historical novels

[mei-chan]

Does anybody out there like historical novels? i myself do, especially ones set in the middle ages. They have to be well done though, because I am a student of medieval history... So if the facts don't add up I get really annoyed. I like the books done by Sharon Penman, you get really sucked in, and I just finished Alison Weirs first novel, and that was really good as well:D

[Foreordained99]

i like them! i especially like the classical ones, seeing as i want to study classics at uni. I find them so much easier to read than actual history books. I'm reading one at the moment about Alexander the Great, but i've read Rubicon, I Claudius, Ramses and a few more.

[Aratos]

I'm a fan of the Sharpe books, if that counts.

[Foreordained99]

I'm a fan of the Sharpe books, if that counts.

what are they?

[Aratos]

The Sharpe books. About Major Richard Sharpe of the duke of wellingtons own. Written by bernard Cornwell, they follwo the story of Richard Sharpe from being drafted into his majestys army anf being shipped off to india through to Waterloo and the aftermath of. Made into a succesful TV series starring Sean Bean (hence his comment "still sharp" in Lord Of The Rings). All based on real events etc etc. Great stuff.

[Foreordained99]

oh, that sounds interesting!

Has anyone read the Historical novels i mentioned earlier? And does anyone have any reccommendations on classical ones?

[Blu_Moon]

oh, that sounds interesting!

Has anyone read the Historical novels i mentioned earlier? And does anyone have any reccommendations on classical ones?


The Persian Boy (Alexander), The Red Tent (Biblical), War of the Crowns (Ancient Egypt).

Non-antiquity novels I like include Calico Captive (Colonial period), the Sharpe series (Regency period), In a Dark Wood, Wandering (Middle Ages).

[tomselleck69]

And does anyone have any reccommendations on classical ones?
the flashman series.

[mei-chan]

Do you people have any recommendations about the medieval period, or Tudor England?

[SaiRong]

For the medieviel peroid, I really like Umberto Eco's books 'The Name of the Rose' and 'Baudolino.' The name of the Rose is a murder mystery set in a monastery, and Baudolino is about a journey to find the 'Christian King of the East.' Both are a little hard to get through at times, but a lot of fun most of the time.

[mei-chan]

I already read both of those, they are quite ok. It is a bit annoying how Umberto Eco wants to show of his knowledge though.. it doesn't make the reading any easier.

[Timeless]

Do you people have any recommendations about the medieval period, or Tudor England?

I read Sharon Kay Penman :) Not for a while, though...but I loved her books :) If you like her, I recommend the following authors:

Marion Bradley (The Mists of Avalon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345350499/qid=1144862217/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-2959337-7320065?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) is one of the best! It's a King Arthur one.)
Judith Tarr (Alamut (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385264356/qid=1144862263/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-2959337-7320065?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) Series was really good...it's a crusades book, only 2 to the series, but SO good!)
Diana Paxon (The White Raven (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380752298/qid=1144862316/sr=1-13/ref=sr_1_13/002-2959337-7320065?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)? It's a Tristan and Isolde Book; I LOVE any retelling of Tristan and Isolde...)
Morgan Llewelyn (She's more of a Celtic History, but hers are GOOD! The Druid (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804108447/qid=1144862380/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/002-2959337-7320065?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)one especially Bard (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812585151/ref=pd_bxgy_text_b/002-2959337-7320065?%5Fencoding=UTF8) was good, too)....
I also liked Historical Fiction based in Egypt...so I thought maybe you might like it:
Christian Jacq (wrote the Ramses (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446673560/qid=1144862556/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/002-2959337-7320065?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) series! SO good! It's not all "action" like most novels written by men...it was AMAZINGLY good!)
Margaret George (The Memoirs of Cleopatra (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312187459/qid=1144862588/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/002-2959337-7320065?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) by was SO good! It's nice and meaty, so you'll be steeped in Ancient Egypt for a good while. She's done some for English and stuff, but I've only read this one...)
Pauline Gedge (Any of her books...really good reading! I SO loved them! I wished they were longer though. Lady of the Reeds (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1569470723/qid=1144862628/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-2959337-7320065?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)should definately be a shoujo manga...what with Hui being gorgeous and albino! Come on! )
And then this is about the Ottoman Empire :) Too cool (a harem story from the point of view of a eunuch):

Ann Chamberlin's Sophia (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0312861109/sr=8-2/qid=1144862134/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-2959337-7320065?%5Fencoding=UTF8) (I think there are 3 books in this series.)
Oh, you read the Sun in Splendor right? Yeah, I wanted more like that after I read that. I couldn't find anything but non-fiction things...which were kind of sad. I know of a lot of good Roman historical fiction, too...but I think I've strayed enough....:)

[Foreordained99]

War of the Crowns (Ancient Egypt) Who is that by?

Also, i agree that the Ramses series is great! Although it's quite badly written, it does give a good historical insight!

[Blu_Moon]

War of the Crowns (Ancient Egypt) Who is that by?

