Just finished reading 1356 – excellent and an unexpected addition to the Thomas of Hookton saga.  I look forward to the next in the Uhtred saga which I gather you are working on.

I was recently re-reading my rather battered entire collection of the Sharpe series.  I spent 30 years in the British Army and give talks on the Peninsular War, so I love these tales which, as you acknowledge, are based on the real exploits of many people of that era.  When I first read them I had not visited any of the locations, but we now have a second home in Spain and I have managed to visit many historical sites in Spain and Portugal, including Salamanca, Torres Vedras, Oporto, Amarante, Santiago de Compestella, Badajoz, Ciudad Rodrigo and Albuera, most of which feature in your books.  Re-reading the Sharpe books I can now visualise the locations far better.

In some of the books you mentioned that Sharpe had been at Rolica and Vimeiro, but that is clearly a book waiting to be written.  Perhaps after the next Uhtred one?  It also occurs to me that it might be possible to squeeze in Sharpe at Albuera, a bit tight seeing he was at Fuentes de Onoro, but it could just be done (bringing his Real Compania Irlandesa south to join Blake’s army).

Anyway, look forward to reading more of your superb books, of any of the historical periods.

Rod