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Recommended novels set in the medieval Europe?

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My humble apologies if there is a thread on this but my searching skills produced nothing so here goes:

Can anyone recommend some worthwhile novels set in medieval Europe?
Of course I am requesting historical novels (not medieval "fantasy").

Any good fictions set during the Crusades (told from either Christian or Muslim p.o.v)?

Any fiction at all set during the Mongol invasion of Russia? <-- seems like a long shot!

I have found various titles across the web, but most look cheesy and susceptible.

Thank you in advance *bows* :)
 
Well I don't have any medieval novels on such specific topics. But these ones are pretty good to

Pillars of the Earth and World without End by Ken Follett. These books deal with medieval England, the first one plays in the 12th century the other one about 150 years later.

Il nome della Rosa (In the name of the Rose) by Umberto Eco

Then there are several books by Bernhard Cornwell who are set in the Middle Ages

Dorothy Dunnett has also written some excellent books set in the middle ages
 
I tend to LOVE books that are historical medieval fiction, and in my humble opinion by far the best are....

Bernard Cornwell's 3 books taking place during the hundred years war period.

IN ORDER:
Harlequin
Vagabond
Heretic

All three books are among my favourites. As for what you asked, a neat novel on the crusades is The Falcons of Montabard. Read that last year, really liked it :) Also, check out 'The Celtic Crusades' series, about northern Scots crusaders.
 
Wow...I go to lunch at work and come back and get some quick and friendly responses.

Thank you all for the prompt recommendations. I'll be sure to check them out.
:cool:
 
I second these two:

Il nome della Rosa (In the Name of the Rose) by Umberto Eco. (Baudolino is interesting too, but a little silly - "Rose" is a classic).

Then there are several books by Bernhard Cornwell who are set in the Middle Ages. (My favorite series are the Saxon series, then the Arthurian series).


Also good is Conn Iggulden's new "Genghis" series.

Sarah Kay Penman wrote some pretty good novels - kind of more female-oriented though.
 
All things are Lights - by Robert Shea. About the Cathar crusade in Southern France. Its a stand alone book, but is apparently the second volume of a trilogy (only read this one).

The Harp and the Blade - by John Myers Myers. Early medieval France. But its been such a long time since i read this so i hardly remember, only that i enjoyed it.
 
Many of icelendic sagas are very much readable today
 
BoyarPunk said:
My humble apologies if there is a thread on this but my searching skills produced nothing so here goes:

Can anyone recommend some worthwhile novels set in medieval Europe?
Of course I am requesting historical novels (not medieval "fantasy").

Any good fictions set during the Crusades (told from either Christian or Muslim p.o.v)?

Any fiction at all set during the Mongol invasion of Russia? <-- seems like a long shot!

I have found various titles across the web, but most look cheesy and susceptible.

Thank you in advance *bows* :)
Click to expand...

For the Mongol invasions you could try "Till the Sun Falls" by Cecilia Holland. I read it a few years ago and really enjoyed it. The story is from the perspective of one of the Mongol generals during the invasion of Russia, though it's not all military. She's written several novels in various medieval settings including Byzantium, one you might be interested in is called "Jerusalem" which is set in the Crusades era, but I haven't read that to recommend.

You could try "Crossed" by Nicole Galland, a 4th Crusade story. On a slightly different 'crusaderish' perspective there was a novel published last year about El Cid by a James Fitz-Gerald?-Henry? which a friend of mine enjoyed. Classically there's Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe" from that era, which was fun if a bit dated nowadays, and he wrote other medieval tales.

Another one you might want to try is Thomas Keneally, who wrote a story about Joan of Arc and I can't remember the title :( There's "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, but it's certainly not to everyone's taste - there are some interesting reviews on Amazon for it. Also, Alfred Duggan is still an excellent read and his books are in the process of being re-released at the moment (at least in England). Lord Geoffrey's Fancy (13th century Achaea), Count Bohemond (1st Crusade period), Knight with Armour (also 1st Crusade) and some of the others cover medieval subjects, though my favourite is the Mithridates one, He Died Old.
 
In the Name of the Rose starts out rough, but if you stick through it for a hundred pages it gets a lot easier. Umberto Eco did it on purpose, not that I really approve.
 
Wrong era, but I'm dying to know if any of you thought An Instance of the Fingerpost was as amazing as I thought it was.
 
Thomas Costain wrote some historical fiction if his books are still available. You may only find them in a well equipted library.
 
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