Also, i agree that the Ramses series is great! Although it's quite badly written, it does give a good historical insight!

Here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/074348049X/sr=8-1/qid=1144936794/ref=sr_1_1/002-5234182-6560829?%5Fencoding=UTF8

I also agree with Timeless, Mists of Avalon is not to be missed!

[mei-chan]

Thanks for the tips. I have one for you as well, you should try The brothers of Gwynned quartet by Edith Pargeter. It is about medieval Wales and it's last princes. I really liked it.

[Foreordained99]

great thanks! i'll try and find it in bookstores then...O_o it's by the same author who wrote the Ramses series ?!?

[Timeless]

great thanks! i'll try and find it in bookstores then...O_o it's by the same author who wrote the Ramses series ?!?

Maybe it's a different translator. It was originally written in French. I haven't read Ramses for years, but I didn't think it was written (translated) that poorly. I do remember the sentences being a bit short, so it was a bit choppy, but it wasn't that horrible?

TheBrothers of Gwenyedd (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0747232679/sr=8-3/qid=1144959414/ref=pd_bbs_3/002-2959337-7320065?%5Fencoding=UTF8) sounds neat (from the reviews). It's nice and meaty (EDIT: I mean going by the number of pages) :) I went ahead and put it in my cart for next month's book order. Thank you, Mei-chan!

[bleachedgantz]

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

[Foreordained99]

hmm, i just thought that it wasn't written in the best english that's all. Maybe it was just because it had been translated. Nevertheless, i did enjoy it.

[mei-chan]

I think the Ramses series was done by Christian Jacques, in french originally

[adichappo]

the flashman series.
I have two fo those book...one of these days i'll get around to reading them.

i like historical books that span generations. The best example is Edward Rutherford's work. I've read Sarum and can't wait to start London...They start in prehistory and go through to modern times, chronicling the history of several fictional families through real events. Another one (and one of my all itme fav books) is Chikara by Robert Skiman. It's about a man who immagrates from Japan to California in the late 1800's with his wife and one son, while leaving the other son in Japan so that his family legacy will succeed in both countries. It goes through 4 generations on both sides of the ocean up until the early 1980's during the economic boom in Japan...I highly recommend this book to everybody!

[Foreordained99]

Chikara sounds really good...i'll check it out :D
Don't you think that there should be more historical novels written, coz there are so many second class history books but hardly any outstanding historical novels...or is that just me...?

[adichappo]

Chikara sounds really good...i'll check it out :D

I would advise going to the library. I think it's out of print and it took me FOREVER to find a 2nd copy for myself (the first that i found at a library book sale has been forever lost :( ) But definatly check it out ^_^

Some one asked about Welsh history. I've read Circle of Stones and Cirlce of Stars by Anne Lee Waldo. They're about the Welsh druid who was supposedly the first to discover the "New World" two hundred yrs before Columbus. The first book is the story of his mother, who was mistress to one of the Welsh kings and the second is his life and journey to America to escape the persecution of the druids. Another very good read.

[Foreordained99]

Oh yeah, i almost forgot...until you started talking about 'circle of stones'...Stonhenge is another Historical Novel...about....guess what...Stonehenge^^

[adichappo]

Edward Rutherford's "Sarum" goes into the "history" of Stonehenge as well.

[mei-chan]

Edward Rutherford is very good indeed, I really liked London and his book about Russia ( I think it is called Russka). I still have one of his books lying around, waiting to be read; Princes of Ireland
I also have another book by Edith Pargeter that you guys might like, it is called A bloody field by Shrewsbury and it's about medieval England.
If you guys don't mind reading biographies you should try some of Alison Weirs work, I read almost everything she has written and I really liked it.

[adichappo]

Manda Scott's "Boudica" series is also great...about Britian's famed Ecini Queen before the time of the Roman conquest. I think so far there are 4 books int he series, tho i've only read the 1st so far.

[mei-chan]

You are right the Boudica series is really good. I have read all 4 of them, and the ending is so sad. I won't spoil it for anyone, read for yourselves! Too bad part 4 is the last one though!

[mei-chan]

Another tip if you like novels about Tudor times, especially Henry 8. Try some books by Jean Plaidy, like Uneasy lies the head. There probably will be loads of secondhand ones on ebay and stuff, because it's not a new book. But new editions, with really pretty covers, are availabe from random house as well.

[Foreordained99]

i have the boudica books. If you go on google and search historical novels, the 2nd hit is a site with loads of books listed under each category! Its really good

[duowolf]

I've recently started reading books by Valerio Massimo Manfredi. He mainly writes books about The Roman Empire but has also written books about Alexander The Great.

