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Mikko Kuusirati




Location: Finland
Joined: 16 Nov 2004
Reading list: 13 books

Posts: 1,080

PostPosted: Mon 12 Jul, 2010 4:13 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

The Captain Alatriste series by Arturo Perez-Reverte, set in the Spanish Golden Age, is magnificent. It largely follows the life of a down-on-his-luck soldier, the titular Diego Alatriste, and his young protege Iñigo Balboa, the narrator, as they get involved in exasperating (more to poor old Diego than the reader) political intrigues and some of the great military events of the time. The movie really doesn't do it justice, despite Viggo Mortenson's flawless performance and awesome mustache. The novels translated into English so far are Captain Alatriste, Purity of Blood, The Sun over Breda, The King's Gold and The Cavalier in the Yellow Doublet.

There's also his unrelated novel The Fencing Master, set in 19th Century Spain in the middle of the Glorious Revolution.

And, of course, if you haven't read Dumas's The Three Musketeers... well, why on Earth not!? Happy[/i]

"And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That's what sin is."
— Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum
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Mikko Kuusirati




Location: Finland
Joined: 16 Nov 2004
Reading list: 13 books

Posts: 1,080

PostPosted: Mon 12 Jul, 2010 4:51 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Brogdon Combs wrote:
Okay, how about fantasy that is HEAVILY based on historic cultures and practices?

In that case, one could just about squeeze in Robert E .Howard's Conan stories, seeing as how they're very "historically inspired" - the whole Hyborian Age was, in fact, little more than an excuse for Howard to write adventures in wildly different but connected pseudo-historical settings without needing to sweat over getting some detail wrong and - most importantly - under a more marketable guise. And if it's blood and adrenaline you want, that's exactly what these stories are made of. Happy

And in any case, his Solomon Kane stories (collected in The Savage Tales of Solomon Kane) follow a 16th-17th Century Devon swordsman on his wanderings through darkest Europe and deepest Africa; Bran Mak Morn (most recently available in Bran Mak Morn: The Last King) is a Pictish chief of the British Isles who fights against Roman invaders; and the likes of Cormac mac Art, Turlogh Dubh O'Brien and "el Borak", just to mention some, are all adventurers in historical times. He also has several one-off (semi)historical stories like "The Grey God Passes" (about the Battle of Clontarf) and "The Shadow of the Vulture" (about the 1529 Siege of Vienna; one of my all-time personal favorites).

And, of course, much of his work is in Public Domain, so you can find it on Project Gutenberg, Wikisource, etc.

"And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That's what sin is."
— Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum
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Sean Manning




Location: Austria
Joined: 23 Mar 2008

Posts: 853

PostPosted: Mon 12 Jul, 2010 7:00 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Don't forget Harry Turtedove's ancient and medieval novels. He has a fantasy setting which is a thinly disguized Byzantine Empire with magic, a series of novels about ancient Greek sailors, and a lot of WWII alt hist of varying quality.

''Ellis Peters'' Brother Cadfael books are entertaining English mystery stories set during the reign of Stephen and Matilda.

Jack Whyte writes entertaining historical novels with vivid descriptions, but historical accuracy isn't his strong suit.
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Kenton Spaulding




Location: Connecticut
Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Reading list: 12 books

Posts: 287

PostPosted: Tue 13 Jul, 2010 1:09 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Wow, thanks to everybody for pitching in. As for I, Claudius, I'll definitely get that. I didn't even realize it was a series, although I've seen the BBC miniseries and loved it. Great television for sure. Man, I'm going to have to pick and choose or I'll be broke.

Kenton
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J.D. Crawford




Location: Toronto
Joined: 25 Dec 2006

Spotlight topics: 1
Posts: 1,903

PostPosted: Tue 13 Jul, 2010 1:45 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Those are some great titles.

I liked Tim Severin's Viking Trilogy. Not as bloody as Cornwell's Utred, but pretty good early medieval travelog.

Also, for Roman period I liked Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series, especially the first one on Caesar. (You wouldn't know its the same person who wrote 'thorn birds'). Lots of well-researched battles and politics.

Did someone already say 'Road to Jerusalem' / Arn the Templar trilogy?
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Ben P.




Location: Mountainous Terrain
Joined: 10 Jan 2009
Reading list: 1 book

Posts: 200

PostPosted: Thu 15 Jul, 2010 9:02 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Harold Lamb is supposed to be good.
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Michael MacLeod




Location: Regina
Joined: 15 Jul 2007

Posts: 16

PostPosted: Thu 15 Jul, 2010 9:43 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Guy Gavriel Kay's books are incredible, more fantassy than history but there is a lot of research that goes into each of his books. I reccomend Tigana and Last Light of the Sun.

Also you could always go backto classics like sir Walter Scott.
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Philip Montgomery




Location: Houston
Joined: 29 May 2008
Likes: 2 pages

Posts: 83

PostPosted: Thu 15 Jul, 2010 10:27 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a zombie novel. Happy
I stumbled on this book and loved it.

"De Bello Lemures, Or The Roman War Against the Zombies of Armorica" by Lucius Artorius Castus and Thomas Brookside.

I grew up reading Tacitus, Herodotus, Cesear, Xenophon and the like. This book is written in that style, but this is a first person account of a legion's encounter with a druid and the curse of zombies. It is a short read, but a hoot and the author is well versed in the classics and has a good knowledge of the legionaire and that life. Enjoy.

Philip Montgomery
~-----~
"A broken sword blade fwipping through the air like a scythe through rye does demand attention."
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Craig Shackleton




Location: Ottawa, Canada
Joined: 20 Apr 2004
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Posts: 307

PostPosted: Thu 15 Jul, 2010 1:27 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

+1 on Colleen McCullough, especially if you are already into Roman stuff. One thing I liked particularly is that she gives all kinds of references and notes at the end of her books.

