Bernard,

I was struck by a number of shared characteristics between three of your protagonists; Nicholas Hook, Richard Sharpe and Uhtred of Bebbanburg. All three characters come across as cynical, hardy persons with an individual, rough sense of honour. Richard Sharpe and Uhtred both face hypocritical opponents who are unfortunately also their superiors. I wonder if this was deliberate on your part or merely an accident of history?

I cannot comment on the grail quest books or the Warrior chronicles as I haven’t got round to them yet, but I have noticed this similarity in the series listed above.

On a completely different tack, what’s your opinion on alternative historical fiction? I refer of course to everything other than the ‘What if a certain European despot of the mid-20th Century had won a particular conflict’ sub-genre as it is my personal opinion that it is a genre all of its own.

Best Regards
David Buckley