[mei-chan]

I read his books, they are really good, they fascinated me and that makes them special, because I am not all that interested in ancient history

[Foreordained99]

i love ancient history...thats what i wanna study at uni. (well, classics...same thing) but i can't stand modern historical stuff

[chriswithchrist]

after movies like Alexander and Kingdom of Heaven that flopped in the movie houses, I'm not sure how well older history will sell.:(

[mei-chan]

me neither, I will hope for the best, because i am a student of medieval history at the university here.. and i do wanna work with it

[Foreordained99]

well the hostorical novels don't sell that badly do they? wasn't 'Labyrinth' one that went down quite well? OK, i can't remember what it was about anymore, but hey :P

[mei-chan]

you mean the book by Kate Moss? That one was a bestseller in Holland as well, but I don't know if it is a proper historical novel, because part of it is set in current times. Here is a description I plucked of the net:

July 1209: in Carcassonne a sixteen-year-old girl is given a mysterious book by her father which he claims contains the secret of the true Grail. Although Alaïs cannot understand the strange words and symbols hidden within, she knows that her destiny lies in protecting it. It will take great sacrifice and faith to keep the secret of the labyrinth safe - a secret that stretches back thousands of years to the deserts of Ancient Egypt. July 2005: Alice Tanner stumbles upon tow skeletons during an archaeological dig in the mountains outside Carcassonne. Inside the hidden tomb where the bones lie crumbling, she experiences an overwhelming sense of malevolence, as well as a creeping realisation that, however impossible it seems, she can somehow understand the mysterious ancient words carved into the rock. Too late, Alice realises she's set in motion a terrifying sequence of events that she cannot control and that her destiny is inextricably tied up with the fate of the Cathars 800 years before.

[Foreordained99]

i supose you're right. yeah thats the one i meant!

[adichappo]

I read Sharon Kay Penman :) Not for a while, though...but I loved her books :) If you like her, I recommend the following authors:
[LIST]
Marion Bradley (The Mists of Avalon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345350499/qid=1144862217/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-2959337-7320065?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) is one of the best! It's a King Arthur one.)

You know, i'm nearly finished with this book and i gotta say, I wasn't all that impressed with it. It was good and all, but a little slow paced for me. I think Mary Stewart's King Arthur trilogy is better...tho it's been a few years since i read "The Wicked Day" so i can't really remember that much about it.

[mei-chan]

I defenitely liked marion Zimmer Bradley's version better, I can't get through those done by Mary Stewart...

[Foreordained99]

you read the 'Ptolomy Quartet' starting with 'The house of the Eagle'? Its interesting...but it really annoys me that it's al narrated by the Egyptian God Thoth...i prefer it when its actually a story....not a history told by a fictional character..does that make any sense?

[adichappo]

I defenitely liked marion Zimmer Bradley's version better, I can't get through those done by Mary Stewart...
Alright, I've finished all but one of the Avalon series and I've changed my mind about them...I LOVE them!! I about to start Ancestors of Avalon (written by Diana L. Paxon after Bradely passed away). Mists of Avalon is still my least fav, but i think I is just I've never be able to get into the whole Arthurian legend. Morgaine is was of the strongest female heroines I've ever encountered tho, and I really enjoyed the fact that the story was written from her perspective. My fav thus far is Priestess of Avalon (again written partially by Marion Zimmer Bradely and partially by Diana L. Paxon). I am fascinated by Britian's ancient history and this not only goes into Britian's history but pretty much all over the ancient Roman empire following the story of the woman who would be Constantine's mother. I couldn't put this book down! For anyone who likes ancient history, you MUST read this book :D I also enjoyed Lady of Avalon that tells the whole history of the Misty Isle from it's creation and separtion from the real world up until the reign of Vivane who was the Lady of the Lake in King Arthur's time. I love how each book ties into the next but are also stand alone stories that can be appreciated on their own...with maybe the exception of The Forest House that ties into the first part of the Lady of Avalon. I can't say enough about these book and their greatness as works of historical fiction (because, let's be honest...to those who believe...Avalon still does exist ;) )

[SOAA]

Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

It's a (long) work of Chinese historical fiction and it's really quite a fabulous read if you have the time to devote to it.

[mei-chan]

sounds like it is interesting, i will sure look it up on the net

[adichappo]

I 'll think I'll have to check it out oo...do you happen to know the author? I just picked up Peking by Anthony Grey - also a historicla fiction novel about China, but i'm really interested to read his book called Saigon. Has anyone read it?

[XXWolfgangXX]

i once went through a stage when i did, i started to read ivanhoe and don Quixote, i never finished either.

[animevampire99]

Fallen Angels is quite a good Vietnam novel ^_^

[WhistleBlower]

The last post was so long ago! :( Anyways I recommend the outlander series by Diana Gabaldon if you like romance. They are about 900-1000 pages give or take and there are 6 (not including extras) If you are looking for something long and thats set in like the 1700's thats a book for you. It has the scottish risings and the American revolution ect. ect. Lol I bought them and am like on my 3rd time reading them.

"NO, I've a son, too, A bonny lad, and I love him weel, though he's away from home just now."

[Shurayuki]

I've read a number of historical novels on Napolean Bonaparte and Marie Antoinette the're good books.