Dear Mr Cornwell,
Well, first I note what you say above so will be very general about my idea.
My question really for you is whether if writing in a vein of historical fantasy one needs to follow the historical record with accuracy as to a historical character? Now one aspect I notice is that sometimes what passes in the historical fiction section can be very a-historical and/or depart from historical fact quite a bit (not always acknowledged). So, the counter-factual gets into the frame but in a mild or contained manner but I guess if one were to introduce the uncanny or unreal one then breaks the frame or moves outside it; and one could not in any sense then be in the genre of historical fiction?? Do you know of historical fiction titles which include fantasy elements but are not of a fantasy section title? A good example of a historical fiction book I have read recently is The Bleeding Land (Kristian) but which at the close in his description acknowledges clear departures on the edge of counter-factual. At another more clearly fantasy extreme is Lachlan’s Wolfsangel
trilogy. So its difficult to find an intermediary case but one example might be Humphrey’s the French Executioner. My point I guess is that in a way if one is between the genres does one have choice as to how to place a book or more than one? Or is for instance any fantastical element (as in Humphrey) bound to place one in the fantasy camp? A novel for instance might be in many ways solidly realistic but acknowledge the uncanny. I find for instance a little of this aspect in your shift towards using relics as a theme in the Hundred Years war books. I do hope these points have not sprawled. Also, if in a category between fantasy and history (one might say in a sense that invented characters may always be construed as that but are simply contextually placed in a realistic setting rather than unreal?) what fidelity to actuality of research for characters (if real) might be required and is that fidelity going to be greater if in one genre or another (this tries to rephrase my more
general thoughts). Well, sorry to be vague in closing but I am conscious that you have asked not to define a precise idea.
Regards.
Stephen Sheard (Dr)