Non-Roman Empire Historical Fiction

[J-WO]

I love Renault's Alexander series. There's The Bull from the Sea, too. Set in Minoan times-- an underused epoch, IMHO.

 

[Connavar]

A change from the Romans, going back to Ancient Greece: Mary Renault wrote a duology on Theseus, treating the mythical hero as a historical character in The King must Die and The Bull from the Sea - absolute classics.

She also wrote a cycle on Alexander the Great, equally good:

• Fire from Heaven
• The Persian Boy
• The Praise Singer
• Funeral Games

I read The King Must Die and i couldnt find much interest in it.

Alot of nice style but no real substance. Which was a let down because i had heard about her,her many books about Ancient Greece.

I hope her other books are better,different....

 

[Clansman]

Really i dont have to mention Patrick O'Brian when i already mentioned C.S Forrester.

Its a bit redundant.

I will of course read O'Brian in the near future.

Clansman you know other medevil books like those ? I did buy The first book in Raven series but the writing wasnt strong enough.

Actually, O'Brian and Forrester are very, very different. Forrester is about Hornblower. O'Brian is about men at sea, how they interact, and also about the actual politics of the age. A lot on British Intelligence, too. They are very, very different reads.

I agree on Lawhead. The writing is a little weak. Good plotting and characters though, and a fun read.

As for other books, there is Jack Whyte (a real, non-fantasy look at the Arthur legend, quite compelling), and there is Bernard Cornwell, who does a great look at the pre-Norman England period.

 

[Connavar]

Actually, O'Brian and Forrester are very, very different. Forrester is about Hornblower. O'Brian is about men at sea, how they interact, and also about the actual politics of the age. A lot on British Intelligence, too. They are very, very different reads.

I agree on Lawhead. The writing is a little weak. Good plotting and characters though, and a fun read.

As for other books, there is Jack Whyte (a real, non-fantasy look at the Arthur legend, quite compelling), and there is Bernard Cornwell, who does a great look at the pre-Norman England period.

They write the same subgenre in naval military fiction. I meant you dont have mention every author in the same field no matter how different their stories are.


O'Brian is about men at sea, how they interact, and also about the actual politics of the age

I agree Forrester focus more on Hornblower,Bush than men at sea in general. But you cant say that about politics of the age. Royal Navy politics is big part of the stories. Other than you read him really for the details on sailing,naval military life on the ships,the historical realism. Doesnt matter its the through the eyes of Hornblower.

The adventure side are just the bonus for me.

 

[Lady of Winterfell]

If you don't object to women authors, there is Margaret George. She writes very large stand alone historical fiction books on different historical figures (all but one are women). Some of her books include:

The Autobiography of King Henry VIII: with notes by his fool Will Somers
The Memoirs of Cleopatra
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles
Mary, Called Magdalene
Helen of Troy

 

[biodroid]

Thanks Knivesout, it did look very vague.

 

[Connavar]

Thanks Knivesout, it did look very vague.

Hey by the way i know you like adventure,action etc

I must recommend great historical adventure stories by Robert.E Howard.

His Crusade stories,other dark ages stories,his El Borak stories set in 1915-1930s but written like historical stories because they are set in the wild,barren countries like Afghanistan,Arabian Desert.

Those are timeless stories and better adventure,action in them than the best "modern" historical fiction writer.

Why do you think i have this avatar from one of those books.

 

[paranoid marvin]

For a medieval detective to rival Cadfael , try Sansome's Shardlake series. Really enjoy these stories, they bring the Tudor period back to life

 

[svalbard]

A change from the Romans, going back to Ancient Greece: Mary Renault wrote a duology on Theseus, treating the mythical hero as a historical character in The King must Die and The Bull from the Sea - absolute classics.

She also wrote a cycle on Alexander the Great, equally good:

• Fire from Heaven
• The Persian Boy
• The Praise Singer
• Funeral Games

One of the greatest historical fiction books I ever read was The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault. Really evocative of ancient times and a great read about the Peloponsian War.

