The Essentials of Historical Fiction!

[@thespaminator]

These are the best types of videos that you do. This seems to be your niche. No one does this better than you.

[@HalfBloodOtter]

Gotta love it when he shares his wealth of knowledge on books 🤩

What @thespaminator said.

[@rasmus7493]

I just want to thank you for these "Essentials" lists. They either reveal books to me that I have never heard of, or give me a push to pick up books I really should have read a while ago. I just ordered "The once and future king" due to the fantasy list. Keep making them!

[@laracroft1829]

Here is the list Steve mentioned on the video. 1.Aubrey and Maturin novels - Patrick O'Brian 2. The Cruel Sea - Nicholas Monsarrat 3. Dear and Glorious Physician - Taylor Caldwell 4. Entered from the Sun - George Garrett 5. Epitaph - Mary Doria Russell 6. Forever Amber - Kathleen Windsor 7. The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Victor Hugo 8. I, Claudius and Claudius the God - Robert Graves 9. Ivanhoe - Sir Walter Scott 10. The Journeyer - Gary Jennings 11. Julian - Gore Vidal 12. The Killer Angels - Michael Shaara 13. Kristin Lavransdatter - Sigrid Undset 14. Lyman Chronicles - Dorothy Dunnett 15. Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa 16. The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco 17. The Persian Boy - Mary Renault 18. The Thin Red Line - James Jones 19. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas 20. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy 21. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

[@sarap8003]

Thank you! #14 for who's interested are the Lymond Chronicles :)

[@B00kMaiden]

We're still going to need that chronological list of BEST historical fiction through the ages 😊 pleeeeeease?? Obviously you can't include them all- just some of your favorites

[@nathanfoung2347]

It made my heart sing that "Musashi" made your list. 😊

[@pl566]

My favorite part of this video was your comments on "The Name of the Rose". I don't DNF many books, but I just never could get into it. That was many years ago and I still hear praises for the book, but I'm glad to hear that it may be a challenge for others also.

[@juliealvar4587]

Fantastic video! Loved the choices, especially Epitaph, Forever Amber, and Kristin Lavransdatter. Could do a list of 50 and it would not be too much.

[@frabousie]

Fascinating list. I've read quite a few-- The Killer Angles by your recommendation-- and immensely enjoyed reminiscing with you. I would have loved to hear your thoughts on George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman series.

[@toniblessing4624]

Brilliant!! Thank you, Steve. ❤

[@nickpiccirilli4278]

I saw your comment yelling at MKV and my first thought was that I hope we get an essentials list now.

[@DuaneJasper]

Brilliantly presented, fascining list. Have only read the Graves and the Eco..

[@patriciah8579]

I recently picked up a copy of Julian at a library book sale. Read it and loved it!

[@deborahmink5159]

I'm happy to see Epitaph on this list. I also very much enjoyed "Doc".

[@materiagrix]

Very reaffirming to see The Name of the Rose recommended for the third time in your channel when I am finally doing a read along of it with Randy!

[@anotherbibliophilereads]

I guess the Flashman series is now problematic, but I adore Flashy.

[@Paromita_M]

Wonderful video, thank you. 🙏🏽 The Name of the Rose is an all-time favourite. I have failed so many times to "get" Wolf Hall. 😭 I really want to but it continues to evade me. Lymond Chronicles is my ultimate fear and the one I want to read.

Books set in the 1960ies are historical fiction. Man, I'm old.

[@saintdonoghue]

Hah! Imagine how I feel about the 1830s!

@@saintdonoghue 🤣

[@binglamb2176]

My goodness, I have better taste than I thought. I have 60% of these books already.

[@kathleenbrady9916]

Would you mind listing your recommendations Steve as it's sometimes hard to hear you or see the screen that the book is displayed on. Also, some that you clearly have on your Kindles are not available on Amazon in that form...do you have another supplier?

[@Ahnor1989]

Most of those I already read or at least bought based on your recommendation. Do you hear my wallet cry for mercy whenever you upload a video?

