rotten sources. It's true that the Baker only had a quarter turn (and in a very short barrel), but in those Woolwich tests it outperformed every other rifle - and all the other rifles had a three-quarters turn and longer barrels. The Prince of Wales had nothing to do with the tests, and no influence on the outcome which was based solely on performance. There probably was some dissatisfaction by 1840 (technology had moved on), but I've never discovered a complaint about the rifle from the men who used it to fight Napoleon - which is the job it was designed to do.
Just thought you'd like to know that "Sharpe's Fury" is on the shelf today (8/22) in the downtown Boston Borders. Nancy Nemon
Thanks!
Sir, I have been checking you notes on the Starbuck Chronicles for 10 years now. Any new news on when or if there will be another book? Thanks Matthew
Mr. Cornwell ... I would like to bribe you into writing another Starbuck book. While I know this is perhaps the not most effective way to channel the creative process, I find it worth a shot. Name your price. I have major organs to spare. Cat
Don't know what to say, really! A bribe would be nice, especially if it's big enough, but I'm not in any real need of major organs at the moment, and I think my wife would object to me keeping your liver or whatever in the freezer. But I take your point! Thanks!