Mr. Cornwell,

I started watching the Last Kingdom on BBCA America (because it looked very similar to Vikings on the History Channel) when it first came out and when I found out it was based on a book series I started reading the novels.  I just finished reading the 3rd book in the series.  I thorough enjoy your writing, including your details on the daily life (food eaten–calf’s foot jelly; bathing habits, etc.) of England during the middle ages.  I’m a student of history myself, primarily church history (M.Div.), but I almost double-majored in history at the BA level.  Perhaps one day when I retire I’ll complete my Ph.D. overseas in church history and historical theology.

In any case I have several questions regarding your writing and any literary recommendations you could provide:

Do you have books/authors you’d recommend reading that deal with the Vikings in Scotland and Ireland?  I’m interested in the overall Viking impact on the British Isles, but from a fictional standpoint.

Does Uhtred’s pull between the Viking religion and Christianity, reflect elements of your own faith?  It seems like you are more than just a casual observer of religion when I read your stories, including the interplay between the various characters, good or bad.

Thank you and best wishes this holiday season.  Now onto Book Four.

Ken

 

 

Dear Mr. Cornwell,

I am obviously an enormous fan of yours, as are my father and brother. We have all read the Saxon Chronicles and The Sharpe series. Even as I write this, I am watching The last Kingdom on BBC America. Never in my wildest dreams could I have thought I would be so lucky as to see Uhtred on screen.  Anyway, I’ll try to keep this brief. I am writing to you because I am curious if you feel that you may have projected some of your own views of religion onto Uhtred. I ask this because I closely identify with the opinions of Uhtred and many of the Danes in your novels. Personally, I was raised Catholic but obviously that didn’t take. When Uhtred and Mildreth bicker about god and baptisms and et cetera, it really gets my blood boiling. Sometimes I feel that the parallels to my life are too perfect. I have a recent ex-girlfriend who, towards the end of our relationship, started to become very religious (Southern Baptist – the worst kind). It wasn’t long before we began to butt heads about everything (churchgoing, praying, even immunizations – she began refusing them for some absolutely absurd reason).

Sorry, enough about me. Long story short, do you find yourself drawing from your own perceptions and life experiences with religion when you gave Uhtred his skepticism and jaded opinions on the subject?

Thank you very much for your time.

Respectfully Yours,

Mike Doyle