Dear Mr Cornwell,

I just wanted to say how much have enjoyed the Saxon Stories. A year is an unbearable amount of time to wait for the next in the series. I particularly like the way Uhtred employs guile and strategy as well as sheer force of arms to achieve an outcome.

I come originally from a Saxon clan (‘Bicanleag’) so these tales have a real resonance for me.

I’d really like someone to write to me explaining how to phonetically say ‘Wyrd bid ful araed’. Maybe I should contact Saxon scholar Michael Wood.

Thank you for giving me so much pleasure in these remarkable books but also for providing a leap in time by which we can better understand the world of Alfred and Uhtred.

Tim Beckerley