Hi, I’m a new fan and can only wish I’d found your books earlier. It’s actually quite rare that one finds a writer with your imagination and creativity, your ability to write, your ability to tell a good story and your stunning plot development. In the past year, I’ve started reading your books, went back with the help of your website and started reading the various series from first through last (I’m still about midway into Sharpe and have finished all the short series except the Saxon Stories). It’s been fascinating to say the least! I did want to make one comment about your own comment in the intro on this site to your Starbuck Chronicles — namely that the Sharpe and Starbuck series are so much alike. Well, yes and no. Yes on somewhat similar character (a little), yes on military action, but… The settings of Napoleonic wars and US Civil War really disguise those similarities. Most importantly, though, is that the tone, the writing style, the character development seems to me very different. I’ve commented to others how, except for the similarities I mentioned, I’ve been amazed at how completely different to me the style appears. Had I not known, I would have said the two series were written by different authors. These are subtle and not so subtle differences.. The subtle differences make me feel differently toward the two characters.. But to me Sharpe is written by a current era author (which naturally you are). Starbuck on the other hand appears to me as written by a Civil War contemporary author. Perhaps not as “stilted”, but truly with the tone of gravity so common of 19th century authors that I have read (not that I really am that knowledgeable of them). So my intent with all this is to really encourage you to pickup again at some point the Starbuck series. I originally knew that there were only four, but on reaching the conclusion of “The Bloody Ground”, I was heartened and delighted to see that Starbuck would march again. Thanks for an abundance of great reads — thankfully I still have a long way to go. Rich