Notice: This is the official website of the All Empires History Community (Reg. 10 Feb 2002)

  FAQ FAQ  Forum Search   Register Register  Login Login

Historical Fiction in a Medieval Setting
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12
Author
  Share Topic Share Topic  Topic Search Topic Search  Topic Options Topic Options
Exarchus View Drop Down
General
General
Avatar

Joined: 18-Jan-2005
Location: France
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 760 		  Quote Exarchus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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.
Vae victis!
Back to Top
Aelfgifu View Drop Down
Caliph
Caliph
Avatar

Joined: 25-Jun-2006
Location: Netherlands
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3387 		  Quote Aelfgifu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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...Wink

Women hold their councils of war in kitchens: the knives are there, and the cups of coffee, and the towels to dry the tears.
Back to Top
Melisende View Drop Down
Pretorian
Pretorian
Avatar

Joined: 05-May-2006
Location: Australia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 157 		  Quote Melisende Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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.
"For my part, I adhere to the maxim of antiquity: The throne is a glorious sepulchre."
Back to Top
Exarchus View Drop Down
General
General
Avatar

Joined: 18-Jan-2005
Location: France
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 760 		  Quote Exarchus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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 :).
Vae victis!
Back to Top
Timotheus View Drop Down
Baron
Baron
Avatar

Joined: 15-Aug-2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 478 		  Quote Timotheus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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.


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.
Back to Top
Reginmund View Drop Down
Arch Duke
Arch Duke


Joined: 08-May-2005
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1943 		  Quote Reginmund Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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...Wink
 
I know, I was just making an ass of myself. Wink
 
Believability is the key, and flaws not only make characters believable but also far more interesting.
Back to Top
bochgoch View Drop Down
Immortal Guard
Immortal Guard
Avatar

Joined: 02-Nov-2006
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 0 		  Quote bochgoch Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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
Owain Glyndwr the last King of Wales~learn more
Back to Top
Mosquito View Drop Down
Caliph
Caliph
Avatar
Suspended

Joined: 05-Aug-2004
Location: Sarmatia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 2537 		  Quote Mosquito Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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 novelLOL
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Edited by Mosquito - 06-Dec-2006 at 16:13
"I am a pure-blooded Polish nobleman, without a single drop of bad blood, certainly not German blood" - Friedrich Nietzsche
Back to Top
Denis View Drop Down
Shogun
Shogun
Avatar

Joined: 31-Dec-2006
Location: Ireland
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 207 		  Quote Denis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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
"Death belongs to God alone. By what right do men touch that unknown thing"

Victor Hugo
Back to Top
pekau View Drop Down
Caliph
Caliph
Avatar
Atlantean Prophet

Joined: 08-Oct-2006
Location: Korea, South
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3335 		  Quote pekau Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06-Jan-2007 at 22:28
Timeline is pretty good.
     
   
Join us.
Back to Top
milns View Drop Down
Janissary
Janissary
Avatar

Joined: 25-May-2006
Location: Latvia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 27 		  Quote milns Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post 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
Un beidzot liecas un sašķīst viss kristīgo bars -
Nav pārspējams šodien tiem zemgaļu niknums un kaujas spars!
Back to Top
 Post Reply Post Reply Page  <12

Forum Jump Forum Permissions View Drop Down

Bulletin Board Software by Web Wiz Forums® version 9.56a [Free Express Edition]
Copyright ©2001-2009 Web Wiz

This page was generated in 0.031 seconds.