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Suggestions on historical fiction
Posted on 5/30/17 at 6:51 pm
Posted on 5/30/17 at 6:51 pm
I'm just about caught up with The Saxon Series and they are great books. I love history and obviously a good story and this does both, it's nice to learn a little about history and still get an engaging story.
I'm looking for similar books, not necessarily the same time period, civilization, or even centered around war (although I do love reading about battles). What I want is a historical fiction book that will give me that little bit of real history I crave and tell me an awesome story
I'm looking for similar books, not necessarily the same time period, civilization, or even centered around war (although I do love reading about battles). What I want is a historical fiction book that will give me that little bit of real history I crave and tell me an awesome story
14
Posted on 5/30/17 at 7:20 pm to Tiger1242
Alternate history books?
Fatherland is very good. It takes place in an alternate 1964 where Germany won WW2. A German homicide detective finds out there were some unsavory activities by the Reich in WW2 and starts following the trail of clues with an American reporter.
Fatherland is very good. It takes place in an alternate 1964 where Germany won WW2. A German homicide detective finds out there were some unsavory activities by the Reich in WW2 and starts following the trail of clues with an American reporter.
Posted on 5/30/17 at 7:25 pm to Tiger1242
Battle Cry by Leon Uris
Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk
Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk
Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
Posted on 5/30/17 at 9:54 pm to Tiger1242
quote: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.
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.
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.
Posted on 5/31/17 at 7:55 am to Tiger1242
Bernard Cornwell has some other books which are very good: Agincourt, 1356, Warlord series about King Arthur.
Posted on 5/31/17 at 9:56 am to Tiger1242
Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield is required reading. Its the story of the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, told through the eyes of one of the non-citizen inhabitants of Sparta.
Posted on 5/31/17 at 10:06 am to biglego
quote:
Bernard Cornwell has some other books which are very good: Agincourt, 1356, Warlord series about King Arthur.
Yes. He has some good stuff, though its sometimes hit or miss. I enjoyed his The Fort, set in the Revolutionary War. But I could not get into his Starbuck Chronicles set in the Civil War.
Another suggestion: the Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCollough. The books are very well written and entertaining. It is a ton of reading though. I had to take a break after the first 3 books.
Posted on 5/31/17 at 1:40 pm to Methuselah
Giles Kristian has a pretty good Viking series.
The Parthian by Peter Darman was pretty good. Set in the Spartacus slave revolt.
The Parthian by Peter Darman was pretty good. Set in the Spartacus slave revolt.
Posted on 5/31/17 at 3:53 pm to Tiger1242
The Master and Commander series is excellent, and at 20 books it will keep you busy.
December 6 - Martin Cruz Smith. Sort of a Casablanca set in Tokyo just before the start of WWII. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it helps to have a dark sense of humor with MCS (he wrote Gorky Park and several other Arkady Renko books).
Fields of Fire and the Emperor's General - James Webb. Set in Vietnam and post WWII Japan. Webb is interesting. He was a heavily decorated marine in Vietnam (navy cross, silver star, bronze star, purple heart), the Secretary of the Navy under Reagan, Senator from Virginia (Democrat) and is really an excellent author. Talented guy.
December 6 - Martin Cruz Smith. Sort of a Casablanca set in Tokyo just before the start of WWII. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it helps to have a dark sense of humor with MCS (he wrote Gorky Park and several other Arkady Renko books).
Fields of Fire and the Emperor's General - James Webb. Set in Vietnam and post WWII Japan. Webb is interesting. He was a heavily decorated marine in Vietnam (navy cross, silver star, bronze star, purple heart), the Secretary of the Navy under Reagan, Senator from Virginia (Democrat) and is really an excellent author. Talented guy.
Posted on 6/1/17 at 10:08 pm to Kafka
Flashman is as fun as reading gets. Great call.
Posted on 6/2/17 at 9:10 am to Tigris
quote:
Fields of Fire
Another good Vietnam novel is Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes.
Posted on 6/2/17 at 4:26 pm to Tiger1242
Try a modern classic of historical fiction, Shogun by James Clavell.
Posted on 6/3/17 at 10:26 am to Methuselah
quote:
Another suggestion: the Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCollough. The books are very well written and entertaining. It is a ton of reading though. I had to take a break after the first 3 books.
Excellent choice. Sulla just leaps off the page.
The Camulod Chronicles by Jack Whyte is a very good take on Arthurian legend but with very little magic.
Posted on 6/4/17 at 10:59 am to shinerfan
Phillipa Gregory's books for the Tudor period are very good.
