Your Questions

Q

I've just finished reading the Grail Quest series and they are among the best books I've ever read, particularly Heretic. I really like the praise you give to the English archers and the longbow, well done you've got me into archery and I really enjoy it. Thomas is a great character and I also liked Sir Guillaume. These were the first books I read of yours and I plan to read some of the Sharpe novels now. Do you plan on writing any more Medieval novels? thanks Richard, Norwich.

Submitted August 27, 2004

A

I don't plan on further adventures for Thomas of Hookton at the moment. Perhaps you may be interested in the Warlord Chronicles? I hope you'll enjoy Sharpe!

Q

Bantam published the Louis L'Amour collection in hard bound for one book a month. I currently have the entire collection. Has your publishers thought of doing this? I have just started reading the Sharpe's series and enjoy them, and would like them in hardback. Leon Boyd

Submitted August 27, 2004

A

I don't think it is something the publishers would consider until the series is finished - which won't be for at least another few years.

Q

Dear Mr. Cornwell, I've posted a few questions here before but not for a while and I just wanted to know which of the Sharpe books is your favourite (mine is Sharpe's Company because Hakeswill makes a welcome return and I love the scene where Sharpe attacks the breech and the British are using his name as a war cry). I feel that after Sharpe's Regiment Sharpe becomes a lot more 'vulnerable' and weaker - was this your intention? And if so was it a hard choice to make? I recent finished Heretic (love the series - it's good to see that our longbow was hated by the French so much) and then Rebel shortly afterwards. Am I right in thinking that the French colonel is Sharpe's son (Sharpe never married Lucille and his name was Lassan)? - if so which one is it. I may be wrong about this there're so many characters in your books and I might have got confused. One more question have you ever read the Last Legion (by Valerio Massimo Manfred) and any of the Drani books by David Gemmell an what do you think of them? I feel The Last Legion has the most original take on the origins of King Arthur and Excalibur Christopher Horgan (aged 16-England)

Submitted August 26, 2004

A

I have several favourites (sorry) - I especially like Company, Siege, and Trafalgar, but have no idea why. I think Sharpe does become more vulnerable, simply because he's been fighting so long that he begins to realise his luck could run out. Yes, it was deliberate. Patrick Lassan, in the Starbuck books, is Sharpe's son. I fear I haven't read any of the books you mentioned - a gap I shall remedy. Thank you.

Q

I have just completed "Sharpes Waterloo". I was amazed at the brutality of war at that time. By their stadards back then, war today seems almost antiseptic when you compare the two worlds. In the historical note you compared Gettysburg and Waterloo. Stating that Gettysburg was one of the few battles of that century that could compare to the casualties amassed during Waterloo. I would just like to mention that it took almost 4 days for my ancestors to amass comparable casualties at Gettysburg where at Waterloo it only took one day. What are your thoughts on that? I think it was because of the terrain. It amazes me to no end. The sheer brutality of it. The American civil war was a meat grinder, but the war that progressed through Spain, and then to top it off with something like Waterloo...just boggles the imagination. I am begining to hold the same opinion as you on Wellington, that he was a military genious. He had more nerve than anyone in history also. I find myself wanting to know more about him. If you could recomend one book about Wellington, the man as well as the soldier. What would it be? Best regards Don Sawyer

Submitted August 26, 2004

A

It is horrifying, and will get much worse in the First World War. You're right about the terrain at Gettysburg - Waterloo is a very open battlefield and the French, especially, had no cover of any sort in the centre of the field where the main action took place. The other fact that contributed to the high slaughter rate was the very limited size of the conflict at Waterloo - it was fought over a much smaller area than many of the Peninsular battles - much smaller than Salamanca, say, or Vitoria (and much smaller than Gettysburg), so a terrible lot of men were crammed into a very small killing field dominated by a mass of efficient artillery.

Christopher Hibbert's biography is terrific, covering Wellington's whole career, as is Richard Holmes's, though the latter concentrates more on the soldier than the man. Lady Longford's biography is hard to beat - it was originally two volumes but is now published as an abridged single volume paperback. If I had to recommend one? Probably Hibbert.

