Historical Fiction recommendations?

Here's a few of my favorites:

The Agony and The Ecstasy by Irving Stone. It's a fictional biography of the life of Michelangelo.

I, Claudius by Robert Graves. The story of the early Roan Emperors from the perspective of the future Emperor Claudius. Probably the finest historical novel ever written.

King Jesus also by Robert Graves. Highly controversial and full of some questionable assumptions, the novel is still provocative and enlightening.

Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. A charged look into democracy's first and greatest stand by the Spartans. (much better than the Hollywood version 300).

Joan of Arc by Mark Twain. An overlooked masterpiece drawn from historical records that paints Joan as one of the most fascinating characters in all of history.

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M Auel which is set in prehistoric Europe

I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves set in Rome

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough set in Australia at the turn of the century

My Antonia By Willa Cather set in 19th c Nebraska

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver set in 1950s Africa

James Michner is the king of historical fiction. They're excessively well researched and characters are often real people. He usually covers the history from the first people in the area to a major event in the last 2 centuries. There's many more, but these are the ones I've read.

Self explanitory titles:

Texas

Hawaii

Alaska

Chesapeake

Caribbian

Mexico

Poland

Tales of The South Pacific (the musical South Pacific was based on this)

Not self-explanitory titles:

The Source takes place in Israel

Caravans takes place in Afghanistan

The Covenant takes place in South Africa

Centennial takes place in Colorado

Journey takes place in Canada

I'll second I, Claudius. I stayed up all night reading it. It's a great book. The Hornblower series by CS Forester is good, as are the Master and Commander novels by Patrick O'Brian and the Sharpe's series by Bernard Cornwell.

certainly one of my prominent historic fiction books is physician Zhivago. It occurs for the time of world conflict I in Russia and via the Russian Revolution. Its a narrative some guy (physician Zhivago) and a love affair he has with this different female, Lara. It in actuality chronicles his existence (and hers) over the span of roughly 20-30 years, beginning from young human beings interior the early 1900s to the mid-previous due 20s (and area of the e book is going directly to the Nineteen Thirties). it is this reallyyy super romantic epic. it may look somewhat boring at situations, because of the fact the author mixes alot of political philosophy into it via skill of fiction. working example, now and returned he will initiate a financial disaster with a thoroughly unimportant and random character to tutor how existence grow to be decrease than different governments Russia went via. yet another good historic fiction e book is a hundred Years of Solitude. i in my opinion cherished this one extra advantageous than physician Zhivago. It occurs interior the 1800s (does not rather specify) interior the fictitious city of Macondo. It occurs in South u . s . a ., extra rather Columbia (returned, it in no way specifies, yet you may tell it does.) It follows the Buendia family contributors over a span of a hundred years, and it is barely so interesting. It includes magical realism -- as in, unusual, magical issues are hardship-free and no-one rather takes word of them. it is an exceptionally unusual, theory-scary novel. the super Gatsby is yet another rather good fictional e book, approximately intense-type existence interior the Nineteen Twenties. it relatively is all I even have suited now for historic fiction. in case you prefer to study an enticing novel on the subject of the Renaissance in Italy, study Dante's Divine Comedy. it is made out of three books: The Inferno, Purgatory, and ultimately Paradise. i've got basically study the Inferno, yet i'm hoping to get around to analyzing the different 2 quickly. Its rather weird and wonderful. Dante is in actuality taken in this holiday via Hell, and his handbook is Virgil. He passes via each and every of the jewelry of hell, each and every of the whilst encountering human beings that he's regularly occurring with (i think of it relatively is almost humorous -- he locations his enemies in hell in his own e book!!) and that they are in different jewelry, touching on the sin they committed (lust, gluttony, wrath, and so on.) It grow to be written interior the 1300s, basically because of the fact the Renaissance grow to be beginning up in Italy.

Johnny Got His Gun