I recently read Between Two Fires and I was really caught by the historical aspect of it. I'm looking for good historical fiction, narrative nonfiction, and maybeee good historical fantasy if the writing is really good. I also like some kinda existential horror vibes, and books that are devastatingly sad. Gay themes are good, heavy romance is not. I want to maybe learn something about the Middle ages from this book, but also be immersed in story… Highest emphasis is on good writing over anything else.
Thanks in advance everyone
by Boilerdang
7 Comments
The Buried Giant -Kazuo Ishiguro
Okay so it’s medieval Russia rather than medieval Europe but please trust me on this: the winternight trilogy by Katherine Arden. The author put so much love of history and folklore into these books, the main character gives off massive ftm vibes (it’s not canon but I don’t know that a trans guy in medieval Russia would have had the language to describe the experience, you know?), and it’s just. It’s so good.
The Starving Saints
The Name of the Rose
The Prince of Nothing by R Scott Bakker
Wolf Hall and sequels by Hillary Mantell (Tudor)
The Shardlake series by C.J. Samson, first novel is called Dissolution (also Tudor)
The Sunne in Splendor by Sharon Kay Penman (Richard III)
The Last Kingdom series by Bernard Cornwell, (Anglo-Saxon, King Alfred (I think Alfred the great)
Cathedral, by Ben Hopkins