Reluctantly having studied other readers comments I offer my own views having read The Fort. I say reluctantly as I have no ambition to be critical however I am curious! I feel you chose to break with your traditional formula and only you would know the reason for this. I see your writing as an attempt to bring to life the often uncharted heroes of our history combining fact with colourful embellishment, providing the reader with a pulsating journey of thrills ,conflict, graphic period detail, worthy adversaries, romantic interludes and characters modelling our own desires and aspiration to be heroic. Sadly The Fort failed to register as a traditional Cornwell read and instead offered a scholarly re-enactment of an historic event in which most of the above desirables were absent. I offer Agincourt as a prime example incorporating the trusted formula which invited the reader into a world where we invested in our leading characters and actually cared for and anticipated their fate. The Forts departure from type offered us true living characters who apart from one or two failed to ignite any true investment and that is something I truly regret. The bias toward exacting historic detail sacrificed the true worth in your writing telling us about peoples lives and experiences whilst weaving an exciting drama and culminating in us albeit briefly being transported to that time.

Dave Martin