Recommended Historical Fiction
Here is the original question that prompted the list of books:
Hello, everyone. Would anyone and everyone, please, chime in and give me some
recommendations for historical fiction pertaining to ancient times (specifically
Greek and Roman, but the request is wide open) that would offer a riveting good
story but captures the times relatively well? The reading level could be pretty
high: the books would be for advanced (very good readers/honors/advanced
placement to college level really, too) high school students. The reading level
could be very advanced, the content quite sophisticated (I mean, it wouldn't
have to be sanitized stuff, but of course no overtly graphic sexual stuff).
These kids read Dreiser's An American Tragedy, Sinclair Lewis, Somerset
Maugham's Of Human Bondage, Hardy novels, and these all deal with
sexual/romantic themes, so if handled like that, no problem. I mean, no over
the top stuff! When it comes to teaching and discussing literature I've done
every author imaginable, but am weak in finding books of this genre, and
any recommendations very, very welcome. Flaubert's Salammbo leaps to mind,
but I haven't read that since college so will have to reread before assigning.
This
group leapt to mind immediately, and any recommendations much appreciated.
Thanks! Kim Cupples
================
And here are the recommendations
I personally think Mary Renault is hard to beat. Here are her books:
*The Last of the Wine (1956) — set in Athens during the
Peloponnesian War; the narrator is a student of Socrates
* The King Must Die (1958) — the mythical Theseus up to his
father's death (generally considered the best)
* The Bull from the Sea (1962) — the remainder of Theseus' life
* The Mask of Apollo (1966) — an actor at the time of Plato and
Dionysius the Younger
* Fire from Heaven (1969) — Alexander the Great from the age of
four up to his father's death
* The Persian Boy (1972) — from Bagoas's perspective; Alexander
the Great after the conquest of Persia
* The Praise Singer (1978) — the poet Simonides of Ceos
* Funeral Games (1981) — Alexander's successors
Gary Waddingham
Probably the all-time classic historical fiction is "I, Claudius"
from Robert Graves. Great, great read, tons of historicity, plus you
have the option of showing the BBC production. Haven't read it in a
while but I believe it's not too graphic, considering Caligula and
Tiberius are in it.
Colleen McCullough's several books about Rome (Republic continuing to
rise of Augustus) are also hugely enjoyable to read. I was
reading "The October Horse" about the same time I was watching the
HBO "Rome" episodes and McCullough was much more historically
accurate.
Try Mary Renault's series about Alexander the Great, those are also
considered classics -- for example, "The King Must Die." Again, read
it a while ago so I don't recall specifically whether there are any
really racy scenes.
Will probably be tough to come up with books that don't have *some*
salacious content, though, given the times, personalities, and what
sells.
--Robert
The "Roma sub Rosa" series by Steven Saylor is superb, better than
anything in this genre other than "I, Claudius". These are murder
mysteries, but don't be put off; the historical treatment of late
Republican Rome is pitch-perfect. I personally don't care for Renault,
and didn't like McCullough at all, when last I tried to read her. I do
like Gore Vidal's "Julian", and Graves' lesser-known "Count
Bellisarius" is also terrific.
Phil Davis
Dear List,
I am giving away my age but I still think the best books for students are not
fiction but archaeological based, popular literature, which read like fiction
but are factual, such as those written by Leonard Cottrell. I grew up on these
books such as, The Bull of Minos, The Lost Pharaohs, The Great Invasion, Enemy
of Rome, Wonders of Antiquity, The Lion Gate, The Land of Shinar, Queen of the
Pharaohs. Truth is often stranger than fiction, and much more exciting.
Marvin Tameanko
I agree, Marvin. I am giving away my age also -- my favorite Julio-Claudian
book
remains "Augustus" by John Buchan (Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1937) which
I got for Christmas in 1939.
James
Hi Phil
<<Graves' lesser-known "Count Bellisarius" is also terrific>>
I second this!
Although its a completely different epoc - the recommendation that
went down best of all with my own kids was Golding's 'The Inheritors'
best
rob
Read Lindsey Davis for Roman times, Patrick O'Brian for Napoleonic war times.
Renault has to be considered for the years in which she wrote; she had a supurb
knowledge of classical times and mythology.
Bob Lilja
I'm a fan of Lindsey Davis, and have read and enjoyed them all, but
they are a bit fluffy and the history is, shall we say, "imprecise".
