Your Questions

Bernard, I really enjoy the books. What happened to Jane, Sharpe's wife? She's last seen at Waterloo, and supposedly pregnant, I seem to recall that she would suffer fate worse than death, I can't remember where that came from. Just being Nosey, thanks Robert Reid

How do you square the (apparent) death of Hakeswill in the snakepit and his "reappearance" in Spain/Portugal in an earlier (though historically later) book? might be difficult to track the multitude of characters after decades of writing. Dave

Dear Mr Cornwell, What exactly did happen to Obadiah Hakeswill after he was pushed into the snake pit at Gawilghur? We hear about his escape from the gallows, his invulnerability towards the musket bullets of friend and foe alike, his lucky survival from the tigers and his escape from being crushed by an elephant. Did you purposely leave the escape from the snakes to the readers' imagination, adding to the legend that was Obadiah?! Toby

Having read Sarpe's Escape and then gone straight onto Eagle, I noticed an error (please don't kill me!). Rifleman Pendleton is there in Escape as one of the two youngest members of Sharpe's Light Company (in 1810), but he was killed off in Eagle, at Talavera (in 1809). Sorry to do this to you!!! Are you planning on writing any more Sharpe books with Sweet William in them? He's a great character and deserves more screen time than he's got. I can only read Enemy and Siege so many times before they fall apart at the spine! Keri Tolhurst

I've read all your Arthur books. I'd like to know if you appreciate or not the cultural changement made by Romans to your country. best regards from Italy. Simona

Do you have any information regarding a US release for "The Last Kingdom"? Dean Lynch

Mr Cornwell, I have the Starbuck and Warlord books and plan to take on Sharpe this summer. As you said yourself the Warlord books are my favorite. I would very much like to read the lyrics of the "Battle Song of Beli Mawr" I have tryed google searches and looking at music file sharing sites with no luck. Is this something that actually exists and I'm not looking in the right place or is it something you made up for the books (if that's the case, I think no less of you and your work, I just want to know) ? Thanks, Mark

Just wanted to drop a line to say I love your books. I notice that there are a great many requests for you to write in various periods or expand on support characters from other books. I'll add my voice to those who would like to see Patrick Lassan (maybe as part of the Charge of the Light Brigade?) but I'm truly content with whatever you decide. On a related note, when I read Sharpe (I read the 1st eleven books in the mid nineties), one support character really caught me. In fact, I got the impression that he might return. I don't recall his name but he was an American sea captain who initially bumped heads with Sharpe but later teamed with him. Did you have plans to spin off with that? Thanks again for the great stories and I look forward to The Last Kingdom (or whatever your US publisher decides to rename it). David Neill

I'm currently enjoying "Sharpe's Escape". The sewer scene had me laughing and cringing at the same time. Has there been any interest in adapting any of the Sharpe books for the big screen? That would be fantastic, especially given the current trend in historical military films. Fingers crossed eh! Mark Smullen

Mr Cornwell, I love your books especially the Starbuck and Arthur ones. You write excellent supporting female characters - why don't you pick some glam military heroine and write about her as the main character? Amanda Clarke-Prebble

Mr. Cornwell, I have been reading your Sharpe series (I am reading Sharpe's Siege right now), and I have also read "Rebel." It seems like the characters think about religion quite a bit. --It also seems like the subject is presented in many different moods. Some of your characters seem very angry about religion, some seem to use religion to manipulate people, some have a peace from it. Because of that, it is very difficult to get a sense of how you feel about religion. Richard Sharpe, for example, claims to not be religious, but at times betrays an uncertainty regarding the existence of God. Then you have Nate Starbuck, who in the first book very strongly believes in the existence of God; but seems to be willfully setting out to go against God's law. Of course, it does not help that his father was a violent man. Anyway, that is just to illustrate the presence of religion in your books. So, I was wondering how big a part religion plays in your life or in your past? --I do enjoy your books. I learn a lot from them, and I am impressed by the research that goes into understanding the battlefield. I have read almost all your Sharpe books. I still have to read Sharpe's Revenge, Sharpe's Waterloo, Sharpe's Devil, and Sharpe's Escape; as well as the short stories. Thanks for providing such an interesting way to study history. I plan on continuing reading your books, probably I will read the Warlord series next. Kelly