[@duffypratt]

Great list. Will be coming back to it. I’m a little surprised not to see Hornblower, or any Bernard Cornwall. Love that you talked about Dunnett, though I prefer the House of Niccolo to the Lymond books.

[@seanwebb605]

I have been told that history isn't something that has happened in the last fifty years. That's journalism. So by that standard yeah you can't have historical fiction of current events.

[@marymansson2085]

My cousin smuggled out my Aunt's copy of Forever Amber. I was maybe 12 yrs old. I had few questions about the facts of life after reading.

[@chynakat]

I'm glad to see both George Garrett and Dorothy Dunnett on this list. Have you read The Luck of Huemac by Dan Peters? It's a novel about a diplomat and athlete toward the end of the Aztec empire.

[@jimsbooksreadingandstuff]

Lots of books to read. The only ones I have read are The Cruel Sea, The Name of the Rose and Wolf Hall, all of which I would agree are excellent reads.

[@andymorrall]

If you like books about Claudius, try my new novel, 'The Druid and the Elephant'. Hope you like it.

[@hotsake7819]

For me Tale of Genji is the number two essential historic novel only behind Musashi. Another great list.

[@Tolstoy111]

Genji isn’t really historical fiction is it? It’s set in the author’s present.

[@dropoutNo07]

I read the Journeyer by Gary Jennings on your recommendation and loved it. Now I'm reading Raptor by the same author.

[@battybibliophile-Clare]

Dorothy Dunnett was wonderful, Steve. I have all her books. Long dead, I am afraid her reputation is fading in the UK too.

[@sethtopper700]

what about James Michener? I've only read The Source and Centennial. Were any of his books in the running to be essential?

[@derekgreen7319]

You might mention this series, but i really like the accursed kings by Maurice Duron

[@RogerKirby13]

Thanks for the great recommendations. I disagree with you on Scott. Ivanhoe is the best place to start to be sure. But Old Mortality I think is much better. I would put Waverly, The Antiquary and The Hear of Mid-Lothian up there as well. Some of the later novels are less interesting but I still have more to go, and hope to discover another gem.

[@JohnM-cd4ou]

Where's Flashman?

[@perdiccavetri8486]

what do you think of Mika Waltari books?

[@battybibliophile-Clare]

I agree with you and the Historical Fiction Society. As for the beginning, it at least has to be bases on written history and therefore not on the Bible, myth etc. Not that myth isn't a great source, but it isn't a basis for Historical Novels. Oo, another Marlowe novel, great!

[@derekgreen7319]

O killer angels is a great book!

[@lucianopavarotti2843]

Jay! Julian!

[@cu00dj]

Sometimes, i can't see the book as you display it. Would you please post this list was text. I didn't get all the titles and authors and would really appreciate it. I recently finished Michael Shaara's World War one book "To The Last Man" and seriously wonder if I will ever read another.

[@saintdonoghue]

Sorry! I'll try to remember to add lists in the future -

[@cu00dj]

@@saintdonoghue thanks!

[@RyanLisbon]

Steve, you're getting more subscribers and comments. What is happening? No Gates of Fire?

[@saintdonoghue]

I noticed those extra subscribers too - I don't know what I'm doing wrong ...

[@Pantano63]

Is it true you read one book a day, Mr Donoghue?

[@saintdonoghue]

No, that is not true. I do not read one book a day.

[@valpergalit]

Steve, what do you think about Mason & Dixon by Thomas Pynchon? I thought it would be here for sure!

[@jakestraughn1821]

He considers it to be Pynchon's finest work. It's also his favorite novel of 1997.

[@alejandrorubio305]

You’re a G

[@Bhakti-rider]

I wonder that you didn't include anything by Rafael Sabatini.

[@thomashefferon9711]

I second Mason & Dixon for the list. A great romp.

[@mr.alaska2232]

Holy c***, are you a time traveler? Cause I mean, you said there's no possible way the flood didnt happened, you must have been there.

[@dorothysatterfield3699]

No. He said there's no possible way the flood did happen. You don't have to be a time traveler to know that.

[@ednorton47]

9/11 and Noah's Flood fall into the same category.