
Beyond Mantel: Historical novels - lermontov
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/29/an-escape-wonderful-historical-fiction
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vijayr02
My favourite sub-genre here is the historical murder mystery. Here are a few
recommendations:

Shardlake series (set in Tudor England). Highly recommended, especially
Revelation.

Paul Doherty's works: short and sweet books you can finish in a day or two,
and the whodunit plots are quite good too. Especially recommend the Canterbury
Tales at Night series, others are Hugh Corbett (set in the reign of Edward I)
and Brother Athelstan (reign of Richard II)

And of course the good old faithfuls: Ellis Peters' Cadfael (set during the
original Troubles - 12th century England) Agatha Christie's Death comes as the
end
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Comes_as_the_End](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Comes_as_the_End))

Happy arm chair crime solving!

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KaiserPro
Its a shame that the flashman chronicles are not mentioned.

I suspect that its omitted because of the use of contemporary language and
attitudes to colonialism that would shock those of a twitter "pile on"
persuasion.

However unlike the vast majority of the novels mentioned, Flashman has a rich
bibliography and good footnotes. This means that if you don't believe the
story, you can check the first hand sources yourself.

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pjc50
> Flashman has a rich bibliography and good footnotes. This means that if you
> don't believe the story, you can check the first hand sources yourself.

What does this mean? Flashman is fiction. Versimilitude is not the same as
accuracy.

~~~
KaiserPro
Flashman _is_ fiction, but the events he is dropped into, and the characters
that he interacts with are real.

Which is the danger of historical novels, that the characterisation of
historical figures are changed to fit the narrative.

Which is why I love the links to the primary sources to see if the author is
talking porkies or not.

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fsloth
“The Egyptian” by Mika Waltari is a bit rare in English but it’s really a
stupefyingly good historical novel. There is also a Hollywood film from 1954
but can’t really recommend it. The book is timeless, and describes all sorts
things a person can face in a complex society (while retaining a historical
context). It’s a bit like Catch-22 but without the humour, but the dark tone
results in a cathartic reading experience.

The protagonist is effectively an expert professional and a fallible human
rather than a Mary-sue swashbuckler - and as such is very relatable.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Egyptian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Egyptian)

~~~
stevekemp
That's a good recommendation, which I would second. The other books are also
worth reading, but I found less interesting. (I have English translations of
The Wanderer, and The Explorer.)

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KineticLensman
I find that historical novels by science fiction authors can be very
rewarding, especially when they use their world building skills to bring the
past to life. The Baroque cycle by Neal Stephenson comes up from time to time
on HN, but one of my favourite examples is 'Hild' [0] by Nicola Griffith,
which is an excellent interpretation of seventh century Britain, focusing on
the young woman who was to become known to us as Hilda of Whitby.

[0]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hild_(novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hild_\(novel\))

~~~
zzedd
Thanks, I'll give it a go. My favourite historical fiction is Dan Simmons'
novel, The Terror [0]. I think it stays pretty close to the known historical
record and characters, but adds a fantasy element to glue the story threads
together.

0\.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terror_(novel)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Terror_\(novel\))

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froasty
Dorothy Dunnett is _the_ hidden gem of historical novelists. If you mashed up
the romanticism of Dumas, the Machiavellianism of Martin, and the polymathic
nature of Joyce, you would have something approaching the _Lymond Chronicles_
, a seamlessly interwoven exploration of 16th century Europe.

Dunnett is without peer, Mantel included. I cannot recommend her works enough.

Here is someone else's review that does her justice, unlike mine:

[https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/153390106](https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/153390106)

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cafard
FM Ford's _The Fifth Queen_ is well-written, fairly short, and includes some
of the same personnel as Mantel's novels.

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irremediable
_I, Claudius_ is a classic that I only discovered recently.

~~~
cafard
Have a look at John Williams's _Augustus_ for another view.

