I’m a tremendous fan, and I can’t wait for the next Sharpe!
Because I know you are a student of Shakespeare, I wanted to share one of the lectures I remember from college. It goes like this: part of Shakespeare’s genius was casting the wrong character for the unique problems they faced in the play. For example, if you take pensive, contemplative Hamlet (or Brutus) out of his play and drop him into Othello, he would have smoked out Iago’s schemes and we wouldn’t have a tragic ending. But take decisive and vengeful Othello (or Hotspur) and put him Hamlet, and we have an action adventure story where the prince never doubts the Ghost and instead seeks vengeance against Claudius. It’s been a fun mental exercise ever since: swap the characters (with all of their flaws and strengths) and see what happens! And so I found myself wondering the same thing about Uhtred and Sharpe. If Uhtred was in Sharpe, on account of his status, he likely would have been a senior officer. Maybe he would have been someone like Black Bob Crauford? I’d like to think he wouldn’t be some braggart cavalry officer charging into the guns.
I can’t recall which of your books it was where you acknowledge the point, but I remember there’s one where Sharpe realized that in Napoleon’s army, he might have wound up a flag officer.
So my question is this: if Uhtred (Alfred Lord Bamburgh?) was born in the late 18th century, and found himself in Spain, would he and Sharpe have become friends and allies or would they end up killing one another?
Can’t wait for the next book!
Jack