Hello Bernard Cornell. I have enjoyed your books a lot, and have one question and an invitation. First, the joy of battle – that feeling that you have used for R Sharpe, Uhtred, Derfel and others – that overwhelming sensation when everything around you slows down, when you have all the time in the world to move and look around you. Has that happened to you? I have experienced it twice, and can only say it is a joy that is remembered all your life. I’m a 58 year old former U.S. Marine and you are the only person I have read that describes that transformation so well. I figured that you had experienced it yourself. I now work for the U.S. Navy in Fallon, Nevada, training Navy, USMC and Army Special Forces in desert ground maneuvers. If you and your wife ever travel this way (60 miles east of Reno on U.S. 50) and care for a tour of the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center and the surrounding desert, please contact me. Best Regards, John Kirch