Best Historical Fiction Books of 2016

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Best Historical Fiction Books of 2016

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1Andrew-theQM
Dec 29, 2016, 12:13 pm

What have been the best historical fiction books you have read during 2016. Please share to inspire our reading during 2017. Feel free to name as many that fit your criteria for best reads.

2marell
Dec 29, 2016, 2:35 pm

Dictator by Robert Harris, third book in the excellent trilogy about Cicero, after Imperium and Conspirata.

3Storeetllr
Dec 29, 2016, 3:01 pm

I enjoyed Harris' Cicero novels too!

4Andrew-theQM
Dec 29, 2016, 3:15 pm

Not read the trilogy but loved the other books by Robert Harris, willneec to get to this trilogy very soon.

5EadieB
Dec 29, 2016, 3:32 pm

Historical Fiction
1. ✔Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks - 758 pages - 1/12/16 - ★★★★★
2. ✔The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne - 215 pages - 1/28/16 - ★★★★★
3. ✔Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff - ★★★★ - 2/9/16
4. ✔City of Thieves by David Benioff - ★★★★★ - 3/30/16
5. ✔Only Time Will Tell (The Clifton Chronicles, #1) by Jeffrey Archer - ★★★★★ - 6/9/16
6. ✔ The Sins of the Father (The Clifton Chronicles, #2) by Jeffrey Archer - ★★★★★ - 6/17/16
7. ✔Best Kept Secret (The Clifton Chronicles, #3) by Jeffrey Archer - ★★★★★ - 6/21/16
8. ✔Be Careful What You Wish For (The Clifton Chronicles #4) by Jeffrey Archer - ★★★★★ - 6/30/16
9. ✔Mightier Than The Sword (Book 5 Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer - ★★★★★ - 7/3/16
10. ✔Cometh The Hour (Book 6 Clifton Chronicles) by Jeffrey Archer - ★★★★★ - 7/24/16
11. ✔The Light Between Two Oceans by M. L. Stedman - ★★★★★ - 9/2/16
12. ✔This Was A Man by Jeffrey Archer - ★★★★★ - 11/13/16

6Andrew-theQM
Dec 29, 2016, 3:39 pm

>5 EadieB: Some list! Only two books on it I haven't read and the rest I totally agree with your opinion!

7EadieB
Dec 29, 2016, 3:42 pm

>6 Andrew-theQM:
That's because I'm a copycat and read what you read. Copying someone is flattering because it shows you want to be like that person. lol

8Andrew-theQM
Dec 29, 2016, 4:10 pm

>7 EadieB: Poor you if you want to be like me! :)But seriously they are all good books!

9Darth-Heather
Dec 29, 2016, 4:22 pm

I didn't get to as many historical fiction novels this year as I usually do, but was fortunate to get some good ones:

St. Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters (a wonderful Blind Date)
The Charm School by Nelson DeMille
Ride The Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson (a re-read, still enjoyable)
The King's Hounds by Martin Jensen ( another fabulous Blind Date)
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

10EadieB
Dec 29, 2016, 4:37 pm

>8 Andrew-theQM:
I like the books you read. Not sure I can change too much as I am already set in my ways.

11ScoLgo
Edited: Dec 29, 2016, 5:12 pm

I experienced a few good historical fiction reads in 2016:

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (★★★★-1/2) -- Spellbinding. I need to watch the movie.

The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson (★★★★-1/2) -- Epic! Some would call this alternate history instead of historical fiction but it stayed true enough to actual events where it mattered that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus, the snarky humour!

The Prestige by Christopher Priest (★★★★★) -- Feuding magicians. Love & betrayal. Body-swapping! Adapted to a major motion picture starring Wolverine and Batman (and the recently departed David Bowie taking a turn as Nikola Tesla). The movie is very good. The book is better - especially the super-creepy ending.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks (★★★-1/2) -- A fictional embellishment of The Sarajevo Haggadah. A real-life manuscript that somehow, against all odds, survived into modern times.

