Cornwell is one of my favourite historical novelists and his great plots are matched by the realism of his settings. This is the fourth volume in the Saxon Chronicles; preceded by The Last Kingdom, The Pale Horseman, The Lords of the North. I have also enjoyed his Warlord Chronicles about King Arthur and the Grail Quest series. Bernard Cornwell is also the author of the acclaimed Richard Sharpe series, set during the Napoleonic Wars and the Nathaniel Starbuck Chronicles, about the American Civil War.
BERNARD CORNWELL OBE (born February 23, 1944) is a prolific and popular English historical novelist. As a child he was adopted by a family by the name of Wiggins. After he left them he changed his name to his mother's maiden name, Cornwell.
Cornwell was born in London in 1944. His father was a Canadian airman. His mother was English, a member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. He was adopted and brought up in Essex by the Wiggins family, who were members of the Peculiar People, a strict Protestant sect who banned frivolity of all kinds and even medicine. Cornwell was sent away to Monkton Combe School, attended the University of London, and after graduating, worked as a teacher. He then joined BBC's Nationwide and was promoted to become head of current affairs at BBC Northern Ireland. He then joined Thames Television as editor of Thames News.
He married an American, Judy, in 1980 and relocated to the U.S.. Unable to get a Green Card, he started writing novels, as this did not require a work permit. He lives in Cape Cod.
In June 2006, Cornwell was awarded an OBE (Officer, Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's 80th Birthday Honours List.
I just requested The Pale Horseman from Bookmooch.com - it came from Belgium to USA yesterday! I didn't realize he was living in USA - his books are so interesting.
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