Dear Mr. Cornwell, I have just recently become a devotee of the Sharpe novels. I have long been a fan of historical fiction and read “An Archer’s Tale,” “Vagabond,” and “Heretic,” (which my mother, a librarian, got me to read) but if I ever saw the Sharpe books in the library or bookstore, I wouldn’t have picked one up. Military fiction usually leaves me cold, since it often contains too much detail of the fighting and not enough human emotion. And the Napoleonic Wars have always seemed an especially boring period in British history. (Anything after the Revolution, I mean the American one, of course, seems boring to me.) But several weeks ago I began recording the Sharpe films on BBC America, ostensibly for my husband, who likes military history. We watched them together and I found myself hooked! At first I thought I had simply fallen for the charms of Sean Bean, but then I decided to read the Sharpe books that predate the films, the ones set in India. I now find myself addicted and spend every waking moment reading Sharpe novels, watching Sharpe films, or checking up on Sharpe on the internet! My husband also likes Sharpe, but is bemused by my complete absorption. I found on your website that another Sharpe book is coming out in September, 2006. By then, I will probably have read the other 20, as I’m reading them night and day. Thank you so much for bringing such a dynamic character as Sharpe to life.
Joan Carr