The Girl From Ithaca and sequel The Walls of Troy by Cherry Gregory (★★★) -- An account of the Trojan War as seen from the ground-eye view of the sister of Odysseus.

12Andrew-theQM
Edited: Dec 29, 2016, 8:59 pm

This has been an excellent year for me in historical fiction as is shown by this list, and this is just the best of the ones I read!

1.The Light Between Oceans by M L Steadman ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❤
2. This Was A Man by Jeffrey Archer (#7 in the Clifton Chronicles) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❤ (Also Read and enjoyed a lot Books 3 - 6 in the series this year - all 4 1-2 Stars)
3. The Corners of the Globe by Robert Goddard (#2 in the James Maxted Trilogy. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❤
4. The Ends of the Earth by Robert Goddard (#3 in the James Maxted Trilogy) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❤
5. Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett (#3 in the Century Trilogy) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❤
6. A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❤
7. The Martyr's Curse by Scott Mariani ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐❤
8. Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
9. The Forgotten Holocaust by Scott Mariani ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10. Corrag by Susan Fletcher ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
11. The Corpse Reader by Antonio Garrido ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
12. Three Little Ships by Lillian Harry ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
13. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
14. The Genghis Tomb by Daniel Leston ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
15. Hannibal: Enemy of Rome by Ben Kane ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
16. Hannibal: Fields of Blood by Ben Kane ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
17. Hannibal: Clouds of War by Ben Kane ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
18. The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

14nx74defiant
Jan 7, 2017, 5:11 pm

I only read two books that are Historical Fiction that I really loved this last year
madame tussaud
Cryptonomicon part historical fiction, part science fiction.

15Andrew-theQM
Jan 7, 2017, 5:31 pm

>14 nx74defiant: These are both books I want to read.

16cindydavid4
Edited: Jan 7, 2017, 8:16 pm

>12 Andrew-theQM: Is A Place Beyond Courage is your first Chadwick? If so you are in for a treat. Her first books were more romance HF, but over time she's really developed a great voice in HF. My fav I think is The Greatest Knight, about Wm Marshall, who served Henry II and his sons. The other two books in the series are interesting - one a prequel and one a sequel. I read them in order of publication but it might be interesting to read them in chronological order

17cindydavid4
Jan 7, 2017, 8:20 pm

>11 ScoLgo: I loved the Brooks book so much - until the last part where it suddenly falls apart into a totally unnecessary plot device But still love the story

19Andrew-theQM
Jan 8, 2017, 2:52 pm

>18 This-n-That: I do want to get to the Poldark Series soon, been sitting on my library shelves for ages!

20nrmay
Edited: Jan 8, 2017, 5:42 pm

I love historical fiction! My favorites of 2016 -

Above the East China Sea (Okinawa, WWII era and present day)
Poldark series. (Cornwall, England - late 1700s)
Under a Painted Sky (Oregon Trail, 1849)
Hattie Big Sky (homesteading in Montana, 1917)
Bloody Jack series. (19th century nautical adventures)
The Garden of Letters (WWII in Italy)
Everyone Brave is Forgiven (WWII, the London Blitz
Salt to the Sea (WWII, young refugees fleeing Germany)
Conagher (Adventure and romance in the OLD West)
Sackett's Land (Family saga of the American frontier)
Follow the River (abduction by Indians, mid 1700s, colonial America)

21al.vick
Jan 8, 2017, 5:43 pm

America's First Daughter was one of my favorites. About Thomas Jeffereson's daughter.

22ScoLgo
Edited: Jan 9, 2017, 2:01 pm

>14 nx74defiant: Since you loved Cryptonomicon, you might want to look into the The Baroque Cycle prequels. Book 1, Quicksilver, is a bit slow to start but things get rolling once you reach book 2, King of the Vagabonds, and... it all revolves around what they found on that German submarine at the end of Cryptonomicon! ;)

>17 cindydavid4: I really enjoyed the back-stories of the Haggadah quite a bit more than the present-day portions. I found both Hanna and her mother too unbelievable as characters for me to be able to identify with them. But I thought the glimpses into the history of the manuscript were (mostly) wonderfully evocative. I likely would have rated the book higher if the present-day storyline had been rendered differently.