Phil Davis
I too don't like McCullough. She pays attention to external
detail, but her characters act like her concept of modern americans,
not like 1st C. Romans. I returned her book to the library after ~25
pages of people discussing money, money, money.
A classic not mentionned so far is a novel by Zimmern. I forget
the title but his name is unusual enough. The story is set during
the time of Athens' expedition to Syracuse. It's fairly long, not
fast-paced, but experts say it catches the Athenian mentality just
right.
Saylor's roman mysteries are 90% good. They do capture well the
ruthlessness of the times, but they are spoiled by bloodthirsty
endings. Just like afternoon thunderstorms, one can count on a
battle, volcanic eruption or murderous ambush to roll around about 15
pages from the end. After 2-3 books, this begins to pall.
On a lighter note, Sprague de Camp's historical novels are quite
enjoyable. Don't be confused into reading his SF or fantasy; there
are several real historical novels. Dragon of the Ishtar Gate is an
approximation of one title. His heroes are always getting into and
out of trouble, but they're fun to follow and you learn about the
ancient world on the way.
Finally, The Fall of Night is a favorite of mine. A college
professor, through a fluke of time, wakes up in Rome c.500 AD. He
then proceeds to try and prevent the Dark Ages! Wouldn't you? Too
much for one man? Read on; his idea is quite clever.
Dick Schaefer
Hi Dick-- I see your point about Saylor's endings, but he is writing
in a genre where excitement is expected. I'm more annoyed by his
increasing tendency to place Gordianus, Garp-like, in the midst of all
the most dramatic historical events, but this is a problem only in the
aggregate. Individually, each book is coherently plotted. In
particular, I'm continually astonished by his ability to make the main
actors of the time complex, nuanced and plausible; I'm convinced that
Caesar, Crassus, Pompey et al were very much as Saylor depicts them.
I'm going to look for the Zimmern book. Thanks!
Phil
I agree, Mary Renault's books are excellent, are at a fairly high reading
level,
and are not racy. Highly recommended.
Geoffrey Bard
You're quite right, Phil; Saylor is orthodox. I suspect that
editors frequently tell authors something like:
"There's no exciting climax at the end. Put something in!" So they
do. My disappointment with Saylor is sharper because
he does get so much right, until the end. I'm probably in the
minority about the endings anyway. Editors know much more about
public taste than me. So I stick with pre-1960 authors who had
exciting, but not melodramatic, endings. Melodrama ruins a book's
credibility.
As far as Gordianus' popping up at well known events, again we
must bow to the editor who in turn obeys the marketing department.
I'd love a novel about Servius Tullius, Cincinnatus, or the law
making voting secret, but who would buy it beside me? It's always
going to be Caesar's murder, Vesuvius, Antonius + Cleopatra, Nero
persecuting Christians, Spartacus, Julian the apostate, ad
infinitum. And Gordianus will turn up as much as possible!
C S Lewis said for every new book he read, he read(or reread) an
older one. Well said.
Dick
Dear List Members,
One and All, I agree whole heartedly with many of the
recommendations that were already forwarded, in particular Gore Vidal's
excellent, "Julian", a life of the last pagan emperor, Julian II, as well as
Grave's "Count Bellisarius", the very successful general under Justinian the
Great.
If we don't mind stepping away somewhat from the Greek and Roman eras
there are many more: "The Egyptian" by Mika Waltari (the reign of Akhnaton, aka
Amenhotop IV) made into a rather pathetic but colorful Hollywood movie in the
early 50s. However, the book, as is often the case, is much better than the
film. This Finn author also wrote a number of other historical novels set in
various, other ancient empires and kingdoms: "The Roman", "The Greek", "The
Carthaginian", etc. However, his first attempt was the best of them. Also, don't
forget "Ancient Evenings" by Norman Mailer (reign of Ramses II).
Back to Roman times: "Island of Ghosts", a tale of Roman Britain, by Gillian
Bradshaw
(Sarmatian auxilary calvary in the reign of Marcus Aurelius). Then of course
there are the old standbys: "Quo Vadis" (reign of Nero) by Henryk Sienkiewicz,
also a Hollywood film; "The Robe" by Lloyd C. Douglas (reigns of Tiberius and
Caligula), another Hollywood epic. And, not to be forgotten as novel and film
is: "Ben Hur" by the Union, Civil War general, Lew Wallace (reigns of Augustus
and Tiberius). And, since we are on a recommending role: "Gates of Fire", an
epic novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield (the Achaemenid
invasion of Greece). I think this last book actually inspired the recent,
animated film "The 300" about the same subject. Enjoy...
