Dear Bernard Cornwell,

Thank you for the books. I’ve read them all and through the decades all your stories have enriched my sense of history and the truth that lies theirin. People, real people, with all their complexities and simple truths you lay out to your readers. Let me put it this way, even if Uhktred and Sharp and those Civil War dudes are fictional, to me their truth of experience is far more revealing and understandable than the sanctioned “histories” told by victorious entities. (like the Bayeux Tapestry. Love those stick figure drawings.) Two things or themes stand out to me in your work. One, your take on Christianity in historical context mirrors my attitude on that subject 100%. That is your greatest gift to me, illuminating the truth of “the nailed god.” I laughed so hard at you describing a Druid priest predicting in one of your earlier works the coming of some pagan deity ” Bol? ” decending from the heavens to destroy the envoys of Christianity. Tattered priests, monks, raving about this and that, that’s the truth I long to learn about. The second reality you presented was “a lot of war.” Yeah, I know everything about history in the broad sense and I’ve been to Europe several times. I’ve saluted Winston Churchill at his grave, swam in the fridged waters of Loch Ness and Omaha Beach, marveled at the packed crowd at Waterloo Station. I like early middle ages/late Roman empire so I elected to visit Ravenna instead of Venice. I actually genuflected at the bathtub tomb of Theodosius the Visagoth. I’m disturbed like that. Strolled across th Milvian Bridge in Rome knowing that particular place was where Christianity really earned its stripes. So your gift to me is bringing the flesh and blood and real life humanity of the people involved in all this alive! War is ugly, you make that clear, to your credit. But you sanction the nobility of these people, the soldiers, who to me are killers yes, but not murderers. Mostly. So thank you thank you thank you Mr. Cornwell, from a fan who uncannily shares your beliefs on history, religion and war…P.S. I noticed in every book you write you include the phrase “just kill them” at some point. Lol. What would Will Shakespeare make of that? I think he’d love your work.

Brian J Mallen