Mr. Cornwell:
As always, I LOVED your latest installment of the ‘Saxon Series,’ or THE PAGAN LORD. Your battle descriptions as always are fantastic; it’s as if the reader is fighting IN THE SHIELD WALL itself!!! I’ve got one of my three sons also hooked on your books. I’ve written to you before and particularly enjoy and own all your Medieval related works, a subject I’ve taught for many years, as a Senior Lecturer in History at a number of colleges.
I was a little disappointed in ‘The Pagan Lord,’ not from any story or historical standpoint, but I thought the use frequently of a certain four-letter word was a little too much. I hadn’t seen that before. I’m no prude nor a Puritan, and realize the Vikings or Danes probably were pretty rough in their speech, but since you are such a great writer, I did not see the need for you to use the ‘S’ bomb to the degree you did in the present volume.
I also noticed how you had two characters, RULF and ROLLA this time. I mentioned previously how HROLF or ROLF was a very famous Viking chieftain name (as you know historically, from Denmark with HROLF KRAKI, to HROLF GANGER, the Norwegian Viking and ancestor of William the Conqueror to name at least two individuals). The recent T.V., VIKING series on ‘National Geographic’ made the mistake in having the main character’s brother, be ROLLO, then he gets baptized with the “Christian name of ROLF.” Actually, it’s the other way around, ROLLO being the Latinized rendition of ROLF, a pagan name originally. I’ve mentioned this of course before. Yes, I’m a little partial to the name of ROLFE/ROLF/ROLPH!!! (By the way, the ‘coat of arms’ of the Rolfe/Rolph family of England IS THE RAVEN, as well, which has been in the family as its symbol, at least since the 1440’s.
Anyway, thanks again for writing such great books, which make ‘history come alive.’ I’ve referred you and your works to many of my students, and I’ve been teaching Medieval, Ancient, and Early American history through the Civil War, for some 26 years now. Looking forward to the next volume of Uhtred who hopefully will defeat his cousin with the aid of a ‘Viking NAMED ROLF!’ Ha!
Dr. Dan Rolph