Most Sincerely, Fred Surowiec
Collector At Large & Historical Fiction Enthusiast At Large
Dear everyone out there in ancient coin land: THANKS! I'm bowled over by the
kind and helpful responses I'm getting to my request for titles and authors of
ancient historical fiction. I'm printing them out and will explore them. They
will fill a gap in my teaching of history, and will be a great way to integrate
English and History for the kids. My only request is, simply, KEEP THEM COMING!
Thanks! Kim Cupples
Hi Kim and listees,
Good list so far. Two more are, Vispania--A Roman
Odyssey and Great Women of Imperial Rome: Mothers and Wives of the Caesars,
written by Jasper Burns , a member of our group. I highly recommend them.
They are excellent and a fun read!
Best regards, Linda
I have also read and can recommend Jasper Burns' "Great Women", but are you
suggesting it is fiction?!
I must put in a word for Colleen McCullough's books. The first book I read
was a bit difficult to get into to start with, but I persisted and became
hooked. For a thoughtful and accurate (as far as it is possible) account of
the Republic from Marius to Octavian this series of books is unsurpassed in
my opinion. To mention them in the same breath as the TV series "Rome" is
blasphemy!
Not only that, each book has maps, diagrams, a very lengthy glossary and
lists of pronunciations of names and places. If you want to go through the
books in order, they are:
The First Man in Rome
The Grass Crown
Fortunes Favourite's
Caesar's Women
Caesar
The October Horse
Peter D
I must agree with Peter, the McCullough books are quite an achievement of
research and blending in of a readable story. Far and away my favourite set
above Saylor and Davis. The latter two are a fun read, but know the actual
history going in (I guess that could be said for any of them).
Two that I haven't seen mentioned yet are Robert Harris with "Pompeii" and
what I think to be a superior novel in "Imperium" (see link).
http://www.amazon.com/Imperium-Novel-Ancient-Robert-Harris/dp/074326603X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196453458&sr=8-1
Also, Simon Scarrow is a lot of fun. Fictionalized series of the Roman
Legions in Britain, etc., set during the Claudian dynasty.
I must say I love this thread.
Jeff Einarson
I think I sent my original post on this to single member as I don't
see it posted.
One author I really enjoy who I don't see mentioned is Bernard
Cornwell. He has a number of different books covering a number of
eras.
Topics he covers include building of Stonehenge, King Arthur, Alfred
the Great, The Holy Grail (set at the start of the 100 years war),
the Revolutionary War and the US Civil War.
He is best known for the Richard Sharpe series. This is a 20+ book
series that follows a soldier in the British army from India around
1800 through retirement after Waterloo. It includes graphic
depictions of battles of Wellington in India, the Penninsular
campaign and Waterloo. Trafalger is even thrown in.
One of the the things Cornwell does that I really like is that he has
historical notes at the end of each book. He lets you know what he
changed, what characters were real vs. fictional and what you can
still see if you visit the locations he describes.
Regards,
Matt
Of course, Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz is a splendid historical
piece set in the time of Nero. Sienkiewicz won the Noble Prize in
literature for it. Another older and much accoladed piece of
literature is The Egyptian by Mika Waltari. If you are interested in
medieval times, Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose is excellent. It
is both historically accurate, telling, and as a mystery quite
engaging. All of these can be termed literature which not all
historical fiction can.
Gary Waddingham
I just attempted to post this, but I think it went off into the ether, never
to
return. Someone has already added other works by Mika Waltari (the best, to me,
concerning the fall of Constantinople), written many decades after Sienkiewicz.
Bernard Cornwell is also to be recommended highly, as he possesses the rare
gift of describing complex military maneuvers and battles with utter clarity.
Likely to be overlooked is David Drake (now a writer of military science
fiction), but who started out with a couple of paperback collections featuring a
secret agent of the late Empire (bloodthirsty Phrygian heresies! Alien on the
streets of Rome!), who also writes complex action with clarity. L. Sprague
deCamp's An Elephant for Aristotle cannot be missed (Alexander sends back an
elephant from India to his tutor, complications ensue). Also Robert Graves's
Hercules My Shipmate retelling the tale of Jason and the Argonauts with Hercules
as the 800 pound gorilla in their midst.
