Historical Fiction

[JeffBrooks]

I also have conflicting views about this type of publishing. I see value in the screening process among traditional publishers. In a way, e-book and print-on-demand cheapens the integrity of published works. If there is little or no peer or critical threshold to overcome, then literally anything can get published. Not only does that decrease the quality while exponentially increasing the volume of available books, but it diminishes the accomplishment of getting something published.

I don't disagree. It's the big disadvantage that is the price we pay for the advantages. This is a bigger problem with nonfiction than it is with fiction, obviously.

 

[unionblue]

I'm afraid that I am an absolute lover of alternate history books.

I love books that give twists to established history with different outcomes, especially for the American Civil War, WWII, etc.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

 

[kevikens]

Agreed. I am currently working on a novel centered around an interesting female ancestor, married 2 days to her first husband, married to the second one six months before he marched off to war and then died. Big court battle when she fought for custody of his kids involving high ranking members of society in two counties. So I'm just not anal about getting the CW facts right, but legal facts and genealogical facts. Oh, and political, SE Ohio was its own version of a border state...

GenDeb: It's not that hard to get the CW facts correct. Just submit a copy to a good CW enthusiast prior to publication and have them edit the work. Most of the errors you might make could easily be rectified and acquiring a reputation for accuracy just might expand your readership.

 

[GenDeb]

GenDeb: It's not that hard to get the CW facts correct. Just submit a copy to a good CW enthusiast prior to publication and have them edit the work. Most of the errors you might make could easily be rectified and acquiring a reputation for accuracy just might expand your readership.

 

[unicornforge]

I tend to stay away from Historical Novels. I read one and it took me a several months to shake out the info that I had stored in my mind about the battle but which was not verified as fact.
..........

1) I too have difficulty in shaking information that is fictional-history out of my mind, so I avoid reading fictional history.
2) Print-on-demand is a two-edged sword.
------- On one hand, good books that otherwise would not likely to have been printed are available to the public, and there is no publisher to decide not to print the book. I know one successful author of several books who *gave* his copyrights of one of his books to a publisher, and the publisher decided not to print any more of that book, so now the author can not even acquire or sell any copies of his own reference book. It is my humble understanding that he gave away his rights and received nothing in return.
------- On the other hand, I know of a really inaccurate book that supports a really dumb version of a slice of blacksmithing history. The only parts of his book that are accurate, is where he took my research and inserted it into his book. I regret telling that author how to do print-on-demand.

 

[Greg Taylor]

I completely understand. I got a Nook (free to me) as part of my Master program so I thought I would take the opportunity. Didn't much care for it and haven't used it a lot since. Something about the feel and ability to mark pages.

HOWEVER....I have found it's a nice way to read some of the items from archive.org or items that are PDFs. Not the best solution to the textual feel of a book but it's nice to have a portable option for them and still a way to make notes and mark pages.

I too prefer the printed page, particularly history books which I underline and make notes in liberally. That said, I use my Kindle to download free, out of copyright books. I can't begin to say how many books, fiction and non-fiction I have on my Kindle I have read and enjoyed that I never would have actually purchased as printed matter.

 

[phil1861]

1) I too have difficulty in shaking information that is fictional-history out of my mind, so I avoid reading fictional history.
2) Print-on-demand is a two-edged sword.
------- On one hand, good books that otherwise would not likely to have been printed are available to the public, and there is no publisher to decide not to print the book. I know one successful author of several books who *gave* his copyrights of one of his books to a publisher, and the publisher decided not to print any more of that book, so now the author can not even acquire or sell any copies of his own reference book. It is my humble understanding that he gave away his rights and received nothing in return.
------- On the other hand, I know of a really inaccurate book that supports a really dumb version of a slice of blacksmithing history. The only parts of his book that are accurate, is where he took my research and inserted it into his book. I regret telling that author how to do print-on-demand.

The traditional process doesn't vet for quality (speaking fiction here). They can't. Opinion and personal taste run the gambit. What they vet for is lowest common denominator for maximum profit. Write about some dystopian world and you might get a read by an agent. Then they might be able sell the rights to a publisher. Quality is subjective, what a publisher wants is best seller in huge reading markets like thrillers or now dystopian.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

This was so funny- I was JUST about to say noooo, dislike historical fiction, when the image of the bazillion books on my Kindle rose before my eyes, ha! I think it depends on what it would be based on- maybe? I'm also in the middle of revulsion due to an anti-Michenor movement deep in the gall bladder, the big weeny. Probably shouldn't answer the question at all. Did like Monsarrat, ' The Cruel Sea ', most of what Delderfield had to say of British society during the eras he wrote of, did like Killer Angels, just don't think his son has the same gift for engaging characters. I liked Phil's book- taught a lot of what the enlisted man saw and did, which you don't normally get. For some reason I like first hand accounts in journals, diaries and reports the best?

