Historical Fiction my recommends - please add yours

[samajo]

I read Outlander series and Poldark series. Obsessed with both. Read Ken follett's pillars of the earth books, enjoyed.Also read Sharon k Penman's Welsh princes trilogy, along with a few of her other books. I study history in college and writing an essay about this book right now. I found history essays online service to help me with that task. Hope I'll finish it on time.

Edited by samajo on Friday 15th January 14:11

[DeejRC]

Sharon K Penman is outstanding.

Try also Elizabeth Chadwick and her William Marshall series, it is the best there is...mostly because The Marshall is simply THE best leading historical character you could come up with and it’s all bloody real!! There is a reason this bloke is regarded as the greatest knight in history. And barely anybody outside of history geeks has heard of him.

[andyxxx]

^^^
That is really not my cup of tea!

Historical romance that I think my wife may enjoy.

[plasticpig]

Christian Cameron. The Long War series ( Greco-Persian wars) and the Chivalry series (Hundred Years war + Alexandrian crusade + lots of other mid 14th century conflicts) and Massimo Manfredi. Empire of Dragons is my favourite. Roman legion meets Chinese empire (there is archaeological evidence for such a meeting).

[irocfan]

Not historical fiction, alt-history may appeal?


Harry Turtledove may be worth digging out for 'alternative history' shenanigans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videssos_cycle was the first of his I read)

Island in the Sea of Time SM Stirling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_in_the_Sea_of_Time) modern Nantucket gets moved to c.1250BC

1632 series by Eric Flint (small US town somehow transported to middle ages Europe)

Leo Frankowski - Flying Warlord series (bloke gets stranded in 1231 Poland https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cross-Time-Engineer-Adven...

[Perseverant]

Lindsay Davis' "Falco" series is excellent - set in the Roman Empire during Vespasian's reign they are accurate and brutal and funny. I'd also recommend or echo the "Flashman" novels, and C J Sansom's "Shardlake" series, as well as his other novels. Going back a bit, I still find "Hornblower" a good read. Also Harry Sidebottom's "Ballista" stories, Roman again, are scholarly as well as being ripping yarns!

[Taita]

This thread is proving expensive for my Kindle!

[andyxxx]

irocfan said:

can I suggest the Lord of the Silver bow trilogy? David Gemmell's take on Troy

Thanks. I read them ages ago but gave them away so had to re-purchase. (Just finished book 1- Birth of an Empire and enjoyed it again so am presently reading book 2 - Lords of the Bow) Anybody liking these will probably enjoy the S Barone books in my OP recommend, which I think are better.

[andyxxx]

irocfan said:

Not historical fiction, alt-history may appeal?


Harry Turtledove may be worth digging out for 'alternative history' shenanigans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videssos_cycle was the first of his I read)

Island in the Sea of Time SM Stirling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_in_the_Sea_of_Time) modern Nantucket gets moved to c.1250BC

1632 series by Eric Flint (small US town somehow transported to middle ages Europe)

Leo Frankowski - Flying Warlord series (bloke gets stranded in 1231 Poland https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cross-Time-Engineer-Adven...

I may give them a go, but they may be a bit too far fetched for me. I certainly never really get into fantasy

[irocfan]

andyxxx said:

irocfan said:

Not historical fiction, alt-history may appeal?


Harry Turtledove may be worth digging out for 'alternative history' shenanigans (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videssos_cycle was the first of his I read)

Island in the Sea of Time SM Stirling (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_in_the_Sea_of_Time) modern Nantucket gets moved to c.1250BC

1632 series by Eric Flint (small US town somehow transported to middle ages Europe)

Leo Frankowski - Flying Warlord series (bloke gets stranded in 1231 Poland https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cross-Time-Engineer-Adven...

I may give them a go, but they may be a bit too far fetched for me. I certainly never really get into fantasy

it's an awkward one - the 1st one is probably more fantasy and no real great shakes in terms of technology difference between the Romans and their new world (though there is magic). The others are more modern tech/ideas (as well as knowledge of where resources can be found) and applying them in the context of the older times (from what I recall no magic in these)

[andyxxx]

OK - for anybody interested. I have just read Saving Private Ryan. Excellent 5 star from me.

