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The Silk Road

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Nefret
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Favourite HF book: Welsh Princes trilogy
Preferred HF: The Middle Ages (England), New Kingdom Egypt, Medieval France
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The Silk Road

Post by Nefret » Mon April 21st, 2014, 11:35 pm

We were studying this in my history class a few weeks ago. It's so interesting. The book I'm currently reading is called Life Along the Silk Road by Susan Whitfield. I was looking for more books, either HF or NF. Preferably set in China or the Middle East.
Into battle we ride with Gods by our side
We are strong and not afraid to die
We have an urge to kill and our lust for blood has to be fulfilled
WE´LL FIGHT TILL THE END! And send our enemies straight to Hell!
- "Into Battle"
{Ensiferum}

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Ludmilla
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Location: Georgia USA

Post by Ludmilla » Tue April 22nd, 2014, 3:01 pm

I enjoyed Colin Thubron's Shadow of the Silk Road (NF, Travel Literature).

annis
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Post by annis » Tue April 22nd, 2014, 9:11 pm

Michael Chabon's Gentlemen of the Road is fun, a tongue-in-cheek novel set in the 10th century and inspired by the pulp-fiction adventures of earlier times.

For something a bit more romantic, Jeanne Larsen's Silk Road, set in 8th century China

Also worth a read in the way of adventure is Colin Falconer's Silk Road, set in the 13th century.

If you want evocative, you can't go past James Elroy Flecker's poem The Golden Road to Samarcand.

As far as non-fic, goes, Xinru Liu's The Silk Road in World History and Frances Wood's The Silk Road: Two Thousand Years in the Heart of Asia.
Last edited by annis on Tue April 22nd, 2014, 9:20 pm, edited 4 times in total.

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MLE (Emily Cotton)
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Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
Favourite HF book: Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger
Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
Location: California Bay Area

Post by MLE (Emily Cotton) » Wed April 23rd, 2014, 12:02 am

I remember enjoying (long ago) Caravan to Xanadu: a novel of Marco Polo
which a google search reveals to be written by Edison Marshall. A good fun read if you can find a copy.

ellisael
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Interest in HF: I am interested in the stories of colonisation rn
Favourite HF book: The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Preferred HF: Mughal Era
Location: New York

Re: The Silk Road

Post by ellisael » Wed November 6th, 2019, 10:28 am

I did quite enjoy reading Life Along the Silk Route.

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Tony119
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Joined: February 2022
Currently reading: In a Dark Wood Wandering
Interest in HF: Have always been drawn to HF, spanning vaguely romantic royalty stuff, Irish rebellion novels, material set in Egypt, India, France, Russia.
Favourite HF book: The Wolf Hall series
Preferred HF: Not really but I've recently become drawn to serious alternative history works, an outstanding example being Philip K Dick's Man in the High Castle, and I recently published my own alternate history ebook.
Location: Australia

Re: The Silk Road

Post by Tony119 » Thu February 10th, 2022, 4:29 am

You could try Gore Vidal's Creation. It's a philosophical blockbuster set in the Fifth Century BCE. The main character, a Persian, makes his way to China. He contrives to talk to Buddha (given a cynical interpretation) Confucius ( he gets a benign one) and Lao-Tzu. He also deals with Socrates, Pythagoras, Sophocles, Pericles, and Darius the Great.

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