 

[Connavar]

Men of Bronze by Scott Oden is a must read if you want good,different history fiction. Since its set in 562 BC in Egypt.

Its 526 BC and the empire of the Pharaohs is dying, crumbling under the weight of its own antiquity. Corruption and decay cripple its cities, infects its leaders and cripples its armies, while across the great expanse of Sinai, like jackals drawn to carrion, the forces of the omnipotent king of Persia watch and wait...

 

[Rackon]

Really i dont have to mention Patrick O'Brian when i already mentioned C.S Forrester.

Its a bit redundant.

I will of course read O'Brian in the near future.

Clansman you know other medevil books like those ? I did buy The first book in Raven series but the writing wasnt strong enough.

!! Good grief!! That's like saying why bother with Mozart when I've heard Salieri; Or this is great hamburger, who neads filet!

Plonk is OK but why not savor fine wine?

I've enjoyed C S Forrester's Hornblower tales. Decades ago, finding a cache of them in my uncle's bookcase got me through one of the most boring summers of my then young life. They're good books and deserving of a wide audience. But they are not "great books".

O'Brien's Aubrey & Maturin series does make a case for being "great books": they are - arguably - the finest historical fiction ever written. Certainly they are the finest books about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars. The elegance of the prose, the profound exploration of human aspiration, human foibles and emotion - plus the wit, the style, the depth...they are simply some of the best and most entertaining books you'll ever read.

Although the Abrey/Maturin books start with Master & Commander, I don't think the tales really get rolling until the third in the series, HMS Surprise. I also recommend you read them in order...and you don't have to know didly about sailing to enjoy them.

I'd also highly recommend Dorothy Dunnett's series about a renaissance Scottish hero in the Lymond Chronicles series, and her House of Niccolo series, about the emergence of the mercantile classes pre-Rennaissance. Great and entertaining books. Dunnett also wrote a wonderful book about the historical Macbeth - King Hereafter - which is a good glimpse into Scotalnd, Scandinavia and northern europe during the (so called) dark ages.

 

[svalbard]

Wow, someone else who has read King Hereafter. It is fantastic and I think her best book. The House of Niccolo series is a wonderfull insight into the Rennaisance.

 

[Rackon]

Maybe we should start a Dorothy thread

I agree King Hereafter is not only her best, it's one of the best historical novels I've ever read. I recommend it to anyone with an interest in historical fiction but it fits pretty well with the OPs interests.

I have a special soft spot for the Lymond chronicles, but I was moderately well versed in late renaissance history. The House of Niccolo series illuminated the rise of mercantile captialism and the early renaissance in a way that nothing else ever has.

 

[Connavar]

!! Good grief!! That's like saying why bother with Mozart when I've heard Salieri; Or this is great hamburger, who neads filet!

Plonk is OK but why not savor fine wine?

I've enjoyed C S Forrester's Hornblower tales. Decades ago, finding a cache of them in my uncle's bookcase got me through one of the most boring summers of my then young life. They're good books and deserving of a wide audience. But they are not "great books".

O'Brien's Aubrey & Maturin series does make a case for being "great books": they are - arguably - the finest historical fiction ever written. Certainly they are the finest books about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic wars. The elegance of the prose, the profound exploration of human aspiration, human foibles and emotion - plus the wit, the style, the depth...they are simply some of the best and most entertaining books you'll ever read.

Although the Abrey/Maturin books start with Master & Commander, I don't think the tales really get rolling until the third in the series, HMS Surprise. I also recommend you read them in order...and you don't have to know didly about sailing to enjoy them.

