Your Questions

Q

Hi again Bernard...I am still thoroughly enjoying your Arthurian 'Warlords Chronicles' and am at present reading 'Enemy of God'. Some enthralling chapters here...I do have a question though. I can't help thinking that in a subtle way you have, in part of this book, executed a minor salute to Tolkien. Merlin's quest reminded me slightly of the LOTR journey...eg The Dark Road to Lleyn (path to Mordor)...the one greatest British treasure above all others (the One Ring), the Dark Riders (Black Riders) tracking the progress of the druidic wizard Merlin (Gandalf) and his 'Warriors of the Cauldron' (Fellowship of the Ring). Not a criticism or accusation by any means...a skilfully constructed parallel in my eyes. Is this what you intended...a minor tribute to Tolkien within Arthur's story or is my imagination overflowing ? All the best.........Darryl Potter

Submitted April 6, 2006

A

To be honest I didn't have Tolkien in mind, though Merlin and Gandalf both come from the same mould, so I think that parallel was inevitable . . . I hadn't thought of the Dark Road as a parallel to the road to Mordor, but of course you're right. I suspect that most of it was unconscious - because I've read the Lord of the Rings twice and I'm sure that much of it stays in the imagination and then gets recycled whether I want it or not!

Q

Just finished the Grail Quest series. Can you recommend a good book or two discussing the Knights Templars? Thanks.
Tim McGarey

Submitted April 6, 2006

A

The best I have is The Templars, by Piers Paul Read, which I can confidently recommend . . and a search on Amazon should throw up anything more recent - but Piers Paul Read is an excellent place to start.

Q

Sir, Thanks for your recommendation of Juliet Barker's Agincourt. My wife bought it for me for Christmas, and I just loved it. Henry V seems almost too perfect a character not to be fictional. Makes me hold my manhood cheap nearly six hundred years later. Could probably have phrased that better. Seemed to work for WS! Moving swiftly on, any chance of your own Agincourt book? Regards, JKM.

Submitted April 6, 2006

A

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I thought it was a terrific book - and yes, I'm planning my own novel which, doubtless, will rip off Juliet Barker's research mercilessly . . . .

Q

Dear sir, I just needed to know why Sharpe passed up so many chances to become a colonel (alright 2) but still... 1st when Sharpe has Lord Fenner on the ropes he asks for Girdwood to command (so he can in effect command, but still as a major) however surely Fenner would have been in a position to give him promotion if he so desired? Secondly once he makes his fortune he could have bought promotion (while this one I understand Sharpe may object to due to where he came from and due to his morals but perhaps you could still explain the first one), thanks, Tommy Smith

Submitted April 6, 2006

A

I'm pretty certain Sharpe wouldn't qualify as a Lt Col in Sharpe's Regiment, so he's happy to stay as a Major. I can't remember now, because I wrote the book so long ago - and, of course, if Sharpe had been given the command then the ending of the book wouldn't have worked - I suspect that was the real reason.

Q

Absolutely love the books - especially the Sharpe series and the Grail Quest. I've started the Last Kingdom and it's damn good, so congrats on pulling off another splendid read! What happens to major Dulong in Sharpe's Havoc? I know you said he disappears from the historical records, but have you found out anything since? I see from your FAQs that lots of people want a English civil war series, but its not high on your list - shame, because I'm studying the period at school and nothing I read can bring it alive in the way that your books do! Also, I'm really tired of reading wishy-washy historical novels that disguise the reality of warfare, so I love the battle scenes! thanks again for many great reads, especially Sharpe! Andrew Sinclair

Submitted April 6, 2006

A

Dulong? To be honest, I don't know - he did survive, and I found a reference to him later, but I haven't any plans to bring him back at the moment - it might happen. I'm pretty sure he survived - and he deserved to!

Q

Love most your books, been a fan for years. Own all but Arthur\thrillers\saxon stories A Question if you will: Why change the Sharpes series covers so many times? I absolutely adored the original covers but have had to complete my collection with tatty new covers. The ones now shown on your site here may look stylish but they really do not show what the era was like. They convey nothing to new readers who have little idea about the Napoleonic era. Any chance of the Sharpes books being reprinted with the great art that adorned them originally? Not the cheap photos with a couple of antique weapons thrown into the mix by some trumped up arty farty man ;) This is just my opinion not meant to upset anybody you understand.... Thanks for listening anyhow. Now I have that off my chest its time to go play a little Take Command 2nd Manassass. I am offcourse reading your Starbuck Series (for the first time) as a primer\inspiration for that period. Sean Poole

Submitted April 6, 2006

A

The book covers are decided by the publishers as are the book titles. I don't believe there are plans to reprint books with the old covers. Sorry you don't like the new ones - I'll pass your concerns along!

