Fantasy Set in the Past

I'm a big fan of both fantasy and historical fiction books. For example, I just finished reading Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell as well as The Anubis Gates, and i absolutely loved both of them. Can anyone recommend other fantasy stories set in the past? Thanks!

Staying with Tim Powers On Stranger Tides does a fantasy take on pirates and some real history gets a new look. Similarly The Stress of Her Regard is set around the lives of Byron, Shelley et al. The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson Quicksilver, The Confusion and The System of the World are clearly historical in setting and have fantasy elements too.

(Not sure why Neal Stephenson's name doesn't link out to his books!)

This might be slightly off-topic from what you're looking for, but how about MIDDLEWORLD by J&P Voelkel? It has a "contemporary" setting, but it involves ancient Maya myths, so you might find it of interest. It's the first book of a projected trilogy titled Jaguar Stones.

Hmmpf, I don't know why the Touchstones aren't working here.

Mary Gentle has a couple of books worth reading as well. 1610 A Sundial In a Grave and ASH: A Secret History.

Guy Gavriel Kay and Judith Tarr always comes to mind when someone is looking for historical fantasy - they mainly write in medieval settings, in worlds very close to, if not, our own.

Martha Wells Ile Rien books are set in a continental European Victorian age world (I am always reminded og Vienna, although the geography isn't clear, and the names are different) where new inventions are competing with magical solutions.

If you like YA there is Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede's series starting with the Enchanted Chocolate Pot in a regency setting. Stevermer wrote a series starting with A College of Magics is very good too, in a Victorian age world.

Naomi Novaks Temeraire series has dragons fighting in the napoleonic wars, a lot of people like them.

I've tagged at least some of my books historical fantasy, so a tag search should give some hits too:-)

A few more YA books are Here, There Be Dragons, set during World War I, and The Dragon Conspiracy, set in about 1910 I think.

It's been a while since I read it, but I think Strange Devices of the Sun and Moon is set in the past. Ah yes, looking at it's reviews I see it's Elizabethan.

That reminds me The Moon and the Sun by Vonda N. McIntyre

Failed attempt to correct touchstone.

Another one for you is The Dragon Waiting by John M. Ford. It is an alternate history weaving around the story of Richard III of England with a few fantasy aspects such as magic and vampires. It won the World Fantasy Award.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro writes a vampire series that is heavy on the historical elements. They are a bit depressing and sometimes dry, but she does her research. I like them quite a bit more than most other vampire novels.

Chris Bunch in the Dragonmaster series uses real life history of warfare with a strong fantasy element. The WWI pilots (including the Red Baron) are dragon pilots in Storm of Wings, in Knighthood of the Dragon the Colditz story gets retold.

The Baroque Cycle mentioned in #2 is more of a sf work; I think the term is 'steam punk'.
The only vaguely fantasyish about the books is references to alchemy (as opposed to 'science'), and one of the main characters who seem to have a long life span indeed. But how long you have to read Cryptonomicon to get an idea about, and that one definitely don't fit as 'fantasy set in the past'.

I second Guy Gavriel Kay, though. Tigana, A Song for Arbonne, The Lions of Al-Rassan and the duo Sailing to Sarantium + Lord of Emperors definitely fit the bill.

Guy Gavriel Kay is great at the historical fantasy :-)

I think that The Lies of Locke Lamora would also fit the bill. I like Teresa Edgerton's books as well, for historical fantasy. I have a whole historical fantasy tag, really!

And, I just got notice that I was chosen to receive The Somnambulist as an ARC, which I think would also fit.

David Gemmell has done a series set called Troy starting with Lord of the Silver Bow And I was just reading Ghost King which is Arthurian

Just thought of joust by Mercedes Lackeywhich is vaguely egyptian and The Kushiel books by Jacqueline Carey which are Medieval French sort of

Others worth trying are Peter Moorwood's Russian series Prince Ivan, Firebird and The Golden Horde and the incomparable series from Barry Hughart - The Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen

Cheers

Everyone talks about Bridge of Birds, which I got, but have never read. It makes me wonder about how many books are sitting patiently on my shelves, waiting to change my life :-)

Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin is another one. Set on the antebellum Mississippi River beginning in the 1850s and is the story of a steamboat captain who becomes entangled with vampires.

The Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey. Set in London in the 1890s to early 1900s. The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey was set in San Francisco in 1905 & had very interesting magical explanations for The Great Fire & The San Francisco Earthquake.

I agree with the recommendations for the Temeraire series;

and Lies of Locke Lamora which I think is a refreshing bit of fantasy. The fantasy elements are kept in the background though, most of the time, and the story is really more of a heist-slash-action-slash-mystery.

There is a YA fantasy title that I really enjoyed -- it's fantasy with a bit of Sherlock Holmes in it. It's called The Extraordinary Adventures of Horatio Lyle; it has a sequel too. You might want to look into those. =)

I also agree with the Temeraire series. I got the first one from my SantaThing, and I loved it.