I'd also highly recommend Dorothy Dunnett's series about a renaissance Scottish hero in the Lymond Chronicles series, and her House of Niccolo series, about the emergence of the mercantile classes pre-Rennaissance. Great and entertaining books. Dunnett also wrote a wonderful book about the historical Macbeth - King Hereafter - which is a good glimpse into Scotalnd, Scandinavia and northern europe during the (so called) dark ages.

I think Hornblower are great books at-least the best ones no O'Brien fan will change my views on those books

Just because they are adventure books dont mean they arent great historical fiction books.

Its up to O'Brien fans to mention him in a thread like this was my original point to Clansman.

Also i will read him even if i thought he was unimpressive in the first book. Also doesn't matter how much depth or realism there is in the stories if the writing,the storytelling is not to my taste. There are alot of HF out there.

 

[Rackon]

Connavar, the Hornblower books are a great read - no person who loves adventure or age of sail fiction should miss them.

But I'm apparently not understanding you - is that correct that you haven't read O'Brien? Because you like the Forrester books so much you will not admit the possibility that there is another good series of RN novels???

Do you read only one author of SF? Of fantasy?

I'm not trying to change your mind, only to open it to the possibility of more wonderful books. Forrester and O'Brien or not mutually exclusive, it is entirely possible to read and enjoy them both.

As literature, the O'Brien novels - I feel and so do most critics - are better written. That doesn't mean Forrester is badly written, or that we shouldn't enjoy them on their own considerable merits.

Seems kind of silly to me to let brand loyalty keep you from enjoying mroe good reads.

But it is your loss.

 

[Connavar]

Connavar, the Hornblower books are a great read - no person who loves adventure or age of sail fiction should miss them.

But I'm apparently not understanding you - is that correct that you haven't read O'Brien? Because you like the Forrester books so much you will not admit the possibility that there is another good series of RN novels???

Do you read only one author of SF? Of fantasy?

I'm not trying to change your mind, only to open it to the possibility of more wonderful books. Forrester and O'Brien or not mutually exclusive, it is entirely possible to read and enjoy them both.

As literature, the O'Brien novels - I feel and so do most critics - are better written. That doesn't mean Forrester is badly written, or that we shouldn't enjoy them on their own considerable merits.

Seems kind of silly to me to let brand loyalty keep you from enjoying mroe good reads.

But it is your loss.

I havent read more of O'Brien because i havent finished Hornblower series yet and i dont want to start another series specially one from similar time period. As this thread shows i want to read different types of HF too.

When i read O'Brien i will judge on his own writing, story, i wont compare him to Forrester or anything.

I love reading naval,nautical historical fiction i hope i will like O'Brien

You were saying the first book in his series isnt a good introduction ? Which is the best introduction ? A later book ?

P.S C.S Forrester novels A Ship of the Line and Flying Colours were jointly awarded the 1938 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction.

the James Tait Black Memorial Prizes are among the oldest and most prestigious book prizes awarded for literature written in the English language and are Britain's oldest literary award. So he had his critical acclaim too.

 

[WJCherf]

So much on Rome? No surprise. Writers devour resources and there are plenty on Rome: archaeological and literary. Besides, european readers have the luxury of Roman remains all around them.

 

[svalbard]

These are two out of print books. I read them years ago from the public library and am only now ordering them(at some cost) from Amazon.

Warrior in Bronze
King in Splendour

Both are from the author George Shipway and tell the story of the Trojan War from Agamemnon's POV. Warrior in Bronze is about the rise of Agamemnon to the throne of Mycenae in Greece and his brother Menelaus's capture of the throne of Sparta. This book offers a startling account of Bronze Age Greece and from Agamemnon's pov a cynical observation of the Homeric heroic society. The story and setting is plausible with Shipway building his story on the archeology of the time.

His killer touch, though is the main character of both books. Agamemnon is realistic, a character who offers an opinion upon and invariably destroys the myths of Hercles, Jason of the Argonauts, Achilles etc. It is a cracking story, the more so that it was written in the 70's and it's prose is as fresh today as any novel published in the last decade.