Historical fiction recommendations

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Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman VC KCB KCIE is a fictional character created by George MacDonald Fraser, but based on the character "Flashman" in Tom Brown's Schooldays (1857), a semi-autobiographical work by Thomas Hughes.

In Hughes' book, Flashman is the notorious bully of Rugby School who persecutes Tom Brown, and who is finally expelled for drunkenness. Twentieth century author George MacDonald Fraser had the idea of writing Flashman's memoirs, in which the school bully would be identified with an "illustrious Victorian soldier": experiencing many 19th century wars and adventures and rising to high rank in British army, acclaimed as a great soldier, while remaining by his unapologetic self-description "a scoundrel, a liar, a cheat, a thief, a coward—and oh yes, a toady." Fraser's Flashman is an antihero who runs from danger or hides cowering in fear, betrays or abandons acquaintances at at the slightest incentive, bullies and beats servants with gusto, beds every available woman, carries off any loot he can grab, gambles and boozes enthusiastically, and yet, through a combination of luck and cunning, ends each volume acclaimed as a hero.

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The books are like James Bond set in the 19th century -- and hilarious to boot. Flashman experiences (always against his will) The Charge Of The Light Brigade (which he somehow ends up leading!), The Sepoy Mutiny, the Taiping Rebellion, Little Big Horn and other great moments of history, all the while getting mixed up with Queen Victoria, Bismarck, Wild Bill Hickok, Lola Montez, Lincoln, The Empress of China, Oscar Wilde, John Brown the abolitionist and other such immortal personages.

My favorite book in the series is the third, Flash For Freedom (which takes place in pre-Civil War NO and Mississippi), but I'd start out with the first, Flashman. After that you can really read them in any order. There are 12 books in the series; I reread them every 4 or 5 years.

If your interested in medieval history I highly recommend Sharon K. Penman. Start with "When Christ and His Saints Slept". This novel chronicles the 12th century battle for the crown between Stephen and Maude. You won't be disappointed.

The Bernie Gunther series by Phillip Kerr is fantastic.

City of Thieves, by David Benioff.

I rarely read fiction and thoroughly enjoyed this one

Great quick read

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Was thinking about this... but haven’t decided if I’ve forgiven him for what he did to GOT yet lol

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Funny you say that. I read it before I watched GOT, so I was pumped that he was involved with the show.
I'm still disappointed in him

Ditto regarding George MacDonald Frazier and Bernard Cornwell. I would add Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series (Master and Commander, Post Captain, HMS Surprise, Far Side of the World, etc).

Another vote for Penman...Time and Chance, Here be Dragons, etc...great series

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Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield

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Seconded. And, similar to this in tone and quality is Michael Curtis Ford's The Ten Thousand. It is a fictionalized version of the Anabasis.

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The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

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This is my gold standard for the topic. One of the best books about war of all time.

Flashman is the best.