Q

Hi, I like to know more abaut the "Yale". Congratulations for the trilogy " the Grail Quest" . Adilson Castro de Paula

Hello to everyone, I'm realy curious to know about the "YALE", a picture in first place, that exists in the Grail Quest. I've already tried to find something at the internet with no sucess. Please help me. PS: I'm waiting anxiously to read the Heretic in Portuguese because I live in Brazil. Bosco

Submitted August 26, 2004

A

I suspect you'll find a picture in a good heraldry book - I don't know offhand whether there's one in the Oxford Book of heraldry - but a visit to a library should clear it up quickly. I hope you'll enjoy Heretic!

Q

Dear Mr Cornwall I've been a reader of your books for many years and am continually impressed by the diversification of your story lines. The battle scenes are particularly graphic and intense, and I like the way you fuse actual history with fiction. What I'm really interested in, is how do you name your fictional characters, and how you construct them ? Do you partly construct the characters then build the story around them, or does it work the other way around, or do you have a special formula ? Finally, do you have any tips or suggestions for someone like me who wants to do this, but doesn't seem to be able to carry the project through to fruition ? I appreciate your time in reading this and look forward to hearing from you. Best Regards Peter Edwards

Submitted August 26, 2004

A

There's no formula, I wish there were! They sort of happen (or not). Names are hard - I pluck them from wherever (telephone directories, make them up), even harder when they're in pre-history. I'm presently writing about Alfred the Great so am combing ancient documents for Danish and Saxon names. A good character, when he or she comes along, will have astrong and unecxpected effect on the story, which is always good. I have a feeling tham much of this work goes on in the subconscious, which is why it's hard to describe. For writing tips, take a look at the FAQ page of this website - scroll down to the 10th posting and click on the link for 'writing advice' - and good luck!

Q

Bonjour, je ne trouve pas les livres de Sharpe en français. Seront-ils traduit un jour? merci. Moise Mera

(Hello, I cannot find the Sharpe books in French. Will they be translated some day? thank-you.)

Submitted August 26, 2004

A

Bonjour! Some of my books have been translated to French (The Warlord Chronicles, The Grail Quest series, Stonehenge, and Gallows Thief), but never the Sharpe books (I don't know why???). As far as I know, there are no plans for it. Merci pour votre message!

Q

Hello Bernard, wondered if you had read any of Allan Mallinsons books, what do you think of him, personally I enjoyed his books but for all out entertainment you are still the man for the period, do you ever feel challenged by people writing about the same period/subject as you or are you past that? Looking forward to the new book and hopeful you'll organise a signing in central London. Regards.

Submitted August 26, 2004

A

I like the books - just wish he'd done the Peninsular War, but perhaps he will?

Q

I agree with you on your character Hawkeswill that you killed him off to soon. He was fantastic, though he did scare me. By writing the three Indian books, you did this character justice. He was lucky the Elephant and Snake had an off day. I've said this before but Ducos, after Sharpe and Harper, is the best character you have. The reason I write is - how good was the spying techniques of that time and which book on the subject do you recommend? Also I have a ticket on Oct 5th, so I look forward to meeting you. The National Army Museum has a fantastic exhibition on the Crimean and Pennisular Wars, well worth a visit for anyone else reading this post. William Carter

Submitted August 25, 2004

A

The spying techniques were very sophisticated and, at least on the British side, extremely effective. I suspect Wellington knew more about French movements than the French themselves did, mainly, of course, because he had the help of the Spanish and Portuguese guerilla movements. Sadly I don't know of a good book on the subject - indeed I think it needs to be written. Mark Urban's biography of George Scovell (The Man who broke Napoleon's Codes) is good, but it doesn't deal with the wider subject of espionage and I think it overstates the case for Scovell alarmingly. There is a book on the activity of the Secret Service (British) during the Napoleonic Wars, but it's unreadable (I couldn't get through it anyway) so it's hard to recommend anything.

Q

Dear Bernard, Of late I have been reading Mark Stoyle's "West Britons", amongst other books on the subject of Cornish history and the Civil War(s) in general. The story of Sir Richard Grenville and Cornish particularism seems to lend itslef well to a "personal" story set against the larger conflicts. Are the Civil War(s) an period of history that might interest you enough to write a book (or series)? Jan Monk

Submitted August 25, 2004

A

It's on the list . .. but it's a very long list. Maybe one day?