(More) Historical Novels Worth Reading

Steph P. Bianchini March 9, 2018 16 Comments

Connie Wills, Graves, historical novels, James Clavell, Jeanette Winterson, Ken Follett, Marquez, plague, Shogun, The Passion

Since the start of 2017, I’ve been reading or re-reading historical novels (due to an ongoing project. More about that in future): history is a long time passion, even though in recent years I’ve been leaning more toward speculative fiction. I have already compiled a list of my favourite historical novels (see here), but I now feel some additions to that list are required. This is especially valid if you’re a writer: if you write fiction, historical or not, you deal with worldbuilding, and this is an aspect well developed in this genre (it has to be),

Here they are, in no particular order:

Jeanette Winterson, The Passion
Robert Harris, Pompeii
Connie Willis, Doomsday Book (this is actually speculative fiction, but the part set in 1348 England is simply *too* good)
Ken Follett, World Without End by Ken Follett (the sequel of The Pillars of the Earth. Another “plague book” as you can notice, and yes, I’m mildly addicted to that period.)
James Clavell, Shogun
Mika Waltari, The Egyptian (one of the first historical novels I’ve read as a kid. It scared me silly but I loved it)
Robert Graves, I, Claudius
Anchee Min, Becoming Madame Mao (a quite controversial reading, but a fascinating one)
Elisabeth Kostova, The Historian (if you’re a vampire fan, you MUST read this. Vlad the Impaler, you know…)
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Del Amor y Otros Demonios [Love and Other Demons]. (A chilling story, set in Convent of Santa Clara in Cartagena. My favourite by Marquez, even though not as famous as the others).

HR: Albert Camus, Caligula. This is one is actually a play, not a novel. But, especially in its original form (there are three versions of this amazing theatre piece), it conveys rather the atmosphere of fear and intrigue existing during the first dynasty of Roman Empire.

Is there anything else you think I should add to these series? Let me know!

16 Comments

Tammy March 9, 2018 at 1:48 pm

I’m not into historical fiction these days, but I have read several books on this list. I loved Shogun! Also The Historian and Doomsday Book, Connie Willis is a favorite author of mine

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1. Steph P. Bianchini (Post author)March 10, 2018 at 5:37 pm
  
  Happy you liked them -Connis Willis’s book was a revelation for me!
  
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ccyager March 9, 2018 at 3:31 pm

This is a meaty list! I love that you included The Doomsday Book — that section set in 1348 was really impressive and still haunts me. I have some of these books on my to read list, too. Thanks!

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1. Steph P. Bianchini (Post author)March 10, 2018 at 5:36 pm
  
  Let me know if you read some of them, I’d be curious to read your thoughts 🙂
  
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maddalena@spaceandsorcery March 9, 2018 at 5:59 pm

My heart skipped a beat 🙂 when I saw the mention of Mika Waltari’s The Egyptian: I loved that book with a passion (as I did The Roman and The Etruscan) and seeing this title brought me back a few decades… And now I want to re-read them!!!!! 😉

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1. Steph P. Bianchini (Post author)March 10, 2018 at 5:35 pm
  
  It was one of the first historical books for me as a kid and I literally *loved* it. Not available in kindle, so I’ve ordered a new paperback copy 🙂
  
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@lynnsbooks March 9, 2018 at 6:45 pm

I read The Historian and really enjoyed it and I have the Connis Willis book waiting to be read.
Hope you enjoy – I look forward to your thoughts on the Pompeii book – it’s a book I’m interested in.
Lynn 😀

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1. Steph P. Bianchini (Post author)March 10, 2018 at 5:34 pm
  
  Connis Willis is truly amazing. Pompeii… I’ve posted a few notes in one of my Teaser Tuesday about it, but I’ll probably write more soon. 🙂
  
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Calmgrove March 9, 2018 at 7:41 pm

The only Gabriel García Márquez I’ve so far read is … the one you cited! Some time since I’ve read a book set in a long gone historical period (I’m not including classics which were contemporary at their time of publication, nor alternative history novels) — so maybe the hour cometh?

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1. Steph P. Bianchini (Post author)March 10, 2018 at 5:32 pm
  
  Really? Wow, I’m impressed. Even among Marquez’s lovers, that one is not well known. Hope you liked it 🙂
  
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  1. Calmgrove March 10, 2018 at 5:40 pm
    
    I did! Even reviewed it: https://calmgrove.wordpress.com/2016/01/25/rabid/
    
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    1. Steph P. Bianchini (Post author)March 13, 2018 at 9:07 am
      
      Thanks! Going to read it straight away!
      
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sjhigbee March 11, 2018 at 10:50 pm

What an amazing list! I, too, am delighted you have included Doomsday and I, Claudius. Both marvellous reads, Steph:)

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1. Steph P. Bianchini (Post author)March 13, 2018 at 9:08 am
  
  Thanks -I’d look forward to a list of historical fiction from you, Sarah, your personal favourites 🙂
  
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anthropologist June 27, 2018 at 2:59 am

What a fun list! I love historical novels. The only one on the list I’ve read is Shogun, a long long time ago. But my son read it and went on a James Clavell reading binge.

I recently finished a good one — Mikhail and Margarita, a first novel by Julie Lekstrom Himes, based on the life of Mikhail Bulgakov, who wrote The Master and Margarita under Stalin.

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1. Steph P. Bianchini (Post author)June 27, 2018 at 6:36 am
  
  Many thanks for stopping by and for the book suggestion. Master and Margarita is one of my favourite books ever, and I’m always keen to read about Bulgakov. 🙂
  
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