List your favorite Top 10 Historical Fiction Reads

donroc · Post by **donroc** » Sat October 25th, 2008, 11:37 am

Yes, I left out Renault's King Must die.
Graves' I, Claudius.
The Crisis and the Richard Carvel Books by the American Winston Churchill

Ten is not enough. so many would be tied.

annis · Post by **annis** » Sat October 25th, 2008, 5:47 pm

Posted by donroc
Yes, I left out Graves' "I, Claudius".

Me too, can't believe I left out that one!

eclecticreader10 · Post by **eclecticreader10** » Mon October 27th, 2008, 3:38 am

The Winthrop Woman
The King's Grey Mare
Roots
Cane River
Memoirs of a Geisha
Gone with the Wind
Centennial
Follow the River
The Josephine Bonaparte Trilogy by Sandra Gulland
North & South Trilogy by John Jakes

MLE (Emily Cotton) · Post by **MLE (Emily Cotton)** » Mon October 27th, 2008, 4:16 am

I just went and copied my post from the other forum. I think that list was top 20.

Ok, I have chewed over this list, jettisoning some to include others. I may change my mind tomorrow, or remember a book that was really special, but this is today's top 20, in order:

Prince of Foxes Samuel Shellabarger
The Shadow of the Moon M. M. Kaye
Shogun James Clavell
Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell
Captain From Castile Samuel Shellabarger
Lord Vanity Samuel Shellabarger
The Far Pavilions M. M. Kaye
Katherine Anya Seton
Lymond Chronicles Dorothy Dunnett
The Welsh Trilogy Sharon Kay Penman
The Merlin/ Arthur Series Mary Stewart
The King Must Die Mary Renault
The Mark of the Horse Lord Rosemary Sutcliffe
The Robe Lloyd Douglas
Below the Salt Thomas Costain
Hornblower Series Forester
The Witch of Blackbird Pond Elizabeth Speare
From Sea to Shinig Sea James Alexander Thom
A Vision of Light Judith Merkle Riley
Jubilee Trail -- Gwen Bristow
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sweetpotatoboy · Post by **sweetpotatoboy** » Mon October 27th, 2008, 12:41 pm

I put together a top 20 when we were doing this earlier this year at the former site:

1. I, Claudius - by Robert Graves
2. The Mists of Avalon - by Marion Zimmer Bradley
3. First Man in Rome (and following books) - by Colleen McCullough
4. The Memoirs of Cleopatra - by Margaret George
5. Poland - by James A. Michener
6. Augustus - by Allan Massie
7. The Source - by James A. Michener
8. The Death and Life of Miguel de Cervantes - by Stephen Marlowe
9. The History of Henry Esmond - by William Makepeace Thackeray
10. Alaska - by James A. Michener
11. The Family Moskat - by Isaac Bashevis Singer
12. Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles - by Margaret George
13. Chesapeake - by James A. Michener
14. The Covenant - by James A. Michener
15. The Josephine Bonaparte Trilogy - by Sandra Gulland
16. King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett
17. Russka - by Edward Rutherfurd
18. Murder Most Royal - by Jean Plaidy
19. The Founding - by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
20. Harold The King - by Helen Hollick

Christine Blevins · Post by **Christine Blevins** » Mon October 27th, 2008, 1:19 pm

On some of these, I only listed my very favorite title from that particular author:

Shogun - Clavell
The Winter King - Cornwell
I, Claudius - Graves
The Crimson Petel and the White - Faber
Sarum - Rutherford
The Dress Lodger - Holman
Pope Joan - Cross
Outlander - Gabaldon
Cold Mountain - Frazier
Long Knife - Alexander Thom
The First Man in Rome - McCullough
The Alienist - Carr
Flashman - MacDonald Fraser

Long Time Favorites:
The Three Musketeers - Dumas
Captain Blood - Sabatini
Little House on the Prairie - Ingalls Wilder
Little Women - Alcott
Caddie Woodlawn - Brink
Christy - Marshall

Historical Mystery Series Favorites:
The Gordianus the Finder Books - Saylor
The Nicholas Bracewell Books - Marston

tsjmom · Post by **tsjmom** » Wed October 29th, 2008, 9:16 pm

1. Through A Glass Darkly - Karleen Koen
2. To Dance With Kings - Rosalind Laker
3. Katherine - Anya Seton
4. The Book Thief - Marc Z. (?)
5. Annette Vallon - James Tipton
6. The Other Boleyn Girl - Phillippa Gregory
7. Courtesan - Diane Haeger
8. Mistress of the Revolution - Catherine Delors
9. Dark Angels - Karleen Koen

This is a fantastic topic!! You can see mine generally revolve around French history. I've read many more, but these are the ones that have a special place in my library - ones to reread someday

Tanzanite · Post by **Tanzanite** » Thu October 30th, 2008, 12:00 am

It was hard to limit to 10:

Here Be Dragons - Sharon Kay Penman
The Greatest Knight - Elizabeth Chadwick
Gildenford - Valerie Anand
Devil's Brood - Sharon Kay Penman
The Scarlet Lion - Elizabeth Chadwick
Katherine - Anya Seton
The Edge of Light - Joan Wolf
The Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory
Katherine in the Court of Six Queens - Anne Merton Abbey
The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons

Misfit · Post by **Misfit** » Thu October 30th, 2008, 12:28 am

The Edge of Light - Joan Wolf

Someone else who has read that! This was very early read a few years ago when I first started getting into HF and I loved it. The cover scared the h*** out of me when it came though. I was ashamed to be seen in public with it

Laura · Post by **Laura** » Thu October 30th, 2008, 5:33 pm

My list:
1. Here be Dragons (Welsh trilogy)
2. Harold The King
3. The Last Queen
4. Legacy
5. Katherine
6. Lady of Glen
7. Forever Amber
8. The Light Bearer
9. Memoirs of Hadrian
10. Memoirs of a Geisha