Hello Bernard

Hope you and Judy had a pleasant Yuletide!

I read Warriors of the Storm and enjoyed it as much as..well, as much as the last one!

By “I have business in the North!” I assume Uhtred means business delivered with the sharp edge of a sword, rather than the kind of business that involved Board meetings and pie-charts…?

Wanted to ask a few questions, if that’s ok…

It was interesting that Haestan’s luck finally ran out in Warriors of the Storm, and I like that he was denied Valhalla. Why did you decide to kill him at this point though? Had Haestan just out-lived his usefulness to you as a writer?

I remember many years ago reading Sharpe’s Revenge, (probably my favourite one actually)and you saying that you always imagined Sharpie would end his days as a grumpy country Squire, not in France, with a Frenchwoman! But that “Heroes choose their own Stories…” So, I was wondering if Uhtred has ever surprised you in a similar way?

The final thing I was wondering was an opinion…

I don’t know if you saw this, but about 13 years ago the BBC  did a poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. At the time I voted for Wellington, but now after you kindly explained things to me in your books…I think I would vote  for King Alfred. After all, without him, there would be no England!  I think Alfred came in just outside the Top 10 in the end.

I wanted your opinion on the Top 10.

Churchill was Number 1, and behind him were, (I can’t remember the order),  Brunel, Darwin, Nelson, Elizabeth the First, Newton, John Lennon, Cromwell, Princess Diana and Shakespeare, do you consider that a fair list? And who would you vote for as the Greatest Briton?

Hope I’ve not taken up too much of your time with this! I’m supposedly writing a novel myself, so maybe I should be getting on with THAT,  rather than sending you this!

Hope you have a good week.

Regards

Matt Copley

Wiltshire