I also support Guy Gavriel Kay for Fantasy highly inspired by history. Sailing to Sarentium is pretty much based on historical events, with a bit of low-level fantasy thrown in.

Also, maybe I missed someone mentioning it, but I just finished reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. I enjoyed the writing, although I can't comment on the historical authenticity as I don't know enough about the period, but it seemed good to me, with a few minor exceptions.

Funny too, I was thinking of starting a thread like this a few days ago. Now I don't have to!

Ottawa Swordplay
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R. D. Simpson




Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Reading list: 4 books

Posts: 61

PostPosted: Thu 15 Jul, 2010 3:03 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I definitely second Pressfield's Gates of Fire and the Alatriste books. I'd also recommend Bernard Cornwell's series on Arthur, The Warlord Chronicles. The three books are The Winter King, Enemy of God, and Excalibur.

Gates of Fire and The Warlord Chronicles are pretty much my favorite works of historical (or at least near-historical) fiction.

Gloria Virtutem Sequitur
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Jeff A. Arbogast





Joined: 16 Oct 2008

Posts: 180

PostPosted: Thu 15 Jul, 2010 5:31 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

I recommend "The Golden Warrior" by Hope Muntz. The most detailed and realistic sounding account of the Norman Conquest I've ever read. All the characters are fleshed out beautifully, and the narrative and the subtle details of all the people involved (and there are many I never heard of) is completely engrossing. You really feel like an eye-witness to history, and the battle descriptions, both of Stamford Bridge and Hastings, are the best I've ever read. An old book, but well worth searching for. I found mine on Ebay, and it had definitely been around a while. I've read it over and over, and never tire of it. I've never read a book on such a well-known major event that was so fascinating and full of otherwise glossed over but very important events.
A man's nose is his castle-and his finger is a mighty sword that he may wield UNHINDERED!
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Chris Lampe




Location: United States
Joined: 07 Mar 2005

Posts: 211

PostPosted: Sun 18 Jul, 2010 4:28 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jean-Carle Hudon wrote:
Sharon Kay Penman : When Christ and his Saints slept:( Stephen and Maud, pre-plantagenet anarchy)
Here be Dragons; Falls the Shadow; and The Reckoning : the Norman-English takeover of Wales

and the same theme with : The Brothers of Gwyneth Quartet , by Edith Pargeter of Brother Cadfael fame


I've read all four Penman books you mentioned but the fifth "The Sun in Splendour" is by far my favorite. It deals with the Wars of the Roses and centers primarily around the life of Richard III. Highly recommended.
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Jean-Carle Hudon




Location: Montreal,Canada
Joined: 16 Nov 2005
Likes: 4 pages

Posts: 450

PostPosted: Sun 18 Jul, 2010 5:25 pm    Post subject: Sunne in Splendour         Reply with quote

Chris,
yes indeed, the twisted loyalties in the War of the Roses ...but your note reminded me that I lent that book out ( hardcover), and the culprit has not returned it...which explains why it was omitted from the list, not in the bookcase so I forgot about it.
Anyway, Ms Penman writes well, researches her characters and the politics of the time, and avoids the easy stereotypes that end up bothering me in the Cornwell series... the lecherous sergeant in the Sharpe series becomes a leacherous priest in the medieval series, same guy, different costume.
Is Penman still active? PM me if you know of anything new.

Bon coeur et bon bras
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Chuck Russell




Location: WV
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Reading list: 46 books

Posts: 936

PostPosted: Sun 18 Jul, 2010 7:08 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

a great historic novel is "1066: The Year of the Conquest by David Howarth"
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Roger Hooper




Location: Northern California
Joined: 18 Aug 2003
Likes: 1 page

Spotlight topics: 4
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PostPosted: Sun 18 Jul, 2010 9:37 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Another book by Edith Pargeter - A Bloody Field By Shrewsbury AKA The Bloody Field , still in print, obviously about Hotspur and the Battle of Shrewsbury.

Also, one of my all-time favorites, George Shipway's, The Imperial Governor, about Boudicca's revolt. I recommend all of Shipway's books, though they may be hard to find, as they are out of print.

Another - Gillian Bradshaw's, Island of Ghosts, about Sarmatians garrisoning Hadrian's Wall around 175 AD.
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James Cunniffe




Location: chicago/ireland
Joined: 28 Jan 2008
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Posts: 108

PostPosted: Mon 19 Jul, 2010 4:03 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Here is a book I read myself it is very good I think, The Princes if Ireland: the Dublin saga ,by Edward Ruthelfurd.
Covering the years from 455 A.D to the dawn of the Renaissance.

Though the pen is mightier than the sword,
the sword speaks louder and stronger at any given moment.
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Mikko Kuusirati




Location: Finland
Joined: 16 Nov 2004
Reading list: 13 books

Posts: 1,080

PostPosted: Mon 19 Jul, 2010 4:35 am    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Michael MacLeod wrote:
Guy Gavriel Kay's books are incredible, more fantassy than history but there is a lot of research that goes into each of his books. I reccomend Tigana and Last Light of the Sun.

Also, in the "history with the serial numbers filed off" category, The Lions of Al-Rassan: a wonderful novel about the troubles of a female Kindath *cough*Jewish!*cough* physician, a Jaddite *cough*Christian!*cough* cavalier and an Asharite *cough*Moslem!*cough* adventurer in post-caliphate Al-Rassan *cough*Al-Andalus!*cough*. Big Grin

"And sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That's what sin is."
— Terry Pratchett, Carpe Jugulum
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