>18 This-n-That: I have I Capture the Castle on my TBR shelf. Hoping to get to it this year. Good to hear you enjoyed it!

23Lynxear
Jan 9, 2017, 3:02 pm

The following is my list of the best historical reads of 2016:

Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson 5 stars - story of a Comanche captive in the 1800's

Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund 4 stars - story of woman who eventually married Ahab of Moby Dick fame

Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield 4.5 stars - an epic novel of the Battle of Thermopylae

Light a Distant Fire by Lucia St. Clair Robson 4 stars - novel about the Seminole war

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara 5 stars - a classic novel of the Civil War

The Courage of Others by James Hitt 4.5 stars - race relations in a small town during WWI

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 4 stars - life on a traveling circus in the 1930's

I, Coriander by Sally Gardner 4 stars - a historical fiction fantasy children's novel set in the 1600's... reads well for adults too.

The Happy Return by C S Forester 4 stars - A Horatio Hornblower tale of the sea - must read Hornblower series in order... all great

Valley of the Shadow by Peter Tremayne 4 stars - Sister Fidelma Mysteries - historical mystery set in 600AD - read series in order

The Tokaido Road by St. Lucia Clair Robson 4.5 stars - a novel of Feudal Japan in 1700's

These are only the reads that I rated 4 stars or better... if you think I like Lucia St. Clair Robson, you are correct...a highly recommended historical fiction author.

24Andrew-theQM
Jan 9, 2017, 3:16 pm

>23 Lynxear: Water for Elephants is one I've wanted to get to for a while. If you enjoy seafaring books have you tried the Kydd Series by Julian Stockwin. I read three of these a few years ago and really enjoyed them, it is a series I want to try to get back to this year.

>21 al.vick: America's First Daughter sounds interesting, I will have to see if the library has it.

25Andrew-theQM
Jan 9, 2017, 3:22 pm

>21 al.vick: Checked the library don't have it, but have requested they buy it in e-book from.

26Storeetllr
Jan 9, 2017, 6:16 pm

>23 Lynxear: I don't usually enjoy books about war, but The Killer Angels was amazing!

27cindydavid4
Edited: Jan 9, 2017, 6:28 pm

>22 ScoLgo: But I thought the glimpses into the history of the manuscript were (mostly) wonderfully evocative. I likely would have rated the book higher if the present-day storyline had been rendered differently.

Totally agree - in fact much of modern story could have been tossed, save for the real life coincidences that happened, and the meetups between characters. The rest was useless.

Sadly many authors who write HF don't seem to think the events they write about are exciting enough, they have to add some present era story to spice it up. Rarely does it work, and usually the events they write about are interesting in their own right. Brooks has written some very good non fiction about her time as a journalist in the middle east You'd think she'd know this

Like you I was fascinated by the different stories from the making of the haggadah, and what happened to the book over the years. Another book about restoration of a rare book is Sixteen Pleasures Talks about the flood in Florence in the early 60s and the 'mud angels' from all over the world who came to rescue the art work that was damaged as a result.

28Lynxear
Edited: Jan 10, 2017, 10:04 am

>26 Storeetllr: Yes, The Killer Angels was a amazing and what struck me was this was seemingly a pretty accurate depiction of the Battle of Gettysburg since it was based on the diaries of men who took part in the battle. Next was I was amazed by the fog of war that existed back then... I, who is admittedly not knowledgeable about the American Civil War, thought this battle would be a well planned chess match of opposing forces...only to find that the generals decisions were often mere guesses and they willingly committed hundreds if not thousands of men to death or dismemberment on vague assumptions. I was surprised by the depiction of General Lee as less than analytic in his actions, ignoring good advice by his subordinates. Finally, I was surprised at the loyalty of men on both sides who willing marched to almost certain death in many cases.

It was a real eye-opening book for me.

