Help on historical serie

[Mazrak]

Heey everyone, I am new to this forum but have been a watcher for a while. But anyway, I would like to write a historical serie of books and I would prefer that the serie tells the adventures of protagonist and his roll through history. But in order to let that man life through history I have come up with the following solutions:

1. Immortality - The protagonist has stopped ageing (or is ageing slowly).
2. Reincarnation - The protagonist keeps some memories of its previous life or is able to take over the bodies of other people completly.
3. Generation - The protagonist dies and I continue telling the story through its ofspring.

Now my question is: what do you think would be the best solution? Which would be the easiest to read and understand for readers? Do you know any other solutions?

[The Ace]

3. is OK if you're writing for morons, 2. is difficult to pull off.

I'd go for 1. The character's constant movement to avoid suspicion also provides a valid reason for him to be in a particular place when the events occur.

It's been done before, but a little imagination can keep it fresh and a new slant on an historic event is always welcome.

One caveat, though. When describing real events, get your facts straight, there is no such thing as too much research. One small error can destroy an entire story.

[Lith]

And don't interact with famous historical characters. At least not much. And yes, that's a personal preference, not a mandate.

Only those three solutions? No time machine? No Quantum-Leaping into other people? no temporal telepathy, awesome telephone booth, uh, no control of space and time itself? No becoming his own offspring, a la a phoenix rising from its own ashes? No touching of historical artifacts, and then seeing into everyone else that touched them over the years?

You could go a lot of directions. I've seen #1 before- it works, which is why it keeps recurring, but it's been done a lot by now. #3 would be difficult, but I might find it interesting.

Anyway, good luck with it!

[Mazrak]

Originally Posted by The Ace

One caveat, though. When describing real events, get your facts straight, there is no such thing as too much research. One small error can destroy an entire story.

Yeah I hate it too if a story doesn't have its facts right, so I really need to do lots of research and know all about the different historical events, ways of life, religions etc.

Originally Posted by Lith

And don't interact with famous historical characters. At least not much. And yes, that's a personal preference, not a mandate.

Haha, didn't say it as a mandate anyway But thanks for the tip. Why is that acctually? Would it look unbelievable or would it become irritating or something like that?

Originally Posted by Lith

Only those three solutions? No time machine? No Quantum-Leaping into other people? no temporal telepathy, awesome telephone booth, uh, no control of space and time itself? No becoming his own offspring, a la a phoenix rising from its own ashes? No touching of historical artifacts, and then seeing into everyone else that touched them over the years?

And yes I only had those three solutions. I thought of the time machine or controlling space and time, but I didn't want my character to go somewhere in some time and just see what happends and interact with it. I want my character to be born in 1000-500 BC and then see what happends up to the present day, wheter it be by 'special powers' or by offspring.
And I did thought of the phoenix effect but I thought you can put that under the reincarnation part, since it is sort of rebirth.
The touching of artifacts is an interesting idea, but it would still be something like with the time machine I guess.

[Foles]

Originally Posted by Mazrak

Haha, didn't say it as a mandate anyway But thanks for the tip. Why is that acctually? Would it look unbelievable or would it become irritating or something like that?

For one, it's always a little unbelievable simply because most famous people's lives are very well documented, unless you're very far back in time. So in order to interact with a famous figure, you'd have to be in the shadows all the time, and sometimes things would just seem too convenient and contrived that it slips under the radar of history. That's my two cents, anyway.

[SJAB]

Originally Posted by Foles

For one, it's always a little unbelievable simply because most famous people's lives are very well documented, unless you're very far back in time. So in order to interact with a famous figure, you'd have to be in the shadows all the time, and sometimes things would just seem too convenient and contrived that it slips under the radar of history. That's my two cents, anyway.

Oh I don't know, Cornwell had Sharpe having conversations with Wellington, which did not seem contrived at all, depends on the skill of the writer.

As to number three on the list; Sarum: The novel of England and London, both by Edward Rutherford use a variation of this theme, the cities being the main characters and the family members the second. James Michener did the same, but both these are gaints in the field of the historical novel.

