Hi all- first post here. I usually read fantasy, but am getting a bit burned out. What I’m looking for now is an adventure book that was set during a real period of human history, but is written less as a history book and more as a drama, something that really grounds you in the time period and in the journey without simply lecturing.
Other books that scratched that itch for me are:
Shogun
The Terror (a little fantasy/horror is fine!)
Musashi
Skeletons in the Sahara
The north water
Blood meridian
The sisters brothers
Any suggestions would be welcome!
by tru_beez
15 Comments
Mason & Dixon
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
The Key to Rebecca by Ken Follett
Empires of Sand by David Ball
It’s already been mentioned here but I’m seconding Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon.
Also:
– The Sot-Weed Factor by John Barth
– Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon
Where The Lost Wander by Amy Harmon and Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown
Anything by Ken Follet
Pillars of the Earth
Patrick
Byzantium
Both are by Stephen Lawhead.
Eaters of the Dead
The first few chapters are novelized from the journal of a real historical traveler, ending in him making contact with vikings.
From there, it seamlessly transforms into a retelling of Beowulf.
A brief description of Cusslers last series before his passing…
For decades, Clive Cussler has been delighting readers with novels filled with suspense, action, and sheer audacity. Now he does it again, in one of the wildest, most entertaining historical thrillers in years…
Isaac Bell Adventure.
1 The Chase (2007)
2 The Wrecker (2009) (with Justin Scott)
3 The Spy (2010) (with Justin Scott)
4 The Race (2011) (with Justin Scott)
5 The Thief (2012) (with Justin Scott)
6 The Striker (2013) (with Justin Scott)
7. The Bootlegger (2014) (with Justin Scott)
8. The Assassin (2013) (with Justin Scott)
9. The Gangster (2016) (with Justin Scott)
10. The Cutthroat (2017) (with Justin Scott)
11. The Titanic Secret (2018) (with Jack Du Brul)
12. The Saboteurs (2020) (with Jack Du Brul)
13. The Sea Wolves (2022) (with Jack Du Brul)
14. The Heist (2024) (with Jack Du Brul)
The Winternight Trilogy by Katherine Arden. It’s set in Medieval Russia. It has magic but the author did a lot of research into the history and folklore of the Russian people.
Another vote for Ken Follett. But also James Michener. I also have The Diamond Eye in my list. Looks great.
Washington Black
Sword and Scimitar
Oh, and this trilogy is a bit wordy but The Baroque Series by Neil Stephenson is, pound for pound, the best historical fiction I’ve ever read
I have waited for this moment! 😆
I love & recommend anything by Ken Follett, Colleen McCullough, & Edward Rutherford.
Maybe start with (respectively) Pillars of the Earth, First Man in Rome, & The Princes of Ireland.
That should last you a good 40 years 😂 And if you’re really a masohistorychist there’s always The autobiography of King Henry VIII by Margaret George, or Alison Weir is good too.