Hee- having said that, my guiltiest, guiltiest non-Civil War ' history' pleasure was always ( go ahead and laugh ) Georgette Heyer. ** sigh ** . Outed.

 

[FarawayFriend]

I like historical fiction very much and I use it as a first step to learn more about the real facts. To me it's like an easy training unit that lures you into practising the real sport.
I agree mostly upon the list GELongstreet provided, especially all Bernard Cornwell novels (nearly all of what I know about the Napoleonic wars comes from the "Sharpe" series - and mI didn't like "Stonehenge" either, the oly cornwell book I haven't finished) and I have also read everything written by Rebecca Gable. I would like to add Philippa Gregory and her Tudor novels to the list, but maybe they are what my husband calls "women's novels". They center mostly on female protagonists in a more or less realistic historical setting.
Alternate history is fascinating but in my opinion only if you know the facts very well. Otherwise it's difficult to recognize the alterations ...
As for the ebook/printed book discussion I do entirely concur with Greg Taylor. I enjoy immensely that you can download so many out-of-print-books and many of them are even free, for example the best multi-volume-book about civil war medicine: "Medical and surgical history of the War of the Rebellion" (non-fiction, of course). And ebooks are normally a bit cheaper than printed ones. But I noticed an enormous price increase over the last weeks! For example I bought "Medical histories of the Confederate Generals" and "Medical histories of the Union Generals" as ebooks for 7,50€ each a few months ago and now they cost 18,50€ each!

But the books I love I want to have as printed edition. If sometime in the future electricity might become a luxury, then I can still read my printed book.

 

[phil1861]

I heartily endorse JPKHouson's plug (how do you like your payment, in dimes or quarters?), fiction seems to be a very taste driven market and CWHF is very niche within that market.

For those who do like HF check out Amazon's Kindle Unlimited, if you were an Amazon Prime member you could borrow one eBook a month from those titles that qualified (mostly independent titles and some special deals like the Harry Potter series). Now, the deal is for the same pool of books on the Kindle Owner's Lending Library for an all you can read monthly subscription of 9.99. First month is free.

 

[Greg Taylor]

I like historical fiction very much and I use it as a first step to learn more about the real facts. To me it's like an easy training unit that lures you into practising the real sport.
I agree mostly upon the list GELongstreet provided, especially all Bernard Cornwell novels (nearly all of what I know about the Napoleonic wars comes from the "Sharpe" series - and mI didn't like "Stonehenge" either, the oly cornwell book I haven't finished) and I have also read everything written by Rebecca Gable. I would like to add Philippa Gregory and her Tudor novels to the list, but maybe they are what my husband calls "women's novels". They center mostly on female protagonists in a more or less realistic historical setting.
Alternate history is fascinating but in my opinion only if you know the facts very well. Otherwise it's difficult to recognize the alterations ...
As for the ebook/printed book discussion I do entirely concur with Greg Taylor. I enjoy immensely that you can download so many out-of-print-books and many of them are even free, for example the best multi-volume-book about civil war medicine: "Medical and surgical history of the War of the Rebellion" (non-fiction, of course). And ebooks are normally a bit cheaper than printed ones. But I noticed an enormous price increase over the last weeks! For example I bought "Medical histories of the Confederate Generals" and "Medical histories of the Union Generals" as ebooks for 7,50€ each a few months ago and now they cost 18,50€ each!

But the books I love I want to have as printed edition. If sometime in the future electricity might become a luxury, then I can still read my printed book.

I particularly enjoy reading written matter of all kinds from the 19th. century. I find the writing style and the expanded vocabulary of the era to be more stimulating and satisfying than most 20th. and 21st. century prose. There is a plethora of great writing from the 19th. century available free in cyberspace.

 

[Missouri 1st]

I'm so iffy on HF. Not sure why, but perhaps patience OR the 10,000 other WWI, WWII, WBtS, Napoleonic, American Rev., etc...books I have waiting! I read a section that sounds silly and it ruins it for me. The good thing is I continue to try. That said, I love the Hornblower series, Aubrey-Maturin, much of Bernard Cornwall and Marching With Caesar series.

