Historical Fiction

[murphy]

Originally Posted by aarti

Has anyone read Sharon Kay Penman's Sunne in Splendour about Richard III? I was very engrossed in that one. And, in more recent history, I loved Carlos Ruiz-Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind, and the just-published The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, both about WWII. They were VERY, very good.

(snip)



I think Teresa has read Dorothy Dunnett, but has anyone else? I'm SLOWLY making my way through her House of Niccolo series now. But she takes a LOT of concentration, so I only read a book of hers every few months or so, really ;-)

Whew, I think that catches me up!

Loved Sunne in Spelendor and have read everything else Penman has written that I could get my hands on. Great historical novelist.

Also, a great fan of Dorothy Dunnett. Started reading her years ago with the Lymond Chronicles. They don't seem to be to everyones' taste though. I know what you mean when you say you have to read her books carefully. It was the third reread of the Unicorn Hunt that I finally realized that the hero had been raped and that was why he was so angry. She was a very subtle writer.

[j. d. worthington]

Just received an e-mail from the University of Nebraska Press that they now have out 2 volumes of Harold Lamb's Cossack tales, for anyone who's interested.... I think it's under their Bison Books imprint.

[ElJayDee]

I have so many that I love that I am hard pressed to find a favourite. Amoung my favourites would be:
Byzantium by Michael Ennis
This is a fictionalised history of Harald Hardraada, Harald III Sigurdson, King of Norway. It focuses mostly on the time spent in Byzantium where he was the leader of a troop in the Vangarian guard but naturally ends with his death during his invasion of England. The book is very readable as a piece of fiction while having plenty of factual snippets to be educational to those who don't know much of this period in history.
The Knights of Dark Renown by Graham Shelby
This version of the story, recently filmed as "Kingdom of Heaven", is closer to the "true" story as written by Sir Steven Runciman in his History of the Crusades. While I suspect Knights is not a literary masterpiece, it does give a good bit of information in a very readable format

[Stormlight_USMC]

Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities is one of my classic favorites; much of his work is heavy and unexciting for me, but that one I can read again and again.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World made a passable film, but the book is one of a long series of British nautical fiction novels by Patrick O'Brian, the first two of which - being the only two I've yet read - are quite good. If one is interested in 18th/19th century naval warfare, he's your man.

And I also love The Count of Monte Cristo, which someone mentioned earlier. I thought it was masterly. I should reread it soon, too. I thought the book was much more complex and detailed than the movie was.

The Count of Monte Cristo (the most recent with Jim Caviezel and Guy Pierce) is one of a very few films which I enjoyed more than the book. I thought Dumas' trademark complexity and detail actually detracted from the dramatic impact and poignancy of the primary plot and, when moderately simplified and altered in the film, made for a more intense depiction of the Count's vengeance. Crazy, I know - the idea that Hollywood (or non-U.S. equivalent) could improve upon a powerhouse like Dumas, but then I've always found him to be a little overbearing and long-winded. If I could read French I might think otherwise.

[guamleo]

I am new to this formum so please forgiveme if I am doing htis wrong...


I love to read alternate history novels, stories, and scenarios. I am looking for an alternate history that explores the alternate history what if...

Vice President Andrew Johnson (Abraham Lincoln's VP) does not get cold feet and assasinates him the same night that Lincoln is assasinated. What does this do to the Post Civil War reconstruction period? What does this do for U.S. civil rights legislation and advancements in the U.S. as opposed to our time line?

Anyone care to comment?

B/R
Leo

[Sathai]

Some of my favorite historical fiction books...

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

[Connavar]

The Count of Monte Cristo is by far my favorit historical fiction. It grabbed me like few books ever have.

[Timewalker]

I've read a few Barbara Erskine books: Lady of Hay, Kingdom of Shadows, and Child of the Phoenix. The last one is the one I like best because it takes place entirely in the past, without any confusing back-and-forth between the past and present.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Avalon books could be considered more fantasy than history, but Firebrand can definitely be considered a historical novel. That one tells the story of the Trojan War from the point of view of the women: Hecuba, Penthesilia, Andromache, Helen, and primarily Kassandra.

For Egyptian historical novels, I really enjoy Pauline Gedge. She wrote a trilogy about the struggle against the invading Hyksos: The Hippopotamus Marsh, The Oasis, and The Horus Road. A two-book series she wrote, House of Dreams and House of Illusions, is the story of a young teenage girl who is trained in courtly ways, taught to read and write by unscrupulous Egyptian nobles, and groomed to be a concubine to Pharaoh -- with the ultimate goal of assassinating him. I've reread these two, several times. Pauline Gedge's standalone book that I've enjoyed most is Child of the Morning, the story of Hatshepsut. I have a few other Pauline Gedge books around the house, but haven't read them yet.