Jeff Sharaa's books on the US Civil War are very good. but a little long
Jeff Sharaa's books on the US Civil War are very good. but a little long
Posted on 6/4/17 at 8:58 pm to Tiger1242
Look at Jeff Shaara's books. He's covered everything from the American Revolution to the Korean War.
Posted on 6/4/17 at 9:51 pm to Tiger1242
Killer Angels (& the other 2 books in the series)
Arthur series, Grail Quest series, & Agincourt, all by Bernard Cornwell
Pillars of the Earth & World Without End by Ken Follet
Currently reading Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove. I've really enjoyed it so far. It's got a 11/22/63 feel to it.
Arthur series, Grail Quest series, & Agincourt, all by Bernard Cornwell
Pillars of the Earth & World Without End by Ken Follet
Currently reading Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove. I've really enjoyed it so far. It's got a 11/22/63 feel to it.
Posted on 6/5/17 at 5:36 pm to Tiger1242
The Innocent by Ian McEwan (same author as Atonement). I found it to be enthralling and a quick read. Set in cold war Berlin.
Posted on 6/5/17 at 8:13 pm to Tiger1242
All the stuff recommended is pretty great. Haven't read flashman but now I will. Since all he good recommendations are taken I'll throw in Tim Willocks The Religion.
"May 1565. Suleiman the Magnificent, emperor of the Ottomans, has declared a jihad against the Knights of Saint John the Baptist. The largest armada of all time approaches the Knights' Christian stronghold on the island of Malta. The Turks know the Knights as the "The Hounds of Hell." The Knights call themselves "The Religion."
In Messina, Sicily, a French countess, Carla la Penautier, seeks a passage to Malta in a quest to find the son taken from her at his birth twelve years ago. The only man with the expertise and daring to help her is a Rabelaisian soldier of fortune, arms dealer, former janissary, and strapping Saxon adventurer by the name of Mattias Tannhauser. He agrees to accompany the lady to Malta, where, amidst the most spectacular siege in military history, they must try to find the boy - whose name they do not know and whose face they have never seen–and pluck him from the jaws of Holy War.
Also, Cornwells sharpe series is pretty good.
"May 1565. Suleiman the Magnificent, emperor of the Ottomans, has declared a jihad against the Knights of Saint John the Baptist. The largest armada of all time approaches the Knights' Christian stronghold on the island of Malta. The Turks know the Knights as the "The Hounds of Hell." The Knights call themselves "The Religion."
In Messina, Sicily, a French countess, Carla la Penautier, seeks a passage to Malta in a quest to find the son taken from her at his birth twelve years ago. The only man with the expertise and daring to help her is a Rabelaisian soldier of fortune, arms dealer, former janissary, and strapping Saxon adventurer by the name of Mattias Tannhauser. He agrees to accompany the lady to Malta, where, amidst the most spectacular siege in military history, they must try to find the boy - whose name they do not know and whose face they have never seen–and pluck him from the jaws of Holy War.
Also, Cornwells sharpe series is pretty good.
Posted on 6/5/17 at 8:46 pm to lsu1919
quote:I can get into that. Thanks
"May 1565. Suleiman the Magnificent, emperor of the Ottomans, has declared a jihad against the Knights of Saint John the Baptist. The largest armada of all time approaches the Knights' Christian stronghold on the island of Malta. The Turks know the Knights as the "The Hounds of Hell." The Knights call themselves "The Religion."
Posted on 6/9/17 at 9:06 pm to Kafka
I concur. The Flashman series is excellent and MacDonald Fraser's notes are very well researched and generally linked to primary sources. My personal favorite is the sixth book, Flashman's lady - particularly the time spent with HH James Brooke, the White Rajah of the Kingdom of Sarawak on Borneo.
Also worth your time are some of MacDonald Fraser's other books, particularly...
Black Ajax, his multiply narrated account of the career of Tom Molineaux a black American bare knuckle boxer during his time in England and his bouts with champion Tom Cribb; and
The Pyrates, historical fiction in the loosest sort - but a tale well told; and
The Steel Bonnets - a straight history of the fascinating story of the Anglo-Scottish border reivers.
Also worth your time are some of MacDonald Fraser's other books, particularly...
Black Ajax, his multiply narrated account of the career of Tom Molineaux a black American bare knuckle boxer during his time in England and his bouts with champion Tom Cribb; and
The Pyrates, historical fiction in the loosest sort - but a tale well told; and
The Steel Bonnets - a straight history of the fascinating story of the Anglo-Scottish border reivers.
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