/lit/ - Literature

Pillars of the Earth is one of my favourites. It's set in 12th century England and follows the building of a cathedral in the midst of a civil war

there's this guy called thomas pynchon, you probably haven't heard of him :)

>>16367453
Is baudolino good?
I read the name of the rose and enjoyed it. Would love to read some more Eco but I've heard his other stuff like Foucault's Pendulum is a lot denser.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Angel_(Waltari_novel)

>>16367564
It's great and isn't all that dense. Even if you hate it you'll learn something about history

>>16367453

>>16367564
Foucault pendulum isn't all that dense. Prose-wise is very plain in fact. It all comes down to on how much you enjoy reading about people discussing obscure history facts.
Baudolino is another thing entirely is more like an adventure tale very different from the brooding atmosphere of the name of the rose.
Also The Cemetery of Prague is really really good imo

>>16367606
Didn't like this one at all. After a while I became to the gruesome description and all that was left was boredom

>>16367612

>>16367618
then one you haven't read with no gruesome descriptions but you will still probably find boring - as historical fiction often is

>>16367619
A virgin antisemitic schizo who's also a glutton? I can't believe it

>>16367630
This looks very interesting actually

>>16367453
River Gods by Wilbur Smith

>>16367714
This has to be the weirdest selection ever. Stuff that's only 'historical' because it's old like Bronte, stuff that's myth like White, stuff that's counterfactual, stuff that's biographical - but old. Seriously, what the fuck?

>>16367453
Read Wolf Hall and the sequels if you haven't yet. Some of the best in recent years. Detailed, good feeling for the time period, actual literary value.

>>16367494
No, the only good part is the architectural details. Terrible characters with anachronistically modern views. Cartoon villains.

>>16367612
>It all comes down to on how much you enjoy reading about people discussing obscure history facts
I like that very much, thank you.

>>16368400
yeah, this list makes no fucking sense

Currently reading The Kindly Ones. It’s incredible so far.

>>16367607
Based

>>16367453
i like white italian armor.

Zola I guess. Never read him myself, but heard others speak well of especially Germinal.

What's the point of historical fiction? Why does the author decide to tell his story in a historical setting? I am genuinely curious

>>16368888
because modern times suck and are not kino

pre-historic fiction

The first two have their flaws, but after that they just keep getting better and better.

>>16367453
Not bad, but not going to considered a masterpiece either. Has some pretty brutal parts and mentions rape a lot, if thats your thing. It was at least good enough to warrant a read of the rest of the series.

I'm halfway through pic related and am not really sure what to make of it. It's definitely well-written and the author seems to know the period well, but it also seems like one of those books that won't make sense to you until you reach the final page.
The way it's written is also pretty interesting. The original Russian text apparently uses a mix of archaic language and anachronistic slang, and I think the translator did a pretty good job of conveying the same feeling of anachronism in English. There are several characters in the novel who seem to experience the passage of time in a non-linear way, and the point of view has jumped forward to 20C Russia at least once so far. I like the idea of a historical novel that actually has the concept of history and time as one of its central themes, but to be honest I'm still not entirely sure where the author is going with it all.
I'll probably make a post about my thoughts once I'm done, it's a very interesting book.

Ivanhoe, Waverley, basically anything by Walter Scott. It's foundational to the genre and still holds up today. Seriously great books.

I read something a few years ago called 'The Year of the French' about the United Irishman rebellion and the French invasion to assist it. The book was really fantastic. Author's named Thomas Flannagan He's got some other stuff in a similar vein but I can't vouch for it.

CS Forester's Hornblower series is really good fun, though not as literary as the other books on this list.

>>16368888
putting in funny anachronisms like star trek hand signs :)

>>16367453
Memories of Hadrian, The Abyss, both by Yourcenar
I, Claudius
Augustus
Musashi, Tale of Heike and Taiko, all by Yoshikawa

>>16368870
I don't think it's historical fiction if he's writing of his own era. That's just naturalism. I guess you'd look into it for a more accurate depiction of some period.

haven't read it, but there was a guy on here who used to insist that Joseph and his Brothers is Thomas Mann's best novel, so probably that one.

>>16367453

>>16367453
The Death of Virgil
The original author was so meticulous in getting the English translation right that the roastie who was helping him had a mental breakdown after completing it.

>>16367453
The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle and it’s prequel Sir Nigel. Micah Clarke is also a good novel by Doyle as well.
Plus pretty much anything by Walter Scott, Ivanhoe and Quentin Durward are my personal favourites

>>16369055
I was thinking about buying this, is it at least worth a buy?

>>16367453
The Sunne in Splendor

>>16370430
Yes, I like what I've read of it so far.

>>16370530
Wonderful, how does it read? I'm looking for more mystical spirituality, and don't want it to be some sporadic russophiles wet dream.

>>16367453
Quo Vadis.

>>16370704
The prose, at least in translation, is straightforward and uncomplicated. The mysticism is one of the parts of the plot I'm still not entirely clear on, but while it's obviously inspired by Orthodox Christianity, it doesn't feel like something written by a monk or a priest.

FLASHMAN

When I was younger I like GA Henty (although his stuff was quite formulaic) and the Hornblower and Sharpe books

>>16370758
Interesting, is it at all like Ostrov (not by setting but in terms of its vividness in mystical parts). If you haven't seen the film I suggest you do.

>>16367612
Pendulum isn't even boring. It's one of the few books that made me laugh out loud. The whole scene when the fake Comte de Saint Germain has the meeting in his house and the fight breaks out, it's just so completely surreal and hilarious.