I have a few Christian Jacq books, but it's difficult to find some of them. For some reason, #3 in a 5-book series is the ONLY one that is out of print!

For Roman history, there are only two authors that spring immediately to mind:
1. Robert Graves: I, Claudius and Claudius the God. I have read and re-read my copies so many times that they're starting to fall apart.

2. Lindsey Davis: the Marcus Didius Falco mystery series. Anybody who loves a good murder mystery would enjoy these. My classical history instructor in college introduced me tho these novels and I was immediately hooked! They take place in the latter first-century AD Rome, after the death of Nero and during the early years of Vespasian's rule. Lindsey Davis puts a phenomenal amount of research into her books -- reading, interviewing scholars, and visiting real-life, real-time archaeological digs to make sure she gets her facts and details right. Her recurring characters range from the highest nobility to the lowest gutter-rats, and it's entertaining to see the ongoing events of Falco's home life with his mother, sisters, his girlfriend, and all the various children and pets.

[svalbard]

Originally Posted by murphy

Loved Sunne in Spelendor and have read everything else Penman has written that I could get my hands on. Great historical novelist.

Also, a great fan of Dorothy Dunnett. Started reading her years ago with the Lymond Chronicles. They don't seem to be to everyones' taste though. I know what you mean when you say you have to read her books carefully. It was the third reread of the Unicorn Hunt that I finally realized that the hero had been raped and that was why he was so angry. She was a very subtle writer.

Have you read King Hereafter by Dunnett. It is a great book about the 'real' Macbeth. She is a wonderful storyteller with a great grasp of the written word.

Some of my favorite historical books are the novels by Henry Treece and Rosemary Sutcliffe. It is years since I read any of them but I thse books will always have a place in my heart.

Sharon Penman's books are great although she can be a bit melodramatic at times. I have to say that I cried at the end of Sunne in Splendour and the Reckoning.

Another favourite of mine at the moment is the Master of Rome series by Colleen MacCullough. This tells the story of the last years of the Roman Republic. It has a cast of thousands and is very well researched. The good news for fans of the series is that she will be publishing another one in September, Anthony and Cleopatra.

[Dexter]

Sharon Kay Penman can do no wrong in my book.
Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series is the very best.
Umbert Eco's Name of the Rose really did it for me back in the day.

[Rosemary]

Originally Posted by murphy

Sharon Kay Penman wrote a trilogy about the Welsh. Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, and The Reckoning. Is that who you meant? Very good and accurate historical novels, but then I am a fan of hers.

Forgot to subscribe to this thread. Yes, that was the series I was thinking about murphy, thank you.

Has anyone read Bernard Cornwall's ' Saxon Chronicles'? Looks very interesting although the first book was written back in 2004, so I might have to do some searching.

[murphy]

Originally Posted by Timewalker

2. Lindsey Davis: the Marcus Didius Falco mystery series. Anybody who loves a good murder mystery would enjoy these. My classical history instructor in college introduced me tho these novels and I was immediately hooked! They take place in the latter first-century AD Rome, after the death of Nero and during the early years of Vespasian's rule. Lindsey Davis puts a phenomenal amount of research into her books -- reading, interviewing scholars, and visiting real-life, real-time archaeological digs to make sure she gets her facts and details right. Her recurring characters range from the highest nobility to the lowest gutter-rats, and it's entertaining to see the ongoing events of Falco's home life with his mother, sisters, his girlfriend, and all the various children and pets.

Just started collecting and reading this series (thanks to eBay) I'm enjoying them very much. For another Roman History writer, try Colleen McCullough's series. Very good and very brutal The Romans don't come across as nice people at all!

[bryanspellman]

I read and love tons of historical fiction...

Sharpe, Aubrey, Cato and Macro are all enjoyable adventures....

Starting McCullough's series soon, try Jack Whyte as well.

Also would not Sherlock Holmes be considered Historical Fiction. It is a very detailed look at London at the time. Just wondering.

[Connavar]

Heh just started to reading Cato and Macro series. They are growing fast on me

Sherlock Holmes i think are crime fiction. I mean he is the first famous detective so.

[Snowdog]

Sherlock Holmes gets lumped in with the crime novels but as we move away from that time there's a case for putting those books into the historical crime sub-genre. Which I suppose exists though I haven't read many in that vein.