I’ve always enjoyed books that take place in historical settings, like The Saxon Tales by Bernard Cornwell.
One problem I’m having with finding more books of the genre that I would enjoy is that a lot of them are focused on romance plots, and that’s not really my thing. Even when reading Caesar by Allan Massie, which focussed on Brutus’ betrayal, the numerous sex scenes were the worst part of the experience for me.
Recently, I’ve been reading the Assassin’s Creed book series and – although not the most highbrow or historically accurate series – I found them a very fun read.
So, any recommendations of historical fiction books with lots of sword fights, large scale battles, political intrigue, and where romantic/sexual relationships between characters is not the focus?
**PS:** Romance/sex can be present, as long as it’s in background of the main plot.
by LuizFalcaoBR
5 Comments
The Long War series by Christian Cameron has the best battles i’ve ever read
Rafael Sabatini
Alexandre Dumas
Jules Verne
Walter Scott
H Rider Haggard
Robert Louis Stevenson
The genre you’re looking for is called romance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_(prose_fiction)
I’d recommend the rest of Cornwell’s books if you haven’t read them. He covers a ton of periods and I’ve always enjoyed them. Sharon Kay Penman has a wide range of, imo, very good medieval books. Romance is certainly a plot point in some, as it is in real life, but there is plenty of other stuff going on.
Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. There is romance, but it is far from the focus.
The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson is a great trilogy you may like.