Historical Fiction

doyoumrjones · 13-01-2014 8:00pm #1

hi

I am coming to the end of Ben Elton's "Two Brothers" novel which is set in Weimar/Nazi Germany. I absolutely loved the book and am wondering can anyone recommend any other good historical fiction novels?

Also can anyone recommend any of Elton's other books and are they also historical fiction? Thanks

Chucken · 13-01-2014 8:05pm

doyoumrjones wrote: »

hi

I am coming to the end of Ben Elton's "Two Brothers" novel which is set in Weimar/Nazi Germany. I absolutely loved the book and am wondering can anyone recommend any other good historical fiction novels?

Also can anyone recommend any of Elton's other books and are they also historical fiction? Thanks

How far back in history would you like to go?

http://www.historicalnovels.info/

castletownman · 13-01-2014 8:09pm

112263 by Stephen King is a brilliant read

zanador · 13-01-2014 8:09pm

Edward Rutherford had written some amazing historical fiction. He has written about London, and Dublin amongst others - would highly recommend

doyoumrjones · 13-01-2014 8:10pm

Chucken wrote: »

How far back in history would you like to go?

http://www.historicalnovels.info/

The 20th century ideally. Thanks for the link

DazMarz · 13-01-2014 8:11pm

Fatherland by Robert Harris; set in a world where the Nazis won the Second World War and are now engaged in a Cold War with the USA.

wretcheddomain · 13-01-2014 8:14pm

The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin

Evelyn Cusack · 13-01-2014 8:15pm

Saigon, pretty much gives a 20th century history of Viet Nam

Wild swans, true story about 20th century Chinese history, amazing book and more interesting than fiction

biko · 13-01-2014 8:16pm

Have a look in the "What are you reading atm?" thread or check out the Literature forum.

Chucken · 13-01-2014 8:16pm

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a brilliant read.

Gannicus · 13-01-2014 8:18pm

The Bible..... It's great for a chuckle.

Evelyn Cusack · 13-01-2014 8:19pm

Saigon, pretty much gives a 20th century history of Viet Nam

Wild swans, true story about 20th century Chinese history, amazing book and more interesting than fiction

ryathoe · 13-01-2014 8:19pm

"The Spies of the Balkans" by Alan Furst is a really good spy/historical novel - there are several more similar novels by him eg Spies of Warsaw.

cloud493 · 13-01-2014 8:19pm

Big Steve wrote: »

The Bible..... It's great for a chuckle.

One thread. One thread without it.

McChubbin · 13-01-2014 8:21pm

The Physician by Noah Gordon is a good read but it is LONG AS ****. A good 900+ plus pages at least but quite the pageturner.

doyoumrjones · 13-01-2014 8:22pm

castletownman wrote: »

112263 by Stephen King is a brilliant read

I have that but haven't got round to reading it. Have you read many of King's books?

weiland79 · 13-01-2014 8:23pm

Ken Folliets Pillars of the earth, World without end and Fall of giants. All excellent books Imo. Should be read in the correct order

GLaDOS · 13-01-2014 8:25pm

Robyn Young's Brethren Trilogy is fantastic, based around the crusades in the 13th century.

Ruu · 13-01-2014 8:26pm

Moving from After Hours.

huey1975 · 13-01-2014 8:28pm

You should try American Tabloid by James Elroy. Followed by The Cold Six thousand and Bloods a Rover.

doyoumrjones · 13-01-2014 8:28pm

Ruubot2 wrote: »

Moving from After Hours.

Thanks. couldnt find literature section.

stefan idiot jones · 13-01-2014 8:29pm

http://www.philipkerr.org/

I've read quite a few of Kerrs books. The Shot was the first that I read and it really kept me gripped up to the last page.

Ipso · 14-01-2014 5:46am

huey1975 wrote: »

You should try American Tabloid by James Elroy. Followed by The Cold Six thousand and Bloods a Rover.

American Tabloid is amazing, I thought the other two weren't as good.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO · 18-01-2014 12:49pm

The Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally is a good one. It's about Australian nurses during WW1. I think Keneally does a lot of historical fiction although I haven't read any of the rest of them.

Star of the Sea and Redemption Falls are good ones by Joseph O'Connor.

Evelyn Cusack · 18-01-2014 1:17pm

I'd add Shogun by James Clavell (I think)

It's about an English sailor landing in feudal Japan - samurai sh*t

problemchimp · 18-01-2014 1:22pm

DazMarz wrote: »

Fatherland by Robert Harris; set in a world where the Nazis won the Second World War and are now engaged in a Cold War with the USA.

Good shout. I just finished "an officer and a spy". A great read and a very good historical novel as also is "Pompeii" also by Robert Harris.

vepyewwo · 19-01-2014 9:50pm

I read Two Brothers last year and really enjoyed it.

I would recommend City of Thieves by David Benioff which is just as good. It's also set during World War 2. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1971304.City_of_Thieves

Carawaystick · 20-01-2014 8:41pm

Brooklyn by Colm Tobin set in '50's Ireland/New York

The portrait of an artist as a young man, Joyce, set in Ireland/Dublin round the turn of the 20th century

The Baroque cycle by Neal Stephenson, set in the time of Isaac Newton
Has the founding of MIT, petty wars in Germany, French court, English wars, including the battle of Aughrim

Rabelais · 21-01-2014 12:49am

Robert Harris writes great, big, page-turner historical novels. As he said himself, he never lets historical fact get in the way of a good story. So Imperium and Lustrum are well worth a read.

The Flashman Series by George MacDonald Fraser is also great. Flashman is a coward, a cheat, an alcoholic and a boorish fop - who finds himself as a central character in many great 19th century historical incidents. Very funny.

Red Plenty by Francis Spufford is one of best books I've read in the last few years. It's about various scientists, administrators and bureaucrats in the Soviet Union during Khrushchev's 'planned economy' stage. It's weird, quirky and very engrossing. Really gives a feel for how hopeless and desolate communism was to those who had to deal with the ruminations of it on a regular basis. Cool book.

paddyh117 · 22-01-2014 10:51am

Historical Fiction can cover so much, but off the top of my head I'd recommend any of the following:

Mutiny on the Bounty - John Boyne - story told from a different perspective

Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks - WW1

HHhH - Laurent Binet - WW2

Doctor Copernicus - John Banville

Bring up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel - I skipped Wolf Hall, but maybe start there??

Pure - Andrew Miller

Manach · 22-01-2014 10:55am

The Master and Commander Series by Patrick O'Brian. It is about the Royal Navy of the Napoleonic Wars and evocative of the era.

Historical Fiction

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