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Exarchus
General
Joined: 18-Jan-2005
Location: France
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Posts: 760
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Topic: Historical Fiction in a Medieval Setting Posted: 28-Nov-2006 at 13:29 |
The Accursed Kings by Maurice Druon... hands down the best I know.
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Vae victis!
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Aelfgifu
Caliph
Joined: 25-Jun-2006
Location: Netherlands
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Posts: 3387
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Posted: 28-Nov-2006 at 23:58 |
Originally posted by Reginmund
Nobody wants a book full of decrepit, weakling men and ugly, obese women anyway. |
Nope, but no-one wants to read about smug, self obsessed, and "perfect" people either. To enjoy a book one needs to be able to relate to the lead characters, and I don't relate well to people who thing they are perfect...
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Women hold their councils of war in kitchens: the knives are there, and the cups of coffee, and the towels to dry the tears.
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Melisende
Pretorian
Joined: 05-May-2006
Location: Australia
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Posts: 157
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Posted: 29-Nov-2006 at 01:46 |
I saw "Les Rois Maudits" as a five part telemovie a couple of months ago - it was in French - but was quite good.
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"For my part, I adhere to the maxim of antiquity: The throne is a glorious sepulchre."
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Exarchus
General
Joined: 18-Jan-2005
Location: France
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Posts: 760
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Posted: 29-Nov-2006 at 08:00 |
Originally posted by Melisende
I saw "Les Rois Maudits" as a five part telemovie a couple of months ago - it was in French - but was quite good. |
It's the Accursed Kings actually :).
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Vae victis!
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Timotheus
Baron
Joined: 15-Aug-2006
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Posts: 478
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Posted: 29-Nov-2006 at 20:18 |
Originally posted by Emperor Barbarossa
Mosquito, do you know if they are going to translate Sapkowski's books into English? I am very interested in the Hussites, and there are next to no books in English that are below $50.
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Barbarossa - if you don't mind reading from a Christian's perspective, Deborah Alcock, one of the foremost writers of historical fiction of the 19th century wrote a book on them - it's called "Crushed yet Conquering" and is published by Inheritance Press. It costs $50 on Amazon but $18.50 at http://www.godutch.com/catalogue/bookN.asp?id=566 and I'm sure if you look around on Froogle you might find an even better deal. It is remarkably well researched - the most significant (and almost the only) historical errors are in the final chapter, which seems a little tacked on. She deals mainly with the martyrdom of Hus and the period between his death and the First Defenestration.
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Reginmund
Arch Duke
Joined: 08-May-2005
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Posts: 1943
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Posted: 01-Dec-2006 at 08:15 |
Originally posted by Aelfgifu
Nope, but no-one wants to read about smug, self obsessed, and "perfect" people either. To enjoy a book one needs to be able to relate to the lead characters, and I don't relate well to people who thing they are perfect... |
I know, I was just making an ass of myself.
Believability is the key, and flaws not only make characters believable but also far more interesting.
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bochgoch
Immortal Guard
Joined: 02-Nov-2006
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Posts: 0
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Posted: 06-Dec-2006 at 14:05 |
Julian Rathbone's The Last English King and Kings of Albion stand out for me -- very strong in invoking another time in an understandable manner
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Mosquito
Caliph
Suspended
Joined: 05-Aug-2004
Location: Sarmatia
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Posts: 2537
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Posted: 06-Dec-2006 at 15:44 |
Originally posted by Emperor Barbarossa
Mosquito, do you know if they are going to translate Sapkowski's books into English? I am very interested in the Hussites, and there are next to no books in English that are below $50. |
Sorry for late answer but i havent been checking this board for a while.
I have no idea if Sapkowski (and his Bohemian trilogy) will be translated into english. Some of his books are translated into other eastern european languages (i saw on Amazon one translated into French) but i have no idea if there is anything in english.
The books of Sapkowski about Hussites are in fact Fantasy books. But they are historically very strict, there is no fiction in describing world and facts.
At the first look the books seems to be historic novels. Action takes place in the 15th century during hussite wars. The historic backrground is really good and well described. But its hard to say that it is real historic novel because it has second bottom. Medieval ages were famous for burning witches and wizzards and in these books they really exists. So in the completelly historical world we find a group of people who are usually the professors or students of medieval european universities but in the same time they are secretelly practicing magic and alchemy and often they can be found behind the real historical events and battles.
The Pope called for crusade against Czech heretics under the command of Henri de Beaufort who invaded Bohemia and was cut on pieces by the hussite army. All historical events and characters are well described but behind them there is a lot of magic. So it is kinda unique like for a fantasy book because if you could kick out from books all magic events and people who practice magery you would have left with really good historic novel
Edited by Mosquito - 06-Dec-2006 at 16:13
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"I am a pure-blooded Polish nobleman, without a single drop of bad blood, certainly not German blood" - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Denis
Shogun
Joined: 31-Dec-2006
Location: Ireland
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Posts: 207
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Posted: 31-Dec-2006 at 10:47 |
Originally posted by Joinville
Try Umberto Eco's "The Name of the Rose".
(I couldn't really recommend his later "Baudolino" though.) |
I'll second that one
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"Death belongs to God alone. By what right do men touch that unknown thing"
Victor Hugo
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pekau
Caliph
Atlantean Prophet
Joined: 08-Oct-2006
Location: Korea, South
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Posts: 3335
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Posted: 06-Jan-2007 at 22:28 |
Timeline is pretty good.
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Join us.
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milns
Janissary
Joined: 25-May-2006
Location: Latvia
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Posts: 27
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Posted: 08-Jan-2007 at 15:15 |
Well, try Tolkien. His books have some kind of medieval background (swords and stuff)
Edited by milns - 08-Jan-2007 at 15:16
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Un beidzot liecas un sašķīst viss kristīgo bars -
Nav pārspējams šodien tiem zemgaļu niknums un kaujas spars!
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