List your favorite Top 10 Historical Fiction Reads

Ani · Post by **Ani** » Wed May 27th, 2009, 4:03 am

I forgot "Conscience of the King" by Alfred Duggan. Heck, all of Duggan is worth reading, as is the entire canon of Renault.

Leo62 · Post by **Leo62** » Wed May 27th, 2009, 9:22 am

ooh yes I adored Mary Renault as a teenager. Definitely on my "must re-read" list - Last of the Wine was a particular favourite.

laktor · Post by **laktor** » Sat October 2nd, 2010, 9:26 pm

My all-time faves in no particular order:

Aztec, Gary Jennings
The Source, James Michener
Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry
London, Edward Rutherfurd
North and South Trilogy (3 books), John Jakes
Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
The Far Pavilions, M.M. Kaye
Chesapeake, James Michener
Roots, Alex Haley

Whatjusthappened · Post by **Whatjusthappened** » Sun October 3rd, 2010, 11:43 am

The Baroque Cycle - Neal Stephenson (all time favorite read)
The Sharpe Series - Bernard Cornwell
Give Your Heart to the Hawks - Win Belvins
The Frontiersmen - Allan Eckert
Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
Shogun - James Clavell
The Source - James Michner
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
The Leatherstocking Tales - James Fennimore Cooper
Long Knife - James Alexander Thom

LoobyG · Post by **LoobyG** » Sun October 3rd, 2010, 11:55 am

I've not spotted this thread before, what fun! Just 10 though? Okay, here goes:

Gone with the wind by Margaret Mitchell
Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
Angelique: Marquis of the Angels by Sergeanne Golon
Daughter of Satan by Jean Plaidy
On the beach by Nevil Shute (not strictly HF but I love it anyway)
Mary of Carisbrooke by Margaret Campbell Barnes
Katherine by Anya Seton
Josephine Bonaparte trilogy by Sandra Gulland
Mary Queen of France by Jean Plaidy
Murder Most Royal by Jean Plaidy

I could go on...and on...

Ash · Post by **Ash** » Sun October 3rd, 2010, 3:13 pm

On the beach by Nevil Shute No, I wouldn't call it HF at all; tho maybe speculative HF, but Apocolyptic Sci Fi comes closer to it. I agree tho, its an excellent read, one I've reread many times. That book and Canticles of Leibowitz are probably my two favorites of that genre. Have you read any of Shutes other work? A Town Called Alice and Far Country are HF, and quite excellent.

rockygirl · Post by **rockygirl** » Sun October 3rd, 2010, 3:22 pm

I couldn't do books, a whole series of favorites could wipe out the top ten.

So here's my top ten books and series:

1. First Man in Rome (and rest of the series) by Colleen McCullough
2. Margaret George--all of them
3. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross
4. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
5. The Marcus Didius Falco Series by Lindsey Davis
6. The SPQR series by John Maddox Roberts
7. The Gaslight series by Victoria Thompson
8. Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
9. The Alienist by Caleb Carr
10. and the series that started it all for me--The Little House books

LoobyG · Post by **LoobyG** » Sun October 3rd, 2010, 5:24 pm

[quote=""Ash""]On the beach by Nevil Shute No, I wouldn't call it HF at all; tho maybe speculative HF, but Apocolyptic Sci Fi comes closer to it. I agree tho, its an excellent read, one I've reread many times. That book and Canticles of Leibowitz are probably my two favorites of that genre. Have you read any of Shutes other work? A Town Called Alice and Far Country are HF, and quite excellent.[/quote]

You're quite right Ash, 'On the Beach' is apocolyptic sci-fi, it just instantly springs to mind when I think about my favourite reads! It's just so well done, and a book that stays with you long after you finish it. Funnily enough, I've got a lot of Shutes on Mt. TBR and 'The Far Country' and 'A Town Called Alice' are the only other two I've read so far, and both were great reads.

Brenna · Post by **Brenna** » Sun October 3rd, 2010, 10:33 pm

Sunne in Splendour-SKP (my first HF)
Here Be Dragons-SKP (the whole Wales triology would be on here)
Pope Joan-Donna Woolfolk Cross
Katherine-Anya Seton
Marshall Trilogy-EC
Nefertiti-Michelle Moran
Legacy-Susan Kay
The Last Queen-C.W Gortner
Into the Wilderness Series (all of them)-S. Donati
Within the Fetterlock-B. Wainwright

SCW · Post by **SCW** » Mon November 1st, 2010, 11:08 am

Here are some of my favourite historical novels/ These are the ones where the covers have fallen off, due to me over-reading them.
I Claudius: Robert Graves
Gone With the Wind: Margaret Mitchell
Green Darkness: Anya Seton
Forever Amber: Kathleen Winsor
Catherine De Medici Trilogy: Jean Plaidy
Legacy: Susan Kay
The Sunne in Splendour (SKP)
Here Be Dragons (SKP)
The Bronze Horseman (Paullina Simons)
The Far Pavilions (M M Kaye)