[SaintsPaul]

Conn Iggulden
Wolf of the plains
Empire of silver
Bones of the hills
Genghis Khan trilogy
Vasily Grossman - Stalingrad
Robert Harris - Munich
- V2

[Huff]

GraemeP said:

C J Sansom’s Shardlake series are great! .

Absolutely this - based on solid historical research, and head& shoulders the best-written of suggestions so far - the only suggestion I'd equate with Patrick O'Brian's series featuring Capt Aubrey - starting with Master & Commander.


Context:

I read E.R Rutherford's 'Sarum' prob 30-32yrs ago on the beach summer hols as a kid; the character of 'Osmund Mason' remains well-drawn & memorable today, but can't recall much past that. I lost interest as it sped-up towards the present.
I read Ken Follet''s 'Pillars of the Earth' under years ago (I was given a s/h copy), thought - he's read Sarum and thought, 'I should have a go at that' - and not a damn thing about it is memorable. It's long, inaccurate, not great.

Follett, and also Bernard Cornwell, bang- out potboilers based in historical settings that take little digestion, and are enjoyable. But not good historical fiction.

YMMV.

Edited by Huff on Monday 15th February 22:44

[wisbech]

The Wolf Hall trilogy by Hilary Mantel. Won all the prizes for good reason!

[Wiccan of Darkness]

I tried Wolf Hall but couldn't get in to it for some reason.

A good recommendation does tend to be subjective, depends on what part of history really floats your boat.

For medieval stuff, Karen Maitland is a good one to try, The Owl Killers was the first one I read, followed by the Company of Liars. Medieval murder mystery is well covered by Susanna Gregory, again some cracking good reads, the Matthew Bartholemew series set in the 14th century have been a good form of escapism. They're also well researched, and it's fascinating to gain an insight in to the ravages of the black death, and as plague sweeps across europe, the insipid and corrosive ways disinformation about the black death is used by the media church to stoke fear and compliance.

My, how things have changed......

+1 for Ken Follet though. The Kingsbridge series made for excellent television as well as stonking good reads.

[jet_noise]

Huff said:

GraemeP said:

C J Sansom’s Shardlake series are great! .

Absolutely this - based on solid historical research, and head& shoulders the best-written of suggestions so far - the only suggestion I'd equate with Patrick O'Brian's series featuring Capt Aubrey - starting with Master & Commander.


Context:

I read E.R Rutherford's 'Sarum' prob 30-32yrs ago on the beach summer hols as a kid; the character of 'Osmund Mason' remains well-drawn & memorable today, but can't recall much past that. I lost interest as it sped-up towards the present.
I read Ken Follet''s 'Pillars of the Earth' under years ago (I was given a s/h copy), thought - he's read Sarum and thought, 'I should have a go at that' - and not a damn thing about it is memorable. It's long, inaccurate, not great.

Follett, and also Bernard Cornwell, bang- out potboilers based in historical settings that take little digestion, and are enjoyable. But not good historical fiction.

YMMV.

Edited by Huff on Monday 15th February 22:44

Internet auction site order placed for the 1st Shardlake novel
Further recommendation 300 years earlier for Arianna Franlin's Adelia Aguilar medieval (c12) CSI series.

[andyxxx]

I don’t really like ‘whodunnit’ books. I have read most of the Shardlake books and find them a bit slow.

Wolf Hall leaves me cold. I have tried numerous times to read it but never get far with it
.
I have read just about all Bernard Cornwells books and most are OK, with the odd one (like Agincourt) being superb.

[Huff]

I'd agree Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt being a good read. (Iiirc its actually titled 'Azincourt')

[wisbech]

The Flashman series, by Macdonald Fraser. Plus you get to learn obscure bits of Victorian colonial history (I didn't even know we invaded Ethiopia!)

[irocfan]

wisbech said:

The Flashman series, by Macdonald Fraser. Plus you get to learn obscure bits of Victorian colonial history (I didn't even know we invaded Ethiopia!)

TBH with English history it's easier to say what countries we HAVE invaded or been at war with than those we haven't