Dear Mr Cornwell, as an ex serving soldier, I have an observation. It seems to me that apart from the obvious advances in military equipment, the general relationship between Commisioned British Officer and the NCO/Warrant Officer of today doesn’t seem to have altered a lot, resulting in an Army strikingly similar to that which Sharpe served in. Did you do any research on today’s army to use in the relationships that take place in your books, Simmerson comes to mind? The resemblance to some officers that I had the “pleasure” of putting up with is remarkable! or was it a conglomeration of several different people, as surely no one commisioned officer could be that terribly incompetent. Seriously though, I would be very interested to know why, apart from the great man himself (Nosey), how the recurring theme of incompetent officers came about. Surely apart from their ability to purchase their commisions they were educated men as they are today? (Apparently) The Sharpe books are fantastic by the way, and go some way to making me feel avenged by my twelve years (apart from four years spent at Bovington Camp in Dorset as DRAC’s driver) of mental flogging inflicted by the commisioned nitwits of today. I am chuffed to hear that you are going to be writing a new Sharpe adventure. Will you also be novelising Sharpe’s Challenge? Thanks for your time in reading my tongue in cheek comments, no offence anyone who knows me, YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Richard Anstis