When you say historical novels, are you talking about historical fiction or just classic literature from throughout history?
Sorry if that’s just me being an idiot and not understanding!
brokenpenguins91 on
check out Alejo Carpentier’s work!! he speciallies in historical fiction specifically caribbean. i can recommend The kingdom of this world and Explosion in a cathedral by him 🙂
Sad_King_Billy-19 on
Historical fiction: Master and Commander series.
Non fiction: blackhawk down. (Recent history anyway)
paperivy on
My favourite is Sarah Waters – they’re all good but people usually start with Fingersmith, set in Victorian England.
Otherwise Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall books are generally considered the exemplar of literary historical fiction.
A bit more out of left field, I really enjoyed Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea, set on a ship taking Irish famine refugees to NY in the mid-19th century. A real page turner.
urstat63 on
Anything by Geraldine Brooks.
KDurin on
Essex Dogs by Dan Jones. Anything by Kate Mosse or Natalie Haynes.
zibblewah on
Can’t go wrong with Umberto Eco. Prague Cemetery is fantastic and Name of the Rose is excellent. I had a little trouble getting into Baudolino but you’ve inspired me to try again. I was a different person back then.
realdevtest on
11/22/63 by Stephen King
easygriffin on
The Escapades of Tribulation Johnson by Karen Brooks is excellent historical fiction published this year. I loved the protagonist, and the author’s note at the end blew my mind because so much of the book is not fiction but historical record. Fun and funny and interesting.
razmiccacti on
Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies. historical fiction set in the Indian Ocean before the start of the Opium Wars
thehighepopt on
The Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian, starting with Master and Commander. Based on actual ships’ logs from the British navy. Lots of action and you’ll learn all about tall ships and the stations to run one.
Semi_Recumbent on
Angle of Repose
Won the 1972 Pulitzer
RootbeerNinja on
First man in rome series
JakkSplatt on
Historical Fiction; The Kingsbridge series by Ken Follet
PhillipJCoulson on
Once we were here – WW2 Greece
The Sicilian – post ww2 Sicily
The Paris Bookseller – ww1- post ww2 Paris and more
SlapDickery on
If you are from OH/KY/MI or a state near these I suggest you read the Frontiersmen by Allan Eckert
16 Comments
When you say historical novels, are you talking about historical fiction or just classic literature from throughout history?
Sorry if that’s just me being an idiot and not understanding!
check out Alejo Carpentier’s work!! he speciallies in historical fiction specifically caribbean. i can recommend The kingdom of this world and Explosion in a cathedral by him 🙂
Historical fiction: Master and Commander series.
Non fiction: blackhawk down. (Recent history anyway)
My favourite is Sarah Waters – they’re all good but people usually start with Fingersmith, set in Victorian England.
Otherwise Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall books are generally considered the exemplar of literary historical fiction.
A bit more out of left field, I really enjoyed Joseph O’Connor’s Star of the Sea, set on a ship taking Irish famine refugees to NY in the mid-19th century. A real page turner.
Anything by Geraldine Brooks.
Essex Dogs by Dan Jones. Anything by Kate Mosse or Natalie Haynes.
Can’t go wrong with Umberto Eco. Prague Cemetery is fantastic and Name of the Rose is excellent. I had a little trouble getting into Baudolino but you’ve inspired me to try again. I was a different person back then.
11/22/63 by Stephen King
The Escapades of Tribulation Johnson by Karen Brooks is excellent historical fiction published this year. I loved the protagonist, and the author’s note at the end blew my mind because so much of the book is not fiction but historical record. Fun and funny and interesting.
Amitav Ghosh’s Sea of Poppies. historical fiction set in the Indian Ocean before the start of the Opium Wars
The Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian, starting with Master and Commander. Based on actual ships’ logs from the British navy. Lots of action and you’ll learn all about tall ships and the stations to run one.
Angle of Repose
Won the 1972 Pulitzer
First man in rome series
Historical Fiction; The Kingsbridge series by Ken Follet
Once we were here – WW2 Greece
The Sicilian – post ww2 Sicily
The Paris Bookseller – ww1- post ww2 Paris and more
If you are from OH/KY/MI or a state near these I suggest you read the Frontiersmen by Allan Eckert