Is there anyone here familiar with the historical fiction genre? I recently took a course on Midieval England and rather enjoyed it. Seeing as how I found the material interesting, I thought it might be fun to look into some historical fiction set during the period. I understand that the number of books that fit this description is probably large (or so I've read), but with no experience in the genre I wouldn't have a clue where to start looking. I'm not looking for any specific set of years; I guess anything from the Viking invasion to the Norman Conquest is what I'm aiming at. One book that has peaked my interest (just based on descriptions and reviews) is The Last Night of The Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay. So I guess you could say that is the type of stuff I'm looking for (at least as far as setting and historical period goes). Can anyone recommend any books or authors that fall into this category? Thanks in advance.
Brother Cadfael immediately springs to mind; not Viking era (it's set during the struggles between Matilda and Stephen) but has a reasonable enough flavour. Basically stories about a detective monk, but quite good. Launched a thousand imitators. Bernard Cornwell (of Sharpe fame) has written the Harlequin series, but that's in the Hundred Years War. He's also knocked off an excellent Arthurian trilogy - Winter King, Enemy of God and Excalibur - but set in a 'real' 6th-century Britain (of course, it wasn't actually England then... ). There's a semi-legitimate criticism that many of his books can be quite similar; however, they are bloody good page-turners! Not read that Last night of the Sun, but I will look out for it.
Post-1066.... but not so far off... Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Quite long (I've seen editions of just under 1000 pages to just over), but such a great story. Takes place from the 1100s to the 1200s. It follows a master builder named Tom and his family as he tries to get work building a cathedral. Focuses on about two generations of the family. You'll love the good guys, hate the bad guys... good stuff. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...002-4873559-5475264?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 I've also heard good things about Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, but I've never read it.
For something a little older Arthur Conan Doyle's the White Company was a favorite of mine growing up. Also, I could be wrong but Kay usually rights fantasy not historical fiction. The stuff is set in very historical like fantasy worlds and while good I have not read anything that I wiuld classify as historical fiction
I've actually read that. I used it for a paper on the Conquest. It was just about the most fun I've had doing research.
Soooo ... anytime between early-September, 1066, when Harald Hardrada, King of Norway, invaded northern England, and September 27, 1066, when William of Normandy invaded southern England? Hmmm ... that might be just a bit too narrow a period.
I completely agree 1,000 times over. Read this book. My wife bought me a fancy copy for christmas last year, and though I'd previously read the book 4-5 times, it still ranks as one of my favorite gifts. Can't wait until the next time I read it.
JASON=> I am not sure if you would be interested in historical fiction related to the American Civil War (not Middle-Age England!), but if your are, there are several good books available. I like this series: Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War (Hardcover) by Newt Gingrich; William R. Forstchen Grant Comes East (Hardcover) by Newt Gingrich; William R. Forstchen Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant: The Final Victory (Hardcover) by Newt Gingrich; William R. Forstchen While I try to read historical accounts of wartime actions, the historical fiction genre is a good departure and an excellent forum for "what ifs?"! IntheNet
This is an accurate description of Kay's more recent novels. The opening scenarios are extremely close to actual events in a particular time and place but are set in an alternate universe, and the action deviates slightly from history in the subsequent action. In The Last Light of the Sun, the central characters are obviously modeled on Alfred the Great (he even includes a version of the burnt cakes story) and his contemporaries in the British Isles and Scandinavia. While the interior lives of his characters can be jarringly modern, I think he does an outstanding job of conveying the details of life in (in this case) 9th Century England, along the major political and social issues of the day. It's somewhat outside the period you described, but another novel I would recommend is The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. It's a time travel story with parallel plots about the Black Death and a 22nd Century epidemic, with a brilliantly constructed outsider's view of an Oxfordshire village in 1349.
I have read Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy over and over again. I have always been fascinated by the Arthurian legend.
I can't remember the name of one of the trilogy's I read about a lord who has all of these gnarly fights with his fellow knights (this is Crusade era France) and then goes off for a Crusade. It has this incredible scene where his brother in law pisses him off (insults him), and so he sends some of his guys over to get him, they bring him back, tie him to a bed, and castrate him. It's a female author. I don't even know how I could remember it....
I actually looked this up when it was first mentioned. I think he doesn't. I checked out amazon to see what they ahd. They had the one that you mention above, but they don't have this one: Butler D. 1066: The Story of a Year, Anthony Blond Ltd., London, 1966 It was, however, listed under the amazon.co.uk web site, so I'm guessing it's out of print but was only available in libraries or something. I dunno.
Put me down as another who loved Ken Follett's 'The Pillars of the Earth'. I usually find his characters a bit one dimensional in that they're either wholly good or completely evil. Nevertheless, this is a damn fine read.
You might be talking about Cecilia Holland, who has done a number of historical novels. I'm not sure if there were any trilogies, though. My favorites of hers are the early ones, especially Firedrake, Rakossy, Until the Sun Falls, and The Earl.
I am a fan of Ken Follet. I just cannot get into this one because I am so used to reading his spy thrillers.
Dublin by Edward Rutherford. Deals with the fictional history of Dublin from pre-christian times, through the vikings, Norman conquest and finally Henry VIII. It really is a brilliant book. Think it's called The Princes of Ireland in the States for some reason!
So pretend it's someone else whose work you're not used to. It's not like it's an erotic novel by Dr. Seuss or something. That would be creepy. This is just a different kind of story.
Magnus, by George Mackay Brown. The period is fairly cotemporaneous with the Norman invasion (Magnus was killed 51 years later). The setting is the Orkney islands, which at that time owed their fealty to the viking King of Norway.
Bit of a thread bump here (okay, fifteen years since the last post) to recommend C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series here. Protagonist Matthew Shardlake is a lawyer in London in the era of Henry VIII, and the arc of the seven books starts with the dissolution of the monasteries around 1536 through Henry's death. They are crime novels, and there's lots to appreciate in them.