Your Questions

Q

Hi Bernard,

I absolutely loved ‘Seven kings must die’ and will miss Uhtred hugely. Having communicated with you before , I’m aware that The Winter king’ series is due for release in England next year.  I hope that your wonderful stories are brought to life as vividly as The Last Kingdom Having passed Stonehenge many times on the A303 to London , I wonder if your novel of that name will ever be made into a film or series ?

David Gillbanks

 

A

I am not aware of any plans for a Stonehenge film.


Q

Hi

I have just finished reading the entire series and am now feeling bereft..is there any chance you will be writing Finan's story? I so want there to be more.

Kind regards

Clare

A

It's not in my plans now....


Q

Hello Mr. Cornwell!

Greetings from Saarland (Germany)!

I‘m a big big fan of your books and I think I‘ve read them nearly all!

One of my favourite are the Starbuck - Chronicels!

So I would like to know, wether you plan to write more of them?

Here in Germany I can only get 4!

Best wishes!

Wolfgang

A

No plans for another right now.


Q

I know you were a fan of the GM Fraser Flashman papers.  Have you ever been tempted to become the new editor of the papers?

Currently rereading the Arthur books and then I'm going to hit the Saxon books.  Thanks for the wonderful stories.

David Tuck

A

No one but George Macdonald Fraser can write Flashman!


Q

Dear Mr Cornwell!

 

I think I can say that I am a fan of your books, especially of the Sharpe series and the Uthred series. However, one thing intrigues me: In your non-fiction book about Waterloo, as well as in one of the Sharpe books, you mention that British soldiers spit their bullet into the muzzle during loading, in order to speed it up. Can you please let me know, where this piece of information comes from/is based on?

 

Best wishes from Germany!

 

Carl Schulze

A

Somewhere I have a contemporary diary mentioning the practice - my guess is that soldiers did whatever they found most useful.


Q

Hello Bernard,

Can't thank you enough for your books. To say I've enjoyed them would be the understatement of the year. And you have singlehandedly awakened interest in the history of the creation of England. No small feat. Alfred has displaced William thanks to you.

But I've been wondering, after your star appearance in The Last Kingdom, whether you'll be starring in another show soon. Assuming they can afford you of course.

Cheers,

D'Arcy

A

No offers yet!


Q

Hello Bernard.

I have been a reader of your books over many years and thoroughly enjoyed following the Uhtred story from the very beginning. A minor point I have noticed; in several of the books are references to Uhtred handing out shilling coins - but the shilling was not introduced until the beginning of the sixteenth century in the reign of Henry V11. A silver penny, in use extensively throughout the eighth century would be worth very roughly £20 to £50 in today's currency so a shilling would have been worth anything from £240 to £600. Still; Uhtred would have been able to afford it!

Christopher Allen

A

The word 'shilling' is an Anglo-Saxon word denoting a small value coin that was used in Wessex and Mercia - it's mentioned in a couple of surviving documents from the 8th Century onward and, of course, it has very little to do with the shilling some of us grew up with!


Q

Dear Sir,

I’ve been a fan of your work for many years, in particular your Sharpe series and most recently the Starbuck Chronicles. I have just finished The Bloody Ground and from what I can find, you have previously said another novel is in the works but other projects have got in the way. Can you give any indication if the fifth novel in the series is likely to be published, please?

Thanks,

Josh

 

Hello. Do you have a prediction for the next Starbuck Chronicles book?

Marcelo Visentin

 

How can we convince you to finish the civil war series with Mr Starbuck?

i devour all you write but keep waiting for you to revisit this series.  So much started and left unfinished.

thanks

And thanks for all your writing endeavors.

ba

 

Nathaniel Starbuck must march again…..On the count of three no matter what happens or wherever you are….You will sit down and immediately start a new Starbuck novel….1…2…3…!

Kiyan Kurji

A

Mmmmm.....sorry, I don't think that worked......I'm afraid returning to Starbuck seems unlikely right now.....


Q

Hi,

I was sorry to hear that you had pulled out of The Cheltenham Literature Festival next month as I haven’t been lucky enough to meet or see you at an event yet and I’d spotted that you were on the brochure. I do hope there were no health reasons which prompted it and do you think you might return to the event or an event nearby in the future?

 

Eagerly looking forward to the new Sharpe book I think I guessed it was At Almaraz from the description about a year ago and I’m excited to see what you do with it as I’ve recently finished reading every Sharpe book and short story after about 2 years as I’d become a bit of a Napoleonic nerd needing my fix. I’ve since read about 30 of your books and love them all as I slowly work my way through your collection, done warlord Chronicles so Last kingdom book 2 next.

 

One of my favourite books you’ve written was actually your non fiction on Waterloo the way your get all the facts but present them with the narrative style and urgency of a novel. Any chance of another one on Salamanca or Vitoria? Also please keep Rupert Farley as the narrator of Sharpe or indeed for all your books as I recently listened to a Sharpe book and he’s untouchable. Whacky thought but you couldn’t make the timelines work to have Sharpe at the battle of Leipzig sent with the rocket battalion because that would be awesome?

 

Hope to meet you in the future and that you are keeping well and sorry this is so long I’ve been trying to to vomit praise too sycophantically.

Yours sincerely

Stuart Carver

A

Another non-fiction is not in my plans right now, but I am glad to know you enjoyed the Waterloo book!  I'm afraid I have no say in the reader of my audio books.

I really don’t see how he gets to Leipzig – he’s slightly busy in Spain at the time. I think it’s unlikely.


Q

Hi Bernard,

I have searched repeatedly and cannot find any information about where Sharpes Command will fit into the chronological order, other than it is in 1812. Am I missing something, surely this is something fundamental that lots of people will want to know!

I'm currently re-reading the series after last reading them at uni 20 years ago and am loving them every bit as much. I'm currently in 1811 so want to fit Command in at the correct point of the story!

Any help much appreciated and thank you for a series that has fueled my interest in the Napoleonic wars generally, introducing me to the likes of Forester and O'brien etc. too!

Kind regards,

Jason

A

Sharpe's Command slots between Sharpe's Company and Sharpe's Sword.