recommend historical fiction thread

[holy king]

the prague cemetery by umberto eco.

it's about how the protocols of the elders of zion came to be. also, identity, memory and a lot of scheming.

 

[Leoreth]

Does anyone know a good historical novel set during the Congress of Vienna? There are so many fascinating historical figures involved that it could make for a great story in the hands of a talented writer.

 

[H4run]

I don't really like novel, and I always avoid it. Except to some of Russian writter like Chekov, Dostoyevsky or Gorky. Or some writter that I consider funny like Bernard Shaw and Voltaire.

But this novel, I even dare to give a second read, and I already did :

Eiji Yoshikawa- Taiko

This is nearly a history book, picturing the three influential leader in Japan. Oda Nobunaga, Hideyoshi Toyotomi and Tokugawa Ieyasu.

As I also read Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa, and I read other sources about Musashi history also his own book "the book of five ring" I see there is nothing goes out from the plot of history comparing to what Eiji Yoshikawa write except on some different perspective regarding his final battle with Sasaki Kojiro.

Which the author siding more to Musashi than Sasaki Kojiro. But so far nothing goes so far from the track.

 

[H4run]

but there might be a history dramatization like a character of Matahachi in Musashi, I don't know if it real or fiction, but the girl and Jotaro is historically available also the duel and everything. If someone know about it, inform me.

 

[Lord Baal]

Would Shogun count? It's set in Japan during Ieyasu Tokugawa's rise to power, but all the players have their names altered. It's very, very bloody good.

 

[H4run]

Honestly I'm thinking about that also in my mind, Shogun a novel by James Clavel.

I read that novel when I was a little, I remember I can't finish the book

Spoiler :

I stop at the part when Mariko is death

. But years later I finish the story by watching the movie.

Yeah the story quite interesting but all the character and name are heavily changes. Eiyasu become Toranaga. Also wife of Hideyoshi become Lady Ichiba or something. Even in general it is a historical novel but I don't know all of the content are historically can be hold responsible.

Like the arrival of English and Dutch crew in Japan also a British Hatamoto but at least it triple time more historically correct than the last samurai

 

[Flying Pig]

Nominating I, Claudius, which is up there in my top five books of any genre.

 

[Glassfan]

James Michener's The Source, is an old favorite of mine. He employs the device of an excavation at an archaeological site, with the chronological chapters of the book organized according to the stratigraphic layers of the dig.