On the website of the Smithsonian Institute is information about a recent excavation of Roman ruins underneath the extant fortress at Bamburg, home of blah blah. I am hoping that a) you might mention it in the next Utred book (since he often ponders the Romans and their architecture versus that of the smelly Saxons), and b) that poor Utred will get to retire from whacking interfering Danes and Norsemen and venal Saxons. The poor bastard’s got to be 100 by now, and if you don’t let him go to Valhallah, he’s eventually going up against Knut (and losing). Let his son take a turn as batsman (or “step up to the plate,” now that you live in America). Thanks for all the history, it helped get me through Iraq and especially after. Cheers! Over the Hills and Far Away…

Frederick E Berg