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Original poster

Historical Fiction recommendations please?

54 replies

jacksonlambsregulardisorder · 04/08/2025 10:27

Good morning all,

I love historical fiction and am looking for recommendations, please. I'm not particularly committed to any time period but would probably not choose Ancient (never been particularly interested) or Tudor (which I do like but have read much too much of recently!). My favourite authors are Mantell, Harris, Boyd etc. What have I missed that you recommend?

Many thanks in advance.

OP posts:
REP22 · 04/08/2025 10:40

Philippa Gregory (she wrote The Other Boleyn Girl) has done a good series on "the cousins war" (War of the Roses) which I enjoyed. They are The White Queen, followed by The Red Queen, The Kingmaker's Daughter, The Lady of the Rivers and The White Princess. They cover the period from the death of Joan of Arc up to the birth and childhood of the future Henry VIII, and are very well-done. The BBC made a couple of mini-series based on the books.

DancefloorAcrobatics · 04/08/2025 10:38

I am currently reading The Story Spinner by Barbara Erskine. It's a mix of Welsh folklore and Roman history with a bit of modern magic added!
Its an easy read not to heavy- the characters are based on historical figures, but very little is known about them or their time period. So the author had a lot of artistic freedom!

Charabanc · 04/08/2025 10:30

I had a Wars of the Roses jag recently. Read two differing authors - Phillipa Gregory, and Conn Iggulden. For different aspects of the same period.

MissAmbrosia · 04/08/2025 10:29

I adore the Sunne in Splendour - about Richard III and Nora Loft's House Trilogy.