Dear Mr. Cornwell, For the second time now I have re-read my favorite series’ of your awesome body of work. Specifically, the Grail Quest series, the Novels of Arthur, and my favorites above all the Saxon Chronicles. Of course this does not mean that your other novels are not exceptional reading, though the Saxon Chronicles touch my heart on several levels. I could indulge in a four page essay on how it is so, but doubtless, you receive praises by the day and though I’m sure you are entirely gracious of it, I will not weary you. What I will say however, is how Uhtred has affected me. I’ve made my mistakes as all young men do, and then reach a point where we either decide to continue down this path or choose to better ourselves. I have taken the latter course, and will soon be attending the University Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada this fall for English, Western European History and Biology. In all honesty, my reluctance to commit to this responsibility was slaked by the “fortune favors the bold” attitude that Uhtred carries. I find amusement in other similarities such as my own Saxon heritage… I stretch that though, my ancestors are from what was the region of Jutland, Old Frisia and Westphalia in Germany and immigrated from there so if any of them colonized Britain they would be far removed. Also, my fiancé who is a very devout Roman Catholic becomes very annoyed at my incessant pronunciation of Thor’s day for the fourth day of the week which, I muse is an uncanny comparison to Uhtred and Aethelflaed. I feel as though I wander now from my point, which is that, as silly as it may sound… I feel that I may not have made this life decision without a very small nudge stemmed from the admiration of your characters. If in this day and age oaths have any meaning, the one I have sworn is to one day visit every meaningful site in your Saxon novels of battles or of dramas that truly unfolded, as unremarkable as they may actually be today. I hope you nothing but the best, and thank you again for you inadvertent help to me in becoming a man…(excuse my dramatics) and cannot wait to read and obsess over your coming works. Sincerely, Erik W. Klassen