>24 Andrew-theQM: if you have seen the movie "Water for Elephants" then the book will be spoiled for you. The movie basically lifted the novel in its entirety as the screenplay. I read only about 1/3 of the book which is brilliantly written but I found nothing new in the reading. So reluctantly I put the book down. I wish I had not seen the movie.

I have seen the Kydd series in used bookstores here but never purchased one yet. I like books on sailing a man-o-war in the Napoleonic wars of which the Hornblower series is stellar. I have read one of Patrick O'Brian's books but you almost need seafaring dictionary of the time as the language is so authentic.

I will look for the beginning of the Kydd series on my next trip to my haunts :)

29cindydavid4
Jan 10, 2017, 8:49 am

>24 Andrew-theQM: The first third or so of Water for Elephants was amazing reading - esp the prologue. Then it fell apart for me once the romance started to happen - the dialogue was laughable. Didn't see the movie but if they kept it all in there it would have been very painful to watch.

30Betoruzi
Jan 11, 2017, 9:23 am

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Rwandese Flowers by Adelson Costa

31Limelite
Edited: Jan 11, 2017, 8:46 pm

The Winthrop Woman by Anya Seton about Elizabeth Fones Winthrop, daughter-in-law to John Winthrop, first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and her struggles against the oppressions of Puritanism in Colonial America. Still, a book for our time, maybe especially for the time to come the next four years.

32dajashby
Jan 12, 2017, 1:33 am

>28 Lynxear: You ought to read Shelby Foote's The Civil War; A Narrative if you want your eyes properly opened! A lot of the generals weren't even professional soldiers.

IMO Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin books are far superior to the Hornblower series, rattling good yarns though the latter may be. The authenticity of the language is part of their charm.

33Lynxear
Jan 12, 2017, 2:48 am

>32 dajashby:

I agree about the charm of authentic language in O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin tales. Language is important to me when reading historical fiction. the worst I have read so far in that regard is the Simon Scarrow Roman series (though I did read several of the books). His books are littered with modern British slang.

I liked the Hornblower series because of the main character Horatio Hornblower... this is an extremely well drawn character. The stories are well written and though they don't have the authentic language of the Napoleonic times, Forrester did not resort to modern slang to tell his stories.

Thanks for the heads up on Shelby Foote's novels... I will search for his books. My opinion of military generals (especially before WWII) is not very high. Many did not care for the lives under their command...such a waste, especially WWI.

34dajashby
Jan 12, 2017, 5:01 pm

>33 Lynxear: Sorry, I didn't make it clear that Shelby Foote was a historian, not a novelist! You might also consider getting hold of the DVDs of Ken Burns's magnificent TV documentary "The American Civil War". None of that re-enactment nonsense, it's all photographs, contemporary documents and eminent historians - and perfect musical accompaniment.

The trouble with historical fiction in non-English speaking settings is how to convey a feeling for colloquialisms without falling into the trap of anacronism. Obviously Roman soldiers would have had their own slang, I dare say much of it is on record. But how do you translate it to give the correct feel? Is it acceptable to have a soldier talk about commencing operations "at sparrow's fart" rather than break of dawn (bit genteel in tone), or to use that fine old military term for an inconvenience "embuggerance" (a dead give away to a military background in a complete stranger). I find Lindsay Davis manages this quite well in her Falco novels.

Why don't you give O'Brian another try? Jack Aubrey and Steven Maturin have far more depth as characters than Horatio Hornblower, and the writing in his best books such as Desolation Island is superb.

35Lynxear
Jan 13, 2017, 12:39 pm

>34 dajashby:

I am not negative about O'Brian's books and I do agree that Aubrey/Maturin make a great study in character. I also REALLY liked the movie "Master and Commander" which was a combination of two O'Brian novels. I thought it was one of the best Russel Crowe movies ever.

I refuse to accept that Horatio Hornblower is a shallow character. I grew to love his foibles his command of men and getting into his mind during decision making.

Do you know the story about how CS Forester created the character/series???