I would also add Norah Lofts with her Suffolk House, Gad's Hall and Pargeters all deal with a house, and the familes that live in them over the years. All are very detailed in the way historical events affects the house and the families, none has any "happy endings" as such, and all have an undercurrent of supernatural/local myths in them which can at times be unsettling. She also wrote one of the best novels about Richard the Lionheart I have ever read, called "The Luteplayer", again very dark, near the knuckle, and again an off kelter type of approach.

[Mazrak]

Originally Posted by Foles

For one, it's always a little unbelievable simply because most famous people's lives are very well documented, unless you're very far back in time. So in order to interact with a famous figure, you'd have to be in the shadows all the time, and sometimes things would just seem too convenient and contrived that it slips under the radar of history. That's my two cents, anyway.

Hmmm... yeah that is a good reason. It would be nice that even if you would check the details of the story they still have something like: this could be possible!

Originally Posted by SJAB

As to number three on the list; Sarum: The novel of England and London, both by Edward Rutherford use a variation of this theme, the cities being the main characters and the family members the second. James Michener did the same, but both these are gaints in the field of the historical novel.

I would also add Norah Lofts with her Suffolk House, Gad's Hall and Pargeters all deal with a house, and the familes that live in them over the years. All are very detailed in the way historical events affects the house and the families, none has any "happy endings" as such, and all have an undercurrent of supernatural/local myths in them which can at times be unsettling. She also wrote one of the best novels about Richard the Lionheart I have ever read, called "The Luteplayer", again very dark, near the knuckle, and again an off kelter type of approach.

So acctually point 1 and point 3 have already been done many times. It might get a bit overdone but if the skills of the writer are good then that shouldn't be a problem. Has point 2 ever been done yet that anyone knows of? BTW, those books sound interesting. I might buy some of them and read them.

[Lith]

I don't like the borrowing of historical characters because it destroys something of the integrity of the person in the borrowing, turning a real person into a fictional one, no matter how good a book it makes. And no matter how much you know of a historical figure, you're still going to be projecting personalities on them, and once there, they're very hard to get rid of.

For example- within the last year I read an account of the Lewis & Clark journey, told from the view of a young man with the expedition. Whether or not the young man existed, I don't know; but the author had to make personas for Lewis, Clark, Charbonneau, Sacajawea, and a number of others, all taken from their journals. While the author didn't mean slander, and treated them respectfully, I still don't like to see it, as it's too much a blending of fact and fiction.

So, if you haven't guessed, I'm not a fan of "historical" fiction. Historical settings are another matter entirely.

[fire_elf20]

i like "glimpsing" historical figure with a fictional character maybe general in a war and you see him from across the battle something like that adds a bit of realism without "projecting personalities" on them

[Mazrak]

Originally Posted by fire_elf20

i like "glimpsing" historical figure with a fictional character maybe general in a war and you see him from across the battle something like that adds a bit of realism without "projecting personalities" on them

Yes that would be a good idea. Thanks for all the replies. But I think we get a bit off topic here (I know this is acctually my fault), because I wanted to know what would be the best reason to get through history with a character. There were some great ideas posted. Maybe I should have created a poll. I don't see the edit button anymore is it still possible to get this to a poll?
Anyway I would still like to hear some more opinions please. The more opinions the better I can orientate.

[The Ace]

To be fair, Sir Arthur Wellesley was unhorsed at Assaye, where his life was saved by an unknown infantryman. Cornwell just expanded a faceless grunt into Richard Sharpe. Sharpe was actually a Londoner, but Sean Bean (otherwise a natural for the part) couldn't get the accent right, which is why the TV series has him as a Yorkshireman (Bean's natural accent).

Cornwell's meticulous research, (every book contains an historical note giving the location of the events, the true story and where and why he mucked about with it) proves, rather than breaks the rules.

There were men like Richard Sharpe in the British army of the Peninsular War, promoted through merit rather than priviledge, just not very many of them.

In contrast, the army which made Napoleon master of Europe was full of such men.

[zedlav]

Originally Posted by Mazrak

Has point 2 ever been done yet that anyone knows of?

Kim Stanley Robinson, The Years of Rice and Salt.

A group of characters reincarnates throughout an alternative history of Earth devoid of Christianity and Europeans. Sounds much more intriguing than it is, really.