Dear Mr. Cornwell.
I first fell in love with your Sharpe series. Then I was blown away by your The Last Kingdom and the whole Saxon Tales series which I consider even better. Just finished the latest, War of the Wolf, and think it’s the best yet, a compact gem, rather lean, not many subplots or new secondary characters to keep track of. I admire the way you unobtrusively jog the memories of your long time readers who, if they’re anything like me, can’t remember everything over all these years and probably also make the novel accessible as a stand alone to a reader without that background by offering little well placed brief reminders about past events and who’s who without awkwardness or bogging down the pace. Even more I admire this most contemplative, ruminative, spiritually questioning of Uhtreds who coexists with the usual action packed narrative we expect and there can never be too much of the life long mutual devotion of Uhtred and Finan. I’m sticking with the books, though. I really wanted to love The TV Last Kingdom series when it premiered but gave up after that first season because I just couldn’t accept an undersized Uhtred. Nothing to do with the black hair, hair color is a superficial detail, blonde TV Sharpe was fine, but where the mighty Uhtred is concerned, even as a young man, size does matter and no matter how many furs you pile on that actor there’s no disguising the fact that he just isn’t a very big guy. Every time he was shown in a group of three or four men, all of them bigger and taller, every time he appeared almost eye to eye with a leading lady it annoyed me. Uhtred just isn’t an average size guy who apparently gets by mostly on sheer pluck. So, even though I notice you don’t give much of a physical description of Uhtred in this latest novel (maybe because of black haired TV Uhtred?) I’ll stick with the Uhtred I love. I don’t need any more physical descriptions after all these years. The image in my mind is indelible. Can’t wait to read the next.
Felice Sage