I'm currently reading the Grail Quest series by Bernard Cornwell, which was recommended in an earlier thread. BTW, I think it's great.

I was wondering if anyone had some additional recommendations for some good historical fiction? Thanks for the help.

You have to start with "Killer Angels".



John Doe has the upper hand

I've read "The Killer Angels" and the rest of the "Civil War Trilogy" by Michael and Jeff Shaara... awesome books. Thanks for the suggestion.

try Cornwell's Richard Sharpe series. Good stuff about (first) British colonization of India and (then) Napoleon wars. The "Master & Commander" series is great stuff but written in old prose and a little hard to understand. I intend to read the horatio hornblower stuff after my move.

Harry Turtledove is classified as SciFi but he writes great stuff about "what if...?" in historical settings like alien invasions during world wars or if the confederacy was aided by time travellers and given AK-47s.

I'll try to think of some more.

hey wrecking, I read archer and vagabond. how many more books are there in the series? Redcoat was good also. Never read his civil war series. (Re: Bernard Cornwell)

There are three books in the Grail Quest series. The last book is "Heretic." Thanks for the recommendations... I'll check them out.

[This message has been edited by wreckingcrewd (edited 7/29/2006 11:45p).]

The Winds of War and War and Remembrance are two of the best books ever written

Yes they are. And combined, they are longer than most other books in publication combined, so they should keep you busy for a while. I loved those books.

[This message has been edited by Squirrel Master (edited 7/30/2006 1:21a).]

[This message has been edited by Squirrel Master (edited 7/30/2006 1:22a).]

I just checked those out on Amazon... I'll have to read these next. WWII is probably one of my favorite time periods to read about. Thanks.

BTW, anybody know of any good books on the Crusades?

Read The Crusader: A Novel by Michael Alexander Eisner not too long ago. It is a decent novel with the history adequately done.

Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks relates the story of John Brown through the perspective of his son. An interesting and excellent read.

A few dealing with the Civil War that you might enjoy:
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
Black Flower & The Year of Jubilo by Howard Bahr

Novels dealing with WWI:
The Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker
Regeneration
Eye in the Door &
Ghost Road

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin

and of course the classic All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

If you enjoy baseball and are interested in reading about early 20th century America The Celebrant by Eric Rolfe Greenberg is a fantastic read.

A WWII novel that you might enjoy even though it does not have the epic scope of Wouk's novels is Midnight Clear by William Wharton

jkag89 - Thanks for the great list. "All Quiet on the Western Front" is a great book and movie. All of the books you recommended have gotten great reviews on other sites. Thanks for your help.

more I thought of
"Physician" by Noah Gordon about an Englishman in dark ages wanting to go to a medical school in Arabia.

Pillars of God by Ken Follet about cathedral being built in middle ages

McCullough's Rome series - Excellent

Clavell's Asian books (of course)

oooo....I forgot Clavell. I have taipan set aside to reread soon.

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Pillars of God by Ken Follet about cathedral being built in middle ages

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I think you mean The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and, yes, it is the best epic historical fiction I've read. I very highly recommend it.

James Michener.

"Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield

Tells the story of 1 sole Spartan survivor from the Battle of Thermopylae, where 300 Spartans held off 100,000+ Persians for a week. The captured warrior is telling the story of the battle as well as his upbringing in Spartan culture to Xerxes himself.

Those Spartans were seriously hardcore.

I reccommend the Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser.

It's pretty entertaining stuff.

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You have to start with "Killer Angels".

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BINGO!!

I have enjoyed reading Jack Higgins books in the past, although I haven't read any in several years. I think my favorite was The Eagle Has Landed, about a German commando unit sent to kidnap Winston Churchill during WWII.

thanks Gunner; you're prolly right. I read the book way back and don't remember so well.

BQ08, what is the flashman series about?

The Alienist by Caleb Carr followed by the Angel of Darkness.

anyone read Bethren by Robyn Young?

Try reading Resurrection Day and Fatherland.

I second Killer angels and Winds of War/War and Rememberance (I read those twice, which is about 6,000 pages combined!)

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"All Quiet on the Western Front" is a great book and movie

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I agree. I am fluent in German, and if anybody here knows any German, try reading the original. It's relatively easy, language-wise, and is very good. Have never read the English version, but I've heard nothing but good stuff about it.

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Try reading Resurrection Day and Fatherland.

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Another thumbs up for these two, although I'd say they're really more alternative fiction than historical fiction.

Flashman is basically the military exploits of Brigadier-General Sir Harry Paget Flashman, who despite being a tremendous coward and cheat, manages to find himself in the thick of battle in the Victorian era. I just read the one about him in the Crimean War, and it was outstanding, as is the rest of the series.

Move out Wildmen.

The Count of Monte Christo is a great fiction book that has aged itself into historical fiction. And probably the best there ever will be IMO. My second favorite would likely be Pillars of the Earth.

The Jester is a decent book, and so is Pompeii.