Rebels and Traitors: An Epic Novel of the English Civil War

[BigMike]

@Mikeland - can I suggest you try the LD book from the library? I quite enjoyed the Falco series on the basis that i thought she wrote a pretty good series of Roman themed detective novels. Just like your comment about commando comