I love historical fiction.
Whether it's time travel, or it's a take on the era from an unlikely character, or a fantasy, or a romance... I love them. (Not, of course, the badly written ones; there are some of those in every genre.)
Maybe it's the fact that you can imagine the events actually happening.
Or maybe it's just the amazing characters.
Or perhaps the covers...
So HERE are my top three novels set in the past, along with my top three favorite historical movies...
Bloody Jack by L.A. MeyerReduced to begging and thievery in the streets of London, a thirteen-year-old orphan disguises herself as a boy and connives her way onto a British warship set for high sea adventure in search of pirates.
Soulless by Gail CarrigerSee my fan made trailer here.
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
The Pirate Queen by Alan GoldGrace O'Malley commanded a dozen ships and the obedience of thousands of men. Her empire stretched from Connaught on the Irish coast to the cobalt aters of Africa. Through the daring of her piracy, Grace nearly bankrupted the English treasury-and her outright defiance brought embarrassment to Elizabeth I. Yet the lives of these two amazing women were inextricably intertwined-and their eventual meeting during the most brilliant and romantic era that Europe has ever known would shock the world.
And top three movies...
(Come on, after reading the blog, you guys should expect these first two.)
This was inspired because I watched The Young Victoria yesterday. Such a good movie... for those into things like that. (If you don't like history, you really won't like it, though the romance is amazing.)
What are your thoughts of historical fiction?
I LOVE historical fiction, but I hesitate when it comes to romances. I've read a few that have caught my interest ... but sometimes, I feel as though the authors are trying too hard to get it to sound historical, and it ends up being a forced mess.
ReplyDeleteGreat choices, by the way. ;) I haven't seen The Young Victoria. It looks wonderful, though.
I really enjoy historical fiction. The adventures usually involved catch my attention :)
ReplyDeleteHave they redone the covers for L.A. Meyer's series?
ReplyDeleteI lvoe historical fiction, too. Jeez, I thought I was the only one ... (I am genreally the only one in everything.) SOme of my favourites are the Cat Royal series and Petals in the Ashes by Mary Hooper- so brilliant. If you haven't read them, you should check them out.
ReplyDeleteSteph - Yup. You can see some of the new ones in my last Friday Fronts post, or head on over to B&N's website - they have a lot of the new versions up for grabs already.
ReplyDeleteThe Book Bug - The Cat Royal series is actually on my WANT list. Glad you like it; I have more hope for reading it now.
I just got Bloody Jack out from the library and I can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard of Dorothy Dunnett? She passed away a few years ago, but wrote two amazing historical fiction series. The first was called the Lymond Chronicles - six books following a fictional minor Scottish nobleman in the 16th century. The second series is called The House of Niccolo - I think it was 8 books long and was set in 15th century Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium, etc).
ReplyDeleteThese books are not for the faint of heart. Dunnett expected her readers to be willing to work for the story. There are all kinds of random historical references, phrases in foreign languages that aren't explained, incredibly detailed research into everyday life, etc. But, don't let that put you off. These books are also rousing action adventures with intricate plot twists and turns. They are often cited as some as the best historical fiction ever written.
I love historical fiction :)
ReplyDeleteI so want to see the Young Victoria after that trailer and that you think it's good. I also really enjoy the Tudors history series. One of my favorite historical movies besides Pride & Prejudice is Idlewild. It was so interesting.
I'm so behind in the Bloody Jack series. Have you read Pirates by Celia Rees? One of my favorite historical fiction reads. I also liked Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins (such a sad ending), A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott, Good Fortune by Noni Carter. A classic series is the Royal Diaries series. I loved it when I was younger. I should re-read it.
I don't read much historical fiction dedicated exclusively to romance.
There's nothing like reading a great historical fiction book and your list is really good. I especially like the top pick, Bloody Jack. Thanks also for the cool trailers! You might also like another great book by Robert Fripp called, "Power of a Woman." The author takes you through the personal memoirs of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who gives a full account of her life to her secretary in such an interesting way. I think you should check this one out!
ReplyDeleteI'm slowly getting into historical fiction. Thanks to blogging, I'm reading more things I used to not read. I've been curious about Bloody Jack so I will have to try out the series. Thanks for this post, it made me decide to read that and also SOULLESS, which I had been hemming and hawing over getting.
ReplyDelete