I love historical fiction. I just finished up The Winds of War and War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk (who is still alive at the the ripe old age of 93!).
Other authors I have enjoyed include Philipa Gregory, Gary Jennings, Leon Uris, and Margaret George, off the top of my head. I really enjoyed the narrative and learned a ton about WWII from the Wouk books (especially about the war in the Pacific theater.) I’ve never cared for reading about war as a topic so a lot of it was new information for me. Mr. Wouk called them ‘war romances’ but there was certainly plenty of detail! I would prefer nothing more than this level of war-type stuff. But I love learning about history in this kind of way. It really makes it come alive for me.
Does anybody have any recommendations for me in this arena? I love books with maps and family trees!!
I need to return this tome (War and Remembrance) to the library so any new recommendations would be greatly appreciated!
Middle Ages Kings, Queens, Knights, Wars etc.: Sharon Kay Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick
Genghis Khan: Conn Iggulden
Edo Period Japan: Lesley Downer
WWII Jeff Shaara
Well, I somewhat cheated – I read it during a week’s tour of southern England; I was traveling through about the territory the book covered, so it was pretty easy to get caught up the book. I still think it is a worthwhile book if you’re interested in that period in England, although it is just average quality.
Cheater, cheater!!! My very favorite historical novels involve London for the same reason…I’ve been there! I love the history of London and England so this is another book that I obviously should plow through, eh?
See, now Zoe, Trinity was another one that I had and it was a struggle for me to get past the first few pages. I just looked it up to refresh my memory and it is the one that I thought it was about Irish history. I’ve never really had an interest in Ireland, but I will give it another try on your recommendation.
Thanks to all. I’m currently one of the unemployed SDMBers so I have been reading. A lot.
The Forsythe Saga may be what you’re looking for. A big family saga.
I prefer Jean Plaidy’s Tudor historicals to Phillippa Gregory. Less sensational. I think she is out of print, so you may have to try second hand book shops.
As well as regency romances, Georgette Heyer also wrote historical novels. The Conqueror was the best of them. You may lake her regencies though, as she uses real life figures as secondary characters. One example of this kind would be Regency Buck.
I love the Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwall. Maybe not as deep as some of the others mentioned but very entertaining. I was not very familiar with that part of history when I read them and it intrigued me. At the end of each book there is an afterward that puts it in historical perspective. It was amusing that often the most outrageous and fictional sounding parts of the book were often the parts that were firmly based on history. By the end of the series it became harder to buy the fact that he was at every major event over 40 years. I would suggest reading them in the order they were written to get a feel for how the character progressed. He wrote a bunch of prequels but I think they shoud be read after.
I’ll third Flashman. My wife is a huge fan of Patrick O’Brien’s books, and the one of them I’ve read was pretty fun.
I recently read Pride of Carthage, a novelization of Hannibal’s life. I found it very interesting and gripping, got so involved in it that I realized I was avoiding reading the last third, where I knew that Hannibal was going to fail. It may be too militaristic for your tastes, but there’s a lot going on in that book besides battles. Don’t get me wrong–the battles are very well-written–but a lot of the book is about camp followers, Hannibal’s sisters, and other folks who aren’t directly involved in the fighting.
The “Accursed Kings” series by Maurice Druon.
What are they about? The last capetos, the first Valois and the origin of the Hundred Years war between France and England
I enjoyed Gates of Fire (the Battle of Thermopylae) and Tides of War (Alcibiades) by Steven Pressfield, but these are more military history books; character development is not a strong feature of them.
Then you should read London by Edward Rutherford. It gives the history of London from pre-Roman times to the present day through episodes in the lives of a few families and their descendants. I found it enjoyable and interesting. Fascinating details of how to make chain mail and forge coins, for instance!
Because of The Dope, I found Flashman and Marcus Didius Falco Series by Lindsey Davis. Learn Roman history without your brain drying up and find out you want to fark the hero and his best friend along the way (regardless of your sexual proclivities.)