# Military History, War and Fantasy Books
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 17, 2004, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919 "2004-03-17T21:42:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919/41 "2005-03-03T15:02:00Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#):
>
> The Kagan multi-book is better ?
The multi-book is just that, multiple volumes on the war. I’ve never read them but I would recommend the single volume.
Sun Tzu is always good too (I like the Sawyer version) as is [On War](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140444270/qid=1109863071/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-1089111-6748110) by Clausewitz.
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### Author:  [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919/42 "2005-03-03T17:02:01Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#):
>
> I was so totally bored by Patrick O’Brian… and I don’t understand why. I’m interested in the Era and naval warfare… but it was the first fiction on the topic… and I found it so dragging along I quit before getting to half the book. I loved the movie with Russell Crowe though.
Well… they may just take a little getting used to. You might want to try the Hornblower novels first- they’re written in a more 20th century style about the same subjects, and once you’re familiar with the settings and situations, O’Brian isn’t quite as hard to make out.
More books to read:
“Lost Victories” by Erich von Manstein. The memoirs of WWII Germany’s most gifted general. Interesting reading.
“The Fall of Berlin” by Cornelius Ryan is another good one.
“The Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara is pretty good, if the US Civil War is your thing.
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### Author:  [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919/43 "2005-03-03T18:11:31Z")
> [@bump](#):
>
> “Lost Victories” by Erich von Manstein. The memoirs of WWII Germany’s most gifted general. Interesting reading.
I’ll order this one ! I’m think of Panzer Leader by Guderian… good too ?
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### Author:  [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919/44 "2005-03-03T18:32:57Z")
I’ll recommend Colleen McCullough’s “First Man In Rome”, the first book in her Masters of Rome series about the late republican era. Fascinating history.
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### Author:  [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919/45 "2005-03-03T19:03:20Z")
> [@Kizarvexius](#):
>
> _The Assyrian_ and _The Blood Star_ by Nicholas Guild. The “autobiography” of an Assyrian prince. Some of the best historical novels I’ve ever read. A warning, though. The first book is available in paperback, but the second is not, and is extremely difficult to find. If there’s anyone out there who has a copy of _The Blood Star_ that they’re willing to part with, please e-mail me!
I can’t believe it. I read “The assyrian” in my uncle’s house. It is the best historical novel I’ve ever read, (and I read "Hadrian`s memoirs and “I Claudius”).
I haven’t read “the blood star” as I may never read it, please spoil it for me.
Fantasy is such a broad genre. Read Jorge Luis Borges. If he isn’t your cup of tea “Amber’s chronicles” will surely be.
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### Author:  [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919/46 "2005-03-03T19:12:22Z")
> [@Kiger](#):
>
> \*\*Sherry Sontag: Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage \*\*
I am amazed the american autorities allowed this book to be published. The stuff in there is quite recent, and fairly sensitive. One of the most revealing books I’ve read.
At least from my layperson’s perspective.
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### Author:  [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)
#### Post date: [March 3, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919/47 "2005-03-03T21:02:55Z")
An interesting combination of the war/fantasy milieu is _Ender’s Game_ by Orson Scott Card. Science fiction with some really neat warfare tactics.
Since you like George R.R. Martin, I’d recommend _Tuf Voyaging_. It’s a series of short stories about a small-time trader named Haviland Tuf who acquires a starship of enormous power. An interesting read on multiple levels.
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### Author:  [@Sleel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleel)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919/48 "2005-03-04T01:41:29Z")
Others have already taken a lot of my usual suggestions.
Harry Turtledove has a ton of series concerning war. Many of them are well-researched alternate histories. You can sometimes learn a lot about real history from reading his alternates. He’s done some military fantasy recently in his **Darkness** series, which is basically WWII in a fantasy world, though the corrolation is definitely not 1:1.
Joel Rosenberg’s **Not for Glory** and **Hero** are SF treatments of ground warfare. He writes good realistic action if you want to try out any of his fantasy stuff too. I recommend pretty much anything by him. Be careful not to confuse him with Joel C. Rosenberg who has recently written a few books that appear to exploit the attacks in September 2001. (I haven’t read them, so I have to judge by the covers.)
Rosenberg’s Metzada books mentioned above were obviously influenced by Gordon R. Dickson’s **D’shai** stories. These are military SF, but more philosophical- than action-oriented, which is probably not what you’re looking for right now. Worth reading though, if you’re interested. A lot of his ideas resemble Asimov’s **Foundation** series.
David Drake is another author who writes about the military a lot. **Hammer’s Slammers** is about futuristic tank warfare. His SF/F **Northworld** series is more F than SF as it is basically a re-telling of some Norse Sagas in an SF setting. The powered armor warfare at the beginning of the first book was darn good, and the rest of the series isn’t bad either.
**On My Way to Paradise** by Dave Wolverton has some really interesting ideas. The training method featured in this SF novel was particularly intriguing. Not exactly military fiction, but definitely related and I haven’t heard this book plugged enough. It deserves to be mentioned more often.
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### Author:  [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2005, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-history-war-and-fantasy-books/234919/49 "2005-03-04T04:12:56Z")
> [@Rashak Mani](#):
>
> I’ll order this one ! I’m think of Panzer Leader by Guderian… good too ?
Definitely, go for it. They are kind of companion books (especially if you are interested in the Eastern Front). I would also recommend [The Moscow Option](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/185367463X/002-9098073-3038414) by David Downing. If you think 1942 was hard in our world, wait until you read this version.
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