For me,the master of the genre is Patrick O'Brian and his Napoleonic naval stories which are filled with his scholarship,wit,humour and much besides. I am also partial to Rosemary Sutcliff and Alfred Duggan ,both of whom seem to be read once more. For the Napoleonic period again I loved Delderfield's "Seven men of Gascony" which is a cracking read. Anne Rice's novels about Jesus and his times are well worth a read too especially as they are written in the 1st person from the perspective of Christ himself.
Allan Mallinson and John Biggins are terrific too.But now over to you out there in blogdom what do you like ,do please tell us here...
Eagle in the Snow by Wallace Breem. One of the best works of historical fiction I have ever read. Death to the French by C.S. Forester is also a favourite of mine.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
DC
An old favourite is Breem's book.A great read.My father was a big C.S Forester fan and had all his works in hardback from when they first came out.I've never quite got into them sadly.
DeleteWas going to mention Forester as you have my other favourites...
DeleteConan Doyle is worth a punt though (White Company/Sir Nigel and also Micah Clarke).
I'm also very partial to Ronald Welch but there's not much still in print, and those on eBay are stupid prices...
Have you tried the 'Flashman' novels by McDonald Frasier ? , excellent for the Victorian era .
ReplyDeleteI would second Flashy.
DeleteOh gosh ,I've missed so many good things from my comments. I read many of the flashman books in my teens/twenties. Strangely I was thinking of giving them another go of late...
ReplyDeleteI've just finished Wolf Hall and Bring Out The Bodies, looks like there might be a third book coming. Currently reading the Marius' Mules Roman series on kindle. I enjoy a good old-fashioned murder and am slowly wading through the Crowner John series. My mother used to say I'd read toilet paper if it had writing on, then I pointed out that the stuff we used at school had "Izal Medicated-now wash your hands" on every sheet.
ReplyDeleteI feel such a philistine as I dont read as much as I should but I have to say I am a big fan of the Wolfs Head series by Arthur Frazer. Set at the time of the Norman Conquest it follows a Saxon Thegn and the events that happen to him and his family
ReplyDeleteGreat list of historical books to read! I have just finished reading "the trilogy" by Henryk Sienkiewicz . Old fashioned but a great read about a tumultous and pivotal time in eastern Europe.
ReplyDeleteBrigadier Gerard for me (Conan Doyle) and I loved Cornwell's Arthur trilogy.
ReplyDeletePatrick O'Brien, C S Forester, of course. Ronald Welch's Carey family novels were a huge influence on me as a boy.
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Welch
I've never been one for the dark ages but Conn Iggulden's series on the Mongols is absorbing and his Roman books are worth a read too. Also Cornwell's viking sagas and his lesser known book "The Fort" about the Penobscot Expedition in 1779. Glad to hear that you are on the mend, do take care.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes, Brian