All of the above are suitable for all readers. The best historical novel I
have read
recently, by Iain Pears, which is lost on my shelves after a recent move, and
whose title I cannot now recall, concerns the intertwined stories of a Gallic
nobleman/landowner/bishop (although no Christian) in the late 5th Century
(contriving to betray his countrymen to the Burgundians. in order to save them),
a troubador during the reign of the antipopes, and a civil servent under the
Vichy regime, each one involved with a mysterious woman (the bishop with the
last classically trained philosopher in Gaul, the civil servent with a Jewish
painter). Complex issues of loyalty, betrayal and self-interest are addressed.
Absorbing, but you have to read with facility and fluency. probably not for
kids. Cheers,
George Spradling
George, could the Pears book be The Dream of Scipio? "Set in
Provence during the collapse of the Roman Empire in the 5th century,
the Black Death in the 14th century, and World War II, this novel
follows the fortunes of three men - a Gallic aristocrat, a poet and
an intellectual who joins the Vichy government." How could you
forget the Black Death? I'm going to try it on your recommendation,
but this book may overwhelm me.
Dick Schaefer
I second Ian Pears. I think the first one you mentioned is the
"Dream of Scipio". His "An Instance of the Fingerpost," about Oxford
in the 1660s is one of the best historical fiction books written.
Gary Waddingham
One I really enjoyed was John Williams "Augustus", a novel about the life of
Octavian. The depiction of Julia might raise some eybrows in class.
An old book I picked up at a large book sale was "Constantine" by Frank G.
Slaughter. Somewhat entertaining and it takes some great liberties with
history.
There are two large series of books that have are very entertaining but have
extreme takes on history. The first is the stories of Ramses by Christian
Jacq. The entire series is entertaining but tends more towards soap opera
than history. The other series is the "biographical" stories of Julis
Caesar by Conn Iggulden. They do have have sexual episodes, but more
disturbing is his choice to barely use historical facts. They are all still
very entertaining for adults, especially if you like your history starring
Bruce Willis or Sylvester Stallone!
Jim Brown
I agree that "I, Claudius" is superb, as is its successor,
"Claudius, the God". I found the first bit of Colleen McCullough's
"First Man in Rome" far too heavy with genealogy, but it got better
and so did each subsequence volume. But, I want to go off the beaten
track.
Anything by Alfred Duggan is great. Only half is Roman, the
other half is medieval, including crusader. "The Little Emperors"
is 5th C. Britain. "Three's Company" has Lepidus, Antony, and
Octavian." "Family Favorites" is about Elagabal. "Children of the
Wolf" (aka "Founding Fathers") is about the founding of Rome. "Winter
Quarters" is about two Gallic soldiers first under Caesar ands then
under Crassus. "King of Pontus" is about Mithradates Eupator. "Count
Bohemond" the first, in the first crusade. Duggan had a real feel
for the times.
A favorite is "The Unconquered Sun" by Ralph Dulin, about the
time of Aurelian from the point of view of Severina. Her trip through
the devastated Balkins is evocative of the very hard times the empire
was having.
Another one, surprisingly good, is "Confessors of the Name"
by Gladys Schmitt, set in the time of Trajan Decius, with a lot more
Roman emphasis and less Christian emphasis than the title would
suggest.
Now if you really want some fiction you will like, try to
find "The Coin Collectors" by Pierre Bastien. It is not historical
fiction, but set about 1990 in Paris. Bastien was a major collector
and scholar who wrote this wonderful book with characters from the
scholarly world, dealers, and quirky collectors. It has no real plot.
It just wanders through the collecting and museum scene showing a bit
of all sides of our obsession. I say, "try to find" because it is
very hard to find.
-- Warren Esty
Lots of books mentioned for me to add to my TBR pile. Here are some I can
suggest, some historical fiction, some historical fantasy and some a mix, mostly
Celtic:
The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen Lawhead - This is a retelling of the Arthurian
and Welsh legend without the fantasy elements. This 5 book series is perhaps the
best fictional description of the state of Britain after the Romans withdrew in
the early 5th century. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pendragon_Cycle> Another of
his books, Byzantium, tells of a group of monks carrying a copy of the Book of
Kells (or a similar book) to the Emperor in Constantinople. And finally his most
recent, Patrick: Son of Ireland tells of a possible youthful Patrick and how he
managed to change Ireland.