Apparently in the middle 1930's he was a Hollywood screen writer working on a pirate movie. However, before they could bring the movie to the cinemas they were preempted by the release of "Captain Blood" starring Errol Flynn. The movie was very similar to his movie so that killed his project and he was out of work.

He decided to write a book on the sailing adventures in the Napoleonic war. His boss when he was in the movie business had the last name of "Hornblow" .... so Hornblower is an homage to his boss. Forester at the time had an affair with an opera singer and the affair went bad with her suing him in a paternity suit. He reflected that in his development of Horatio Hornblower's character by giving his character a tin ear and an extreme dislike of music of any kind... even the marine whistle that announced coming/going of important people on his ships.

This revelation is part of a prologue to The Happy Return written by Bernard Cornwell... this was Forester's first book with Hornblower and it was so successful he started a series and this book is the 6th of the series.

Forester's Hornblower series IS an easy read and has wide appeal from late teens to mature adult. I doubt most teen-early adult readers would be able to handle O'Brian's depth.

36Andrew-theQM
Edited: Jan 13, 2017, 1:18 pm

>34 dajashby: >35 Lynxear: I've read two books in the Aubrey/ Maturn Serie, I wasn't a great fan of Master and Commander and gave it three stars but did enjoy Post Captain which I gave four stars. I enjoyed the Kydd Series by Julian and Stockwin and quite enjoyed some books in the Richard Bolitho Series by Alexander Kent (Douglas Reeman). A lot of years since I read Hornblower but seem to remember enjoying them.

37Lynxear
Jan 13, 2017, 1:19 pm

>34 dajashby:

As far as writing historical fiction in a language reflection the times... it can be done but it takes effort on the writer's part. Not only is it tough when writing historical English slang but try adapting the slang of another language to an English novel... almost impossible. But my point is a historical novel should not read like a novel of modern times.

Scarrow is the worst for using modern slang IMHO. I recall him having a character saying that he was going to "throw the book" at a bad guy. Books were not invented as such before the birth of Christ... I suppose he could have smacked him with a scroll or went upside his head with a tablet but thrown a book... no.... He also liberally used the F-bomb throughout his conversations... the word did not belong there in that form IMHO. He might have used oaths to gods of the time or some kind of sexual language slur but he made no attempt to make his language appropriate

One of the better writers in this regard is Peter Tremayne (or whatever his real name is) in his Sister Fidema mystery series set in Ireland in about 600 AD. He has an excellent device that he uses to set the language time... often he has a character say a phrase in Latin and then the phrase is translated by another character in response ... in High school I took a couple of years of Latin so it is fun trying to figure out the saying as I read it.

IF I were to write a novel set in a historical period, I would do some research on the period as far as language goes. As far as swear words of the time goes I would start by reading a book titled "Holy Shit" by Melissa Mohr.

Here is an Amazon reference to this book where you can take a peek inside and read several pages... very interesting I think

https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Sh-Brief-History-Swearing/dp/0199742677/ref=pd_sxp_r...

38Andrew-theQM
Jan 13, 2017, 1:21 pm

>28 Lynxear: >29 cindydavid4: Thanks for the feedback for Water for Elephants, I haven't Sen the film - I try not to see films until I have read the book. Hop fully this will help me enjoy the book.

>28 Lynxear: I hope you enjoy the Kydd books if you get to read one.

39dajashby
Jan 13, 2017, 7:45 pm

>35 Lynxear: I did not know that about Forrester! He sounds like a loveable rogue, to be sure. O'Brian, on the other hand, was thoroughly unpleasant, not a nice man at all. During his lifetime he deceived his adoring fans about his history, inventing a persona to cover up his disgraceful abandonment of his wife and children.

I would not disagree with anything you have said about the Hornblower books, which are a fun read for all ages. I did not say Hornblower was a shallow character as such, he's quite convincing. But the relationship between Aubrey and Maturin has the depth that one finds in the best "literary" novels - I do think you are a little unfair to YA readers (a category recently invented by publishers with an eye to the main chance) in suggesting most of them could not cope. Who could not enjoy discovering that Jack, the brilliant naval commander, is a complete nincompoop at home in England?

