Getting Medieval on your....
By hvedra
@hvedra (1619)
June 10, 2010 10:25am CST
BOOKSHELF!
Can anyone recommend some fictional tales of Medieval life? I'm happy with anything set between 600 and 1600!
However, I don't like "whodunnits" or romance novels. Other than that I'm open to suggestions.
I've recently read and enjoyed Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth and I really liked Sylvian Hamilton's books. I wasn't too impressed with Candace Robb or Elizabeth Chadwick and thought that Phillipa Gregory was AWFUL.
I did like Alison Weir's novel about Lady Jane Grey and also Cynthia Harrod Eagles' earlier books in the Morland Dynasty (until she got to about 1600!).
I also didn't like Tim Severin's Viking book but I did like Mary Gentle's Ash even if that was an "alternate history".
So folks, do you know of some good historical fiction set in the Medieval Period?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@Torunn (8606)
• Norway
11 Jun 10
Well, I've read a few, and I think you can find all of them in English so they don't have to be from England here's my recommandations.
Sigrid Undset's triology Kristin Lavransdatter is really good IMO. It's from Medieval Norway, and follows the life of Kristin, daughter of Lavrans, and her family. If I remember correctly, the authors father was a history professor or something like that and she knew her history. She has written other stories from Medieval Scandinavia too.
I also liked The Icelandic Bell of Haldor Laxness, set in Iceland and Denmark. 18th century, so a bit late, but Iceland was a bit after the rest of Europe at that time.
Kåre Holt has written a triology called The King about King Sverre Sigurdsson, it's great but I can't find anything online about it being translated.
I can't remember names now, but I've also read some great stuff written by Russians. I read them in Norwegian so I'm pretty sure there should be English translations too. And after having checked those Viking books I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have liked them either. I'm a bit picky when it comes to Vikings :-)
2 people like this
@hvedra (1619)
•
23 Jun 10
I'm also a bit picky about the Vikings! The more you know about a period of history the less tolerant you are of, shall we say, the author projecting what they think it should have been like rather than sticking to something plausible *. There, that's about as diplomatic as I can be! 
I'll keep an eye out for the authors you mentioned. Thanks for your response.
* Yes, Tim Severin, I mean you with that "Seidr is Irish"** crud, which got your book hurled across the room in disgust.
** because we all know that anything spiritual or magical MUST be Celtic in origin...
I'll keep an eye out for the authors you mentioned. Thanks for your response.
* Yes, Tim Severin, I mean you with that "Seidr is Irish"** crud, which got your book hurled across the room in disgust.
** because we all know that anything spiritual or magical MUST be Celtic in origin...@hvedra (1619)
•
23 Jun 10
Yup! I threw the book across the room and said a few things that Mylot won't let me put here 
.
There seems to be a thing with various historical authors that any character who does "magic" or that any magic must come from a "Celtic" source despite any and all overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
"With her Welsh ancestry people thought she was a witch" and so on. Drives me loopy and has stopped me finishing quite a few books. I don't have a problem with Celtic forms of religion and magic, just the assumption that any and all paganism, magic or spirituality must be Celtic.
I'll stop ranting now! 
.
There seems to be a thing with various historical authors that any character who does "magic" or that any magic must come from a "Celtic" source despite any and all overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
"With her Welsh ancestry people thought she was a witch" and so on. Drives me loopy and has stopped me finishing quite a few books. I don't have a problem with Celtic forms of religion and magic, just the assumption that any and all paganism, magic or spirituality must be Celtic.
I'll stop ranting now! 
@bestboy19 (5478)
• United States
10 Jun 10
I don't know the periods these are in, but have you tried Bernard Cornwell's Saxon Stories, Arthur Books, Azincourt, or Grail Quest? I enjoyed his Sharpe books and the few modern times books of his that I have. I think he's a good story teller.
@oldchem1 (8132)
•
10 Jun 10
These could be a bit short for you.
Years of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks is nearly 400 pages long and aboiut the plague in a Derbyshire village
Down the Common: A Year in the Life of a Medieval Woman: A Novel by Ann Baer, is only about 250 pages and is about a carpenter's wife in the Medieval time
2 people like this
@aquariand (464)
•
10 Jun 10
The Archers Tale by bernard cornwall is a good read it is set in the medievil period and is a novel about an archer who joins King Edward the thirds army as he prepares to launch an invasion of france but he ends up on a quest for the holy grail.
2 people like this
@wickedspies (965)
• United States
10 Jun 10
I loved the pillars of the earth but a different author i think lol! my all time favorite book. Well theres this series I read in high school I think its called the elfstones of shinnara or something like that its got a pretty decent volume for the series but it was a good read I thought. Lemme know if you find anything good!
