Historical fiction

[Anonymous No.11345925]

Anybody here read or reading the 'under the eagle' series by Simon Scarrow, I've read up to the 5th book in the series and I'm enjoying it, I quite like the roman empire period of history and the books are pretty interesting as they contain a lot of detail on the workings of the Roman military and their conquests into Gaul and Britain whilst still being entertaining to read and interesting fiction. At some points the situations the main characters Macro and Cato survive seem ridiculous but I like how Scarrow beds Vespasian and Vitellius and other important historical figures into the story before they become emperors.

I was looking for other recommendations in historical fiction for any time period really if anybody knows any good ones. I've been using my library to read them so it would be nice to ask them to order some books in for me

[Anonymous No.11345939]

The Long Ships by F. Bengtsson

Azincourt by B. Cornwell

[Anonymous No.11345951]

>>11345939
>
Thanks I've heard of Cornwell, his review is featured on the back of Scarrow's books so I was considering checkinh him out. I'll take a look at The Long Ships too

[Anonymous No.11345979]

>>11345925

Last historical fiction I read was Steven Saylor's Roma. Each chapter was basically a short story focusing on a bystander to a major event in the Roman republic. Cool stuff, and he has other books that are probably of similar quality.

[Anonymous No.11346008]

>>11345979
Thanks that does sound really interesting, I've read a few short stories of that theme before with alternate viewpoints of an event and they always end up being interesting reads

[Anonymous No.11346035]

>>11345925

I am reading the Aubrey & Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian right now, telling of life on a Nelsonic man-of-war. I have to say I am struggling a bit with the naval jargon at the moment, but it is still one of the comfiest historical fiction I have ever read. It's like having a fat uncle who talks really slowly telling you of all the things he knows about ships and how this nerdy and witty physician (Stephen Maturin) got along with this brave although somehow simpleton big guy captain (Jack Aubrey).

[Anonymous No.11346081]

The Accursed Kings by Maurice Druon. It's pretty much the best historical series I've read. It's about 14th century France.

I Claudius is pretty great, as well.

[Anonymous No.11346091]

>>11346035
A lot of my interest in historical fiction relies on battle formations and the way countries armies conducted themselves and I have never really considered any naval based fiction, I'll take a look because this might be a nice departure from what I usually go for

[Anonymous No.11346099]

>>11346081
Do these books feature a lot in the ways of conflict with England as was the case in the 14th century France, I'm assuming this is from the French POV too

[Anonymous No.11346379]

>>11346099
Yeah, they also have a lot of pleb characters, it's not just about the aristocracy.

[Anonymous No.11346405]

>>11346091
check also
C. S. Forester's 'Horatio Hornblower' and Richard Woodman's 'Nathaniel Drinkwater' series. those are very nice too.

[Anonymous No.11346490]

>>11346405
>Horatio Hornblower
>Nathaniel Drinkwater
Why can't they have normal names?

[Anonymous No.11346946]

>>11346405
Thanks for the further recommendations, and those are some truly spectacular names

[Anonymous No.11347988]

Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy by Mary Renault

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/67697.Fire_from_Heaven

>Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three, leaving behind an empire that stretched from Greece and Egypt to India and a new cosmopolitan model for western civilization.

>In Alexander's childhood, his defiant character was molded into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion, on whom he depended for he rest of his life, taught him trust, whilst Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fueled his aspirations. He killed his first man in battle at the age of twelve and became the commander of Macedon's cavalry at eighteen - by the time his father was murdered and he acceded to the throne, Alexander's skills had grown to match his fiery ambition.

[Anonymous No.11348495]

>>11345925
"The Raven Saga"by Giles Kristian, set during the viking age, it follows a Viking warband from England to Miklagard

[Anonymous No.11349701]

>>11345939
Based Cornwell

[Anonymous No.11351259]

>>11345925
I, Claudius and Claudius the God are must reads

[Anonymous No.11351280]

Conqueror series (Genghis Khan) by Conn Iggulden.

Beautiful.

[Anonymous No.11351622]

>>11345925
I've read 14 books from this series so far. Not very memorable, apart from Scarrow's afterwords, in which he admits that the books are a metaphor for the American invasion of Iraq, which struck me as absolutely out of place and irrelevant. No need to weave modern politics into historical fiction.

[Anonymous No.11351747]

>>11346490
More proof that O'Brian was writing at a higher level - his characters have normal names (Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin).

[Anonymous No.11351820]

Dissolution and The Name of the Rose if you are in the mood for some good mysteries.

[Anonymous No.11351944]

>>11345939
fpbp

[Anonymous No.11351948]

>>11346035
Does Master and Commander work as a standalone? I don't feel like reading 20 books about ships.

[Anonymous No.11352130]

>>11351948
>Does Master and Commander work as a standalone?
More or less yes

[Anonymous No.11352146]

>>11352130
More or less how?

[Anonymous No.11352191]

>>11352146
It's not like reading The Fellowship of the Ring and then stopping, there is a proper ending to it but the more you read into the series the more you find out about the recurring characters for a more "complete" character arch.

[Anonymous No.11352292]

>>11352191
Right. Thanks.

[Anonymous No.11352819]

>>11345925
Harry Sidebottom's Warrior of Rome series is amazing.

[Anonymous No.11352861]

Augustus and Butcher's Crossing

[Anonymous No.11353037]

Memoirs of Hadrian

[Anonymous No.11354473]

bumperino