Kernos wrote: "I just found a fascinating site, ANCIENT GREECE IN FICTION: a listing of novels and story collections in English.

http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Classics/NJL/novel...

Bill "</

looks great

I just found a fascinating site, ANCIENT GREECE IN FICTION: a listing of novels and story collections in English.

http://www.rhul.ac.uk/Classics/NJL/novel...

Bill

This week I went to a meeting at which I heard the author, Anne Easter Smith, speak about her writing. Anne writes historical fiction about early England.

At her website, Anne states: "I spent my childhood in England, Germany and Egypt as the daughter of a British Army colonel." Although she is now a permanent resident of the U.S., she says "my love for English history remains." As she speaks about her writing, that love of English history comes through.

To learn more about her writing and to see an interesting video of Anne speaking about her writing and her research methods, go to her website at the following webpage:
http://www.anneeastersmith.com/default.h...
Also see:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/123...

Anne Easter Smith has written the following books:

A Rose for the Crown A Novel

Daughter of York A Novel

The King's Grace A Novel

About her books, Ann says:
=====================================================
"In my novels, I strive to serve those readers who are looking for accuracy in historical fact and yet also engage those who are looking for a good story with strong characters, a little romance and lots of period detail."
=====================================================

BTW, Anne is just as nice as she looks in her picture and on the video. I enjoyed meeting her and hearing her informative talk.

I am currently listening to an audio version of _A Rose for the Crown_. Through her characters, Anne draws you in to the period atmosphere of old England.

Though his interpretations might be a bit tendentious, I'd recommend anything by Robert Graves:

I, Claudius and Claudius the God
Count Belisarius
King Jesus
Homer's Daughter
The Greek Myths

or, Gore Vidal:

Creation
Julian

although recent history the book THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED by Wally Lamb is 1st rate about The Columbine Massacre in Colorado in late 1990s as well as very insightful about the effects of mass shootings that are way too common now

Yep, Colleen McCullough's novels about ancient Rome are excellent. I'd recommend them to anyone interested in the period.

Mirela wrote: "Blayre, you can also try the Emperor series by Con Iggulden, related to Julius Cesar."

That will drive you crazy though if you know anything about the period as you will find it more "fiction" than "historical fiction", for a more accurate take on the period try the books by Colleen McCullough...yes, the same person that wrote The Thorn Birds.

Blayre, you can also try the Emperor series by Con Iggulden, related to Julius Cesar.

I agree with folks about Mary Renault. Her books about Theseus are well worth a look, The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea.
Others I'd recommend are: The Three Musketeers, Scaramouche, The Master of Ballantrae A Winter's Tale.

London The Novel kept me enthralled from pre-Roman Britain to the modern day.

I absolutely agree that with Mary Renault you should start with The King Must Die A Novel.

Alison Weir I've only read non-fiction from, I'm afraid. I've enjoyed most of it though (Henry VIII and His Court is dry as dust). Antonia Frasier I've also only read non-fiction from, but enjoyed ALL of it. (I've read Charles II, Cromwell, her biography of Wellington, and Love and Louis XIV.)

I think I would be correct in saying that The Other Boleyn Girl is Philippa Gregory's most popular novel. The history in it is ... debatable. I enjoyed it as a novel, though. I must say that I preferred both The Boleyn Inheritance and Virgin Earth A Novel, though. Virgin Earth I enjoyed most of any of her novels.

If you're open to historical mysteries, I'd recommend both Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series (starting with Roman Blood A Novel of Ancient Rome), and C.J. Sansom's series about Matthew Shardlake, a Tudor lawyer, which starts with Dissolution.

She's probably dreadfully old-fashioned these days, but I love Elswyth Thane's Williamsburg novels (starting with Dawn's Early Light).

I also really enjoyed Colleen McCullough's First Man in Rome series, which starts, oddly enough, with The First Man in Rome. It's about the end of the Roman Republic, from about 110 B.C. through Caesar to Antony and Cleopatra.

Historical fiction by Sabatini, Costain, Yerby, and Shellabarger for openers.

I really like Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries; that's lighter. She's probably not entirely accurate about everything, but on the other hand, I don't feel like there's tons of inaccuracies that hit me in the face every page.

Pontius Pilate A Novel by Paul L. Maier was good, but on the lighter side. well-researched, too.

For Mary Renault, I'd suggest you begin with "The King Must Die".

As for somewhat lighter but nevertheless fine and accurately researched historical fiction, I'll suggest Dr. Frank G. Slaughter. My favorite Slaughter historical is "The Purple Quest" although I've read and enjoyed everything he published.

Then to, you might enjoy my own "Fixin" Things" or "Sappho Sings" of which I'm rather proud.

For more on them see http://peggyullmanbell.com

I want to start getting into this genre more and I'd like some advice from those who know a lot about it.
Before now the only historical fiction I've read and liked has been Young Adult (Ann Rinaldi, Elizabeth Marie Pope) or relatively light stuff (Mrs. Mike, Peace Like a River, Secret Life of Bees). I've tried "Katherine" by Anya Seton, "Brave Enemies" by Robert Morgan and "Into the Wilderness" by Sara Donati and found them hard to get into.
So, let me focus this into a couple specific questions.
There is an overwhelming number of Tudor/Edwardian era novelists: Philippa Gregory, Jean Plaidy, Anya Seton, Ken Follet. Where to start?
Mary Renault seems to be an absolute must-read of this genre. Where should I start with her?
Finally, any ideas for real historical fiction (not childrens or historical romance or anything like that) that is on the simpler and lighter side?
Thanks!