I was even more impressed with R. W. Peake (former USMC Infantry Colonel), Marching With Caesar series, actually bought Roman legionaire segmentata, weapons and equipment and conducted his own forced road marches in order to better write about the "feel". I hope he didn't drink the lead laced wine the Romans consumed! I'm sure others have done this with their work, but it just struck me here for some reason.

http://marchingwithcaesarbookseries.com/the-marching-with-caesar-books/#1

 

[jay gale]

I suspect that many users of this website are readers of historical fiction. I hate to admit this, but it is my own favorite genre. Some of it is pretty good, where the author has done his research. I am sure Michael Shaara's Killer Angels comes to mind. His son, Jeff has written a number of historical novels ranging from the Revolutionary War World war II. I enjoy his books.

Recently I have come across Ralph Peters who I was surprised to realize is a featured guest on cable news where military matters come up. I found his "Cain at Gettysburg" hard to put down and the same for "Hell or Richmond". I wonder though, if the salty language, actually some pretty raunchy stuff was actually used by the troops at that time. Reminds me of a police locker room. Also I think he does not know how to load a cap and ball percussion revolver and like almost all writers of works of history, including non fiction, he does not know the monetary system in use during the Civil War. He has a character saying that "he would not give a nickel for..." when, of course, the five cent piece of the time was the silver half dime. But for the most part Ralph Peters gets it right.

So my question is do you read historical fiction, yourself? If so, who do you find to be both accurate and interesting and who would you recommend as an author of historical fiction?

I just finished Cain at Gettysburg, liked it a lot......interesting how he finally explains the title of the book.

I like Bernard Cornwell a lot, he writes mostly about English history and has an ongoing series on the Vikings battling the Saxons that is good. He wrote a series of books following a character in our Civil War but I haven't read those yet.
I recommend his Sharpe's Rifles series highly, takes place during the Napoleonic wars.

 

[FarawayFriend]

I particularly enjoy reading written matter of all kinds from the 19th. century. I find the writing style and the expanded vocabulary of the era to be more stimulating and satisfying than most 20th. and 21st. century prose. There is a plethora of great writing from the 19th. century available free in cyberspace.

Exactly.
I'm a great fan of the 19th century German author Theodor Fontane. I have read his novels so often that I would recognize nearly any given sentence

But since I joined here I have found so much interesting books to read that I have to neglect old Theo for a while.

 

[kevikens]

I'm so iffy on HF. Not sure why, but perhaps patience OR the 10,000 other WWI, WWII, WBtS, Napoleonic, American Rev., etc...books I have waiting! I read a section that sounds silly and it ruins it for me. The good thing is I continue to try. That said, I love the Hornblower series, Aubrey-Maturin, much of Bernard Cornwall and Marching With Caesar series.

I was even more impressed with R. W. Peake (former USMC Infantry Colonel), Marching With Caesar series, actually bought Roman legionaire segmentata, weapons and equipment and conducted his own forced road marches in order to better write about the "feel". I hope he didn't drink the lead laced wine the Romans consumed! I'm sure others have done this with their work, but it just struck me here for some reason.

http://marchingwithcaesarbookseries.com/the-marching-with-caesar-books/#1

Utique, sed dicit Latine quando in via est?

 

[GELongstreet]

... He wrote a series of books following a character in our Civil War but I haven't read those yet...

The Starbuck Chronicles, not bad in my opinion, though they seem a bit raw in their style. They are translated to German just now with 2 of the 4 books finished.

 

[Greg Taylor]

Exactly.
I'm a great fan of the 19th century German author Theodor Fontane. I have read his novels so often that I would recognize nearly any given sentence

But since I joined here I have found so much interesting books to read that I have to neglect old Theo for a while.

Does 19th century German writing and vocabulary seem richer than modern German as seems to be the case with English?

 

[BelleBlackburn]

Exactly.
I'm a great fan of the 19th century German author Theodor Fontane. I have read his novels so often that I would recognize nearly any given sentence

But since I joined here I have found so much interesting books to read that I have to neglect old Theo for a while.

Which of Fontane's books have you read?

 

[Diana9]

Fiction can fill in some of the gaps, such as what did Abigail and John Adams say to each other in private, but it should still be based on facts (letters between them) and be plausible. I was tremendously put off when Spielberg's "Lincoln" had Connecticut vote against the 13th Amendment when in fact they voted for it. Creative license to tell a good story is fine as long is doesn't do violence to the truth.

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

I almost never read it because there are far too many incompetent hacks like Jeff Shaara out there who think that they actually know the history and actually think that they can write (Shaara can't even begin to hold his late father's pen--he's an awful, terrible writer). The overwhelming majority of the so-called historical fiction out there is just atrocious (with no offense intended to anyone here). I have so little time for pleasure reading that I elect not to spend time reading atrocious fiction. Besides, there are enough interesting things that actually happened to keep me busy for the rest of whatever time I may have on this planet of ours.