Dear Mr Cornwell,

Firstly, I would like to thank you for the Sharpe series of novels. I am halfway through the series in (chronological order)  and am thoroughly enjoying them as my father did. These have been passed down to me by my father who is and has  always been a huge fan. He has always talked passionately about military history and in particular the peninsular war. He used to play war games and was very proud of his french, lead figurines. As well painted, colourful and accurate as they are, I won’t allow my daughter near them as they are probably toxic and I’m too worried she’ll break them! He also played a number of computerised simulations of the campaign and was (frustratingly for him) never able to win the battle of Waterloo with the English. As I haven’t made it that far in the series, I look forward in earnest to reading about those events and to find out whether or not my father just made a poor computerised general. If that is true then I will certainly give him some stick, as is a sons duty.

Reading the series in chronological order I am amazed that they have been written out of order. You painted a rich history of Richard Sharpe, his battles in India, the defeat of the Tippoo Sultan, the battle of Assaye and his outstanding act of bravery saving Arthur Wellesley from almost certain death. That history almost demanded that after completing the main story of Sharpe in the peninsular war that you should return and write the novels depicting these events. Were you always planning to return to write about his earlier career? I find them so fluid and so full of call backs that I feel you must have planned in your thoughts to return.

Thank you again for the series and I continue to look forward to the next, and the next, and the next……. Having read 9 in 4 weeks I might need to start looking up before I develop a neck condition.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Boaler