Dear Mr Cornwell,

I have enjoyed and read nearly every book you have written which means I have spent quite a lot of my hard earned cash on you, but it’s been worth every penny. I have noticed in your various characters , but particularly Lord Uthred , my favourite ,you have a healthy disrespect for the Mumbo jumbo and the blatant hypocrisy of religion in general and Christianity in particular . Having been born a catholic I have a very similar scepticism of religion and wondered if this is a conscious decision on your part or merely a plot line that allows characters like Uthred and Sharpe to delineate their enemies better? I wondered if the thought process is based on a personal antipathy to the nonsense you and I (I am 56) were taught ,possibly indoctrinated in,when we were young children in the 50/60’s? I do not intend to offend ,but like Uthred I see how the power of the “nailed god” has in many instances caused far more trouble than the good it’s protagonists would profess is its purpose. Either way I am glad you project characters who ,in our world ,would struggle to avoid being labelled non PC at best,and who provide me a least ,with some laugh out loud moments.
Best Regards,

Paul Hartford

I have read most if not all your books, some more than once.  We have a little exchange group that includes that my oldest sons and my brother.  Your books are generally a good read.
I have just finished The Pagan Lord.  There is a fairly consistent thread in your books that seems to be anti-christian, although there is some ambivalence.  There is, for example, a recognition of the ascendancy of the Christian god.
Other authors have also written about the passing of the ‘old gods’ in favour of the ‘white Christ’ or as Uhtred describes him, the ‘nailed god.’ There seems to be no reason that accounts for this change in fundamental world view.
How does one account for it?  I am left to wonder why such an unattractive god, represented generally by even more unattractive proponents, should have gained the ascendancy.  The implicit reasons that appear in your writings seem to be that there is some vague power play on the part of unpleasant, intolerant priests that accounts for it. In the light that you are writing historical novels where a certain fidelity to the history in question is embraced, I wonder that this aspect of your stories is not more nuanced.   I would suggest that one of several books by Rodney Stark would help to account for the rise of Christianity.  Here are several titles, The Victory of Reason, The Rise of Christianity, The Triumph of Christianity.  For a somewhat different take but one that has the added dimension of being written by someone who has deep roots in the culture of India as well as a solid experience of the West, may I recommend Vishal Mangalwadi’s The Book that Made Your World.
You have a wonderful gift.  Thanks for sharing it with us all.
Cordially
Phil Delsaut