Mr. Cornwell, In short, I’m a fan. I started with the Grail series and have read most everything else since. I just read “Growing up Peculiar” and felt compelled to comment. I was raised a Fundamentalist Christian (Church of Christ in Tennessee), but have slowly made my own Conversion to atheism. I was struck by your comment that you are H-A-P-P-Y as an atheist. I’ve considered myself agnostic for years now, post Cheerleader-for-Jesus days, but after reading Dawkins’ _The God Delusion_ I rethought my position. A metaphoric weight fell away, much like it sounds it did with you. My family is less than thrilled, but oh, well. Anyway, I most appreciate the fact that you don’t let historical Christians, especially priests, off the hook for their hypocrisies and evils. In a world in which _Left Behind_ is in print, let alone bestselling, you are a welcome relief. My (still fundamentalist brother) has read the first of the Saxon novels (I just started _Sword Song_) and doesn’t know what to think. He considers Alfred the Great to be a personal hero, for reasons he has not explained but I can easily infer, and cannot decide if you like Alfred or not. I argued that Uhtred doesn’t like him, but you objectively respect him. I’m interested, of course, in your thoughts. Thank you for your time and attention, and especially your stories. Sincerely, Neal Byles