Recommend Me (sorta) Some Historical Fiction

[Something Amyss]

She's most likely already read them, but C.S Forester's novels are sort of the pinnacle (Horatio Hornblower; The African Queen). Bernard Cornwell is also pretty good (Sharpe). My personal favourite, though they are more fiction than history, are Giles Kristian's books (he did a Viking trilogy and is now working on the English Civil War). The Three Muskateers is historical fiction, but again she's probably read that. The Cadfael books are excellent.

There's loads to choose from, but all the ones that come to mind for me are the huge ones, sorry.

I had to facepalm at not thinking of Dumas. I'm sure she'd enjoy them, as she hasn't read them in years and years.

 

[Your Rival]

He's already been mentioned but I think it bears repeating, Bernard Cornwell's stories are excellent and very thoroughly researched. I'd recommend Cornwell's Grail Quest. (a series of books about an English longbow man in the Hundred Years War)

 

[Andrew_C]

I'm surprised no-one has recommended the Flashman novels by George MacDonald Fraser. A bit politically incorrect, rather funny and full of action.

If your looking for something more cerebral, perhaps the I, Claudius series by Robert Graves. Framed as the autobiography of Roman emperor Claudius (the one before Nero). Very heavy on the intrigue and politics. Might be heavy going for some, but if you can handle Umberto Eco you can handle Graves.

 

[Albino Boo]

Hilary Mantel's Bringing up Bodies and Wolf Hall are both critically acclaimed books set in the tudor period. I didn't like them because they didn't fit with my interpretation of the period but it takes all sorts. Philippa Gregory's work goes from late medieval to early tudor and has been adapted for tv, again not my bag but other people like it. Personally I would hesitate to describe it as historical fiction but Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther novels set in the 1930s-1950s Germany are good.

For something a bit older... ehm... I guess, Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series (late Republic, early empire). Comparative to that, I guess would be the Imperator series by EB Hartmann, even though only the first one's been published so far... they're both idiotic as far as appendices and glossaries are concerned. There are mistakes in both, and it's entertaining to find them... then rage because of them... >_>

I liked to second the McCullough recommendation, they are reasonably accurate versions of the late Roman Republic. I would like to add Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa novels. Also set in the late republic but with a detective fiction crossover. The last thing on Rome, is real old school. Rosemary Sutcliff's elage of the ninth series, set in Roman Britain it deals with with end of Roman power and what comes after.