Q

Does your research ever uncover/bring to light any questions regarding the "perceived" history of a Regiment? For instance - Colin Campbell of the 93rd v,s Frederick William Burroughs, the eldest son of General Frederick William Burroughs of the Bengal Army?. Esp at Lucknow - but as you probably know - history is a matter of perception. Truth and Honour often gets lost to expediency, and so called "public good". I once heard that - No newspaper ever lost circulation by pandering to the prejudices of its readers. best wishes from me. Mrs Elaine R Gregg

Submitted April 4, 2006

A

It certainly hasn't thrown up any information about Campbell or Burroughs! From time to time I discover things that seem to be new, but I'm not an academic researcher so, on the whole, I work from secondary sources. I did once write an article for a scholarly quarterly on a matter where I thought I'd made a discovery, and the experience was sheer hell, so never again!

Q

Bernard, Since Sharpe and his green coated rifleman do so well at moderate range with the Baker Rifle, I was wondering how prevalent Rifle Regiments were in the British Army during the Napoleonic era. I seem to recall a few times when Sharpe and his troops were being over run by Frogs that they just spit unpatched balls down the barrell as fast as any Brown Bess could be loaded. The reason the US Continental Army of the period did not use rifles was the issue of loading speed. (3 x a minute with the Brown Bess versus once a minute with a clean Kentucky Long rifle) Your thoughts? Bob Long

Submitted April 3, 2006

A

Rifle regiments weren't over-prevalent - basically they were used in company sized packets to bolster the skirmish line. It was very rare for the rifles to fight in a battalion-sized unit, simply because, as you say, their slow reload rate would make them vulnerable. They could, of course, tap-load, but then they surrendered all the advantages of a rifle. Tap loading was fairly common - it was a very frequent vice of French skirmishers.
But once you 'salted' riflemen among musket-carrying skirmishers they were extraordinarily effective. The short-range muskets held off the enemy skirmishers while the rifles picked off prime targets - and the fact that the British persevered and expanded the rifle units during the wars demonstrated that some very hard-headed generals (Wellington) understood their value. I don't know (but ought to) what the proportion of rifles to muskets was in a skirmish line - that information might be in Mark Urban's excellent book, Rifles, but I'd guess it was around 15%?

Q

Hello again Bernard. I hope your travels are going well. Just a quick question. I was looking up Sharpes Challenge on the net, out of curiosity. I'm disappointed to see your India books abused, but I hope it at least lives up to the spirit of the novels. I hope they use computer graphics or something like Hornblower did, just to enhance the scale. Anyway, this is besides the point. I've been onto the Picture Palace Productions website in a futile search for information. In their coming productions section, they list 'Gallows Thief' as forthcoming. Please tell me this isn't a vicious rumour. With Dan Brown whoring himself across all media, I would sooner see the work of a worthy author such as yourself brought to the screen. So, what do you know? Take Care, Iain

Submitted April 3, 2006

A

As far as I know Gallow's Thief is not going to be filmed, and I don't know why it's on Picture Palace's website, unless they know something I don't! They did have the rights, so perhaps they've commissioned a script, but I'm ignorant of it! I'm off to London to see the new Sharpe films - fingers crossed!

Q

I grew up in Bridgwater Somerset near Cannington.I know the vikings came in at Combich but were they really also in Cannington? Also is the dragon on Alfred's flag a wyvern? Said dragon was on the flag Harold took into the battle of Hastings against William, if I remember my schooling (i am 75). In the Saxon books it was described as green and white. I can't find one in any of the books I have looked at on heraldry. What was green and what was white? The books are very engrossing and keep me reading til 1 or 2 in the morning!! thankyou, Molly

Submitted April 3, 2006

A

I read somewhere that it was a green dragon on a white field, and for the life of me I can't remember where I read it! It might well be a wyvern, except I'm not sure the Saxons had invented the wyvern, and a dragon is close enough! I suspect the Vikings were in Cannington - in fact I'm sure they were! That whole area was seething with the wretches, and with Saxons - you were lucky to be raised there!