Possibly out of print, but worth looking for if you like shared worlds is C.J. Cherryh's Merovingen Nights series starting with Angel with a Sword. Think medieval Venice with magic.

Lois McMaster Bujold set The Spirit Ring in Renaissance Italy. There is a review here which says:

Bujold did her research for this book, and it shows. The politics and technology have an air of authenticity about them, as does the everpresent church. The magic here is integrated quite thoroughly into the fabric of this society -- quite probably the way magicians and alchemists in the 16th century actually did function, the difference here being that Prospero's magic really works. Even Mediterranean myths about gnomes who live in solid rock, emerging only at night to steal milk are put to good use.

# 23 Great recommendation! The Spirit Ring is a good book. Very well written, and as you say, very true to the ideas of magic at the time.

#22

But isn't Merovingen Nights set in the future?

I guess it depends on what the OP wants but I read it as books anchored in a real historical setting. I know others have suggested made-up settings that resemble historical settings (Lies Of Locke Lamora, Tigana, Song For Arbonne). I just wanted to point out to the OP that some of the books are less "historical" than others.

Try here.

I've been bashing my brains trying to remember the name of a book I read last year, and Google has at last come to my aid. If you liked the historical setting of "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell", you may appreciate "Wormwood" by G. P. Taylor, which is set in London in the mid 1700s.

#25

It could very well be... I don't remember when I read the Merovingen Nights books and my copies are packed away right now. Clearly my strongest impression was of an alternate Venice. :-)

I shall counter with Shadow of the Lion which is definitely both fantasy and set in the past.

#28

You like the Venetian flavour then?

Yep Shadow Of The Lion counts. It is also available to read/download for free at Baen as well.

>17 aarti: Aarti,

Bridge of Birds was what I call the defining novel of my first year of full time work. I picked it up from the bookshop in my hometown whilst waiting for news on the myriad of job apps I made after finishing university.

In the end I found work with the Australian Bureau of Statistics in their sampling branch which was an odd enclave that at the time recruited new graduates at base level, but never had anyone transfer into higher levels. In effect a 'closed shop'. As such the average age of the staff was very young compared to the rest of the Bureau (and indeed the Aust public service). These days are now gone (it was the 80s - a different era so to speak).

I had read the book, but noticed someone else reading it one lunchtime and mentioned to someone else how good it was and loaned them my copy. They promptly bought their own, and so the chain of recommendations continued - in the end there was a chain of around 8 copies in circulation around the ABS Sampling branch and its surrounding social group.

Read the book as soon as you can find the time - it will be well worth it.

Cheers

Barbara Hambly has written two excellent Victorian vampire thrillers - Those who hunt the night and Traveling with the dead. (Ignore 'Renfield - Slave of Dracula' - it's more of a literary experiment and not nearly as much fun to read). She also has a series of historical thrillers set in 1830's New Orleans, starting with A free man of color.

Fly by night by Frances Hardinge is a children's book with a wonderful eighteenth century setting and one of the cleverest books I've read in ages.

Martha Wells' The death of the necromancer has a wonderfully decadent fin-de-siecle city setting. Equally 'Swordspoint' by Ellen Kushner has a strong historical feel.

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray is a good choice, along with anything by Tamora Pierce.

Hmm I haven't read Tamora Pierce but I have read synopses of her work and I don't really think it is at all historical.

Jo Walton's King's Peace and the sequel. It is a sort of Arthurian story set in an altered Britain.

The Prize In The Game is loosely in the same set of books and is set in the analogue of Ireland. It is available online to read at http://www.zorinth.net/bluejo/books/prize/prize.htm

Try Threshold by Sara Douglass, it's based on a world that is Ancient Egyptian

The casca series follows the adventures of an immortal Roman soldier from 33AD to the present day. So far there are 26 books in the series covering all sorts of periods from the Roman times as in Casca 1: The Eternal Mercenary through late medieval times as in Casca 22: The Mongol into more modern times such as Casca 25: Halls of Montezuma and Casca 4: Panzer Soldier. See http://www.casca.net for all the novels plus news of more coming out soon.

I recommend Freedom and Necessity, by Steven Brust and Emma Bull. It is set in England in the mid 1800s and is similar to Susanna Clark's work in its density and use of language. The plot and characters reveal themselves through letters and the occasional newspaper clipping. It's probably too leisurely and meandering a novel for some, but anyone who enjoyed Strange/Norrell ought to give it a try.

Peter and the Starcatchers / Shadow Thieves/ Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Young Adult)

The Eight by Katherine Neville

I just finished reading a new book call Midnight Never Come. The setting is Elizabethan.

Elizabeth Bear's Promethean Age series might be a good fit. Blood and Iron is the first, followed by Whiskey and Water and the recent Ink and Steel.

craso, did you like Midnight Never Come? I haven't read it yet. I bought it because I really liked Doppelganger and Warrior and Witch by Marie Brennan. Did you read those two?