>37 Lynxear: You are not wrong about the anachronisms lying in wait to trip up unwary authors. The estimable P D James had a go at historical fiction in Death Comes to Pemberley, and she had people sending for "the police" about 15 years before the first recorded use of that term, not to mention using the expression "subconscious". I blame her editors; either they were intimidated as Iris Murdoch's have been said to have been late in her career, or they were just plain sloppy as seems to be quite common these days.

I am aware of Mohr's book. I haven't read it, but from the reviews I don't think it sounds as if there's much in it that isn't already common knowledge.

I am not aware of the Sister Fidema books. They sound rather heavy going; surely the common people did not speak Latin?

40dajashby
Jan 13, 2017, 8:17 pm

>37 Lynxear: Just came across this piece in this morning's paper. Astle is a noted crossword puzzle setter and general word nerd. I think you will find his thoughts on period-appropriate language fascinating, as I did!

http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/books/wordplay-happy-birthday-to-doobie-m...

41Lynxear
Jan 13, 2017, 10:12 pm

>39 dajashby:

I like Forester's other novels as well. I have thumbed trough a couple of his WWII naval novels but to date have not bought one yet (I should correct that sometime). I loved African Queen even seeing the movie did not spoil the book for me.

I guess I was defensive about a lovable character :) regarding Hornblower. Maybe YA would like O'Brian's works I was just speculating... I did not know about his savory past... A lot of writers have baggage I suppose.

Re. the Sister Fidelma mysteries they are not heavy going at all. The Latin is sparse in the story and is not spoken among the common people in the book, but rather between the educated and religious in the story. It is something I find novel and interesting. You MUST read them in order though as Tremayne's characters grow in time. Start with Murder by Absolution but the series gets better with each successive book. Sister Fidelma is a sister to the King and as well as being a religious, she is second to the king in the justice system of the time. She has a Saxon for a boyfriend who is also a religious which sometimes causes her problems with others (of course, Saxons are not flavour of the month back then).

What I really like is the skill Tremayne has as a mystery writer. In the first 20 or so pages you are presented with a mystery and she is either called to solve it or runs into the situation accidentally. The whole book is uncovering clues to the mystery and you really find yourself involved in solving it. Nothing is hidden... you can solve the riddle and at the end all is revealed for you... then you see how she arrived logically to the conclusion.

They are easy quick reads and are something I look forward to finding the next in the series in stores.

I will check out your link to Astle, thanks

42Lynxear
Jan 14, 2017, 2:27 pm

>40 dajashby: Yeah it was an interesting link. I am over 60 so watching the change in slang from generation to generation is funny... I discount ghetto speak though, I personally view that as a corruption of English, not an advancement. I used to teach English as a Second language and I was appalled when I saw an American teacher actively teaching ghetto speak to English learners

43cindydavid4
Jan 14, 2017, 4:58 pm

>42 Lynxear: why on earth wouldn't they, as long as the students are told where the words come from and when to use it?

44Lynxear
Edited: Jan 15, 2017, 7:38 am

>43 cindydavid4: the school I taught at was in Thailand. It was a middle school for gifted Science students. These students were being prepared for University and reading scientific papers. Ghetto speak had no place in that scenario. here are no research papers written in such a style and they don't speak in that style at conferencesand frankly there is little or no speaking for such language in most parts of the world unless you are a rapper or live in some parts of America.

45cindydavid4
Jan 15, 2017, 10:22 am

Just got Elizabeth ChadwicksWinter Crown, wanting so badly to read it know but I know the previous one Summer Queen.is coming my way as well. Will be curious to see her take on Ailenor, compared to how Sharon Kay Penman wrote in her Plantagent trilogy.

46Andrew-theQM
Jan 15, 2017, 11:42 am

>45 cindydavid4: These are books I want to get to as well. Later this year I would also like to read the War of the Roses Series by Conn Iggulden which covers another key period pre Tudor England.