Bernard Cornwell

[Menion]

I got given Azincourt and The Grail Quest series a while back,I had never read any of his books before, having only seen the whole series of Sharpe. But I have to say the were amazing.

[nj1]

Originally Posted by Menion

I got given Azincourt and The Grail Quest series a while back,I had never read any of his books before, having only seen the whole series of Sharpe. But I have to say the were amazing.

If you haven't already read them, I'll heavily recommend that you try his SAXON series and Arthur series, both cracking reads.

[sloweye]

I'll second the saxon books, altough i've never got around to the Arthur series.

But the whole Sharpe series is worth reading, theres far more to it than the TV series gives you (not knocking the TV series at all, i love it, even have 'most' of the DVDs)

[Menion]

I'll add Saxon and Arthur series to my to buy/read pile. Thanks!

[rdenning]

Yes the Saxon series are excellent. I quite enjoyed the Arthur series too. They presented a believable historical Arthur (as far as any one is able to).
Writing in that earlier time period is VERY hard sometimes. I discovered that when writing Fiction set in the late 6th and Early 7th century.
Richard's Ramblings Post Topic Shedding light on the Dark Ages
is a blog entry I did about the difficulties if you are interested.

Bernard Cornwell is my favourite historical fiction author and i think he has got better with the passage of time.

[paranoid marvin]

HAlfway through HEartstone - an excellent addition to the Shardlake series.

Would love to see a book series based around the era of Richard III - especially from the viewpoint of Rich himself.

[Rangerton]

I tried reading the Starbuck series last year, but couldn't get into them. Since then I have read the saxon chronicles, the Arthur series and now I'm reading Azincourt with the grail quest series ready and waiting!

I fully recommend the Saxon series and Arthur chronicles.

[sabolich]

Originally Posted by Rangerton

I tried reading the Starbuck series last year, but couldn't get into them.

I have to second that. I adore the Sharpe series, all but the last one (chronologically, where Sharpe and Harper end up in South America), but I couldn't get into the Starbuck series. It seemed he was trying to recreate Sharpe, and even Cornwell admits the characters are too similar. I haven't read any of his other series, but Sharpe is excellent.

[paranoid marvin]

Originally Posted by sabolich

I have to second that. I adore the Sharpe series, all but the last one (chronologically, where Sharpe and Harper end up in South America), but I couldn't get into the Starbuck series. It seemed he was trying to recreate Sharpe, and even Cornwell admits the characters are too similar. I haven't read any of his other series, but Sharpe is excellent.

TLoved the Sharpe series, but not too keen on Starbuck,possibly because I have more interest in British history than US. The Grail series is brilliant though, a bit like Sharpe in meieval England, but there are far more twists and turns and the hero much more vulnerable. Highly recommended.

[sabolich]

Originally Posted by paranoid marvin

TLoved the Sharpe series, but not too keen on Starbuck,possibly because I have more interest in British history than US. The Grail series is brilliant though, a bit like Sharpe in meieval England, but there are far more twists and turns and the hero much more vulnerable. Highly recommended.

I'll have to give those a try. Thanks for the tip. I will have to add them to the teetering stack of unread books beside my chair and somehow find the time to indulge in all of them!

[River Boy]

I love the Sharpe and the Arthur books. Does the Saxon series get better after the first? I'm about three-quarters through it and surprised to find that I'm not inspired by it so far, especially as it's my favourite period of history.

[svalbard]

Originally Posted by River Boy

I love the Sharpe and the Arthur books. Does the Saxon series get better after the first? I'm about three-quarters through it and surprised to find that I'm not inspired by it so far, especially as it's my favourite period of history.

They do get much better. In my opinion though they are poor compared to his Warlord Chronicles.

[woodsman]

I really enjoyed them both, although the Warlord does shade it and I haven't bought all the Saxon ones yet. Worth continuing with though, I feel.

[Jacob Larch]

they're worth a look! I've only read all of the peninsular war series (rifle to waterloo) but my wife is an avid fan and said "start with the first one (in India) if you want the full progression.

She's reading them again at the moment, actually. Just hit "havoc", a huge door stop of a book in anyone's library...

[sabolich]

Originally Posted by paranoid marvin

HAlfway through HEartstone - an excellent addition to the Shardlake series.

Would love to see a book series based around the era of Richard III - especially from the viewpoint of Rich himself.

This one isn't fantasy, but you might like "The Sunne in Splendor" by Sharon K. Penman. It's all about Richard and the trials of his family through the Wars of the Roses.