Any of Morgan Llywelyn's many books about historical & legendary figures primary
of Ireland. She brings the immense Gaelic literature to life and also delves a
bit into continental Celtic subjects. My favorites have been Red Branch the
story of Cuchulainn from the Ulster Cycle; Finn Mac Cool from the Fenian Cycle;
Druids - about Vercingetorix vs Caesar from a Druid's point of view and its
sequel The Greener Shore, about how the Druid and his family fled to Éire; The
Horse Goddess - the story of a young girl in a Hallstadt like settlement (~8th
century BCE) who marries the son of a trader from the Steppes and brings horses
back to the Celtic heartland. Her name just happens to be Epona. It could also
be thought of as how a girl became a Goddess. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morgan_Llywelyn>
Stephen Grundy's Rhinegold and its sequel Atilla¹s Treasure, which bring
together the Germanic Sagas and Atilla vs the Burgundians. I also enjoyed his
Gilgamesh a fictional retelling of this most ancient Heroic story. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephan_Grundy>
Juliet Marillier's Wolfskin and Foxmask about the interaction of 2 distinct,
Northern cultures - the Norse and the natives of the Orkneys. Her Sevenwaters
Trilogy is a fictional retelling of the great myth, The Children of Lyr (or Llyr
if you're Welsh) and her Bridei Chronicles about how a (historical) Pagan King
of Scotland tried to maintain his culture in the face of Christian hoards the
Irish migrating from the West and the English from the South. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliet_Marillier>
Evangeline Walton's retellings of 4 Branchs of the Welsh Mabinogion <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evangeline_Walton>
Bernard Cornwell has been mentioned and I will 2nd his Saxon stories. I am not
into his Sharpe stuff. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Cornwell>
I am not sure if these more Classical stories have been mentioned:
Family Favorites by Alfred Duggan - The story of Elagabalus (Stay away from
Child of the Sun unless you like X-rated literature)
Three about Hadrian - Beloved and God: The Story of Hadrian and Antinous by
Lambert Royston; Hadrian's Memoirs by Marguerite Youncenar; and Hadrian by Joel
Schmidt (dont remember this but it is in my book database)
I will add my vote to Julian by Gore Vidal - a most remarkable novel about a
pivotal moment in history.
Almost anything by Mary Renault <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Renault>. I
suggest reading them in order.
It's a start!
Bill
PS: Does anyone know of historical fiction/fantasy of Brittany? I seem to
remember a novel about a priestess and company migrating from Brittany to
Insular Canada, based on some historical figures, but cannot remember or find
it.
Great thread!
Kim, your mention of Flaubert's Salammbô (1862) brings to mind Edward Bulner-Lytton's
The Last Days of Pompeii (1834). A most popular book in it's time, it inspired
Italian films in 1913 and 1958, and an ABC mini-series in 1984.
A rather obscure bit of ancient maritime history is addressed in Fleet Surgeon
to Pharaoh (Oregon State University Press) about a 600BC Phoenician
circumnavigation of Africa commissioned by Nacho II. The author, Sheldon
Jacobson, has used considerable knowledge of navigation, ship building, nautical
medicine, and philosophy to describe in fictional form how such a voyage could
have been accomplished. Not great literature, but quite interesting.
I have recently enjoyed Dorothy Dunnett's well researched eight volume series
The House of Niccolo. It's a page turner, with intrigues, adventures and
misadventures spanning all of 15th century Europe. Great storytelling and
authenticity of detail.
Sid Griest
Dear List,
Few people bought into my suggestion that sudents read popular archaeology books
instead of historical fiction so I want to contribute my favorite fictional
books, which I don't think anyone else mentioned, to Kim's list. I like the
works of H. N. Turtletaub. They are well researched, based on solid historical
facts, and describe coinage correctly. The books are; 'Justinian, Over the
Wine-Dark Sea, The Gryphon's Skull, The Sacred Land', and the 'Owls to Athens'.
He writes well and Justinian is most enjoyable.
Marvin Tameanko
Marvin, et al --
Please let me add my voice of praise to the historical novel "Justinian".
I've read (and thoroughly enjoyed) this book twice and occasionally refer to it
for certain kinds of reference. Turtletaub has adeptly woven historical fact
and unknowable yet plausible events together into a seamless story of great
appeal. One of my personal favorites.
Brian Holland
For anyone who is unaware of this, H. N. Turtletaub is one of the names
under which Harry Turtledove writes.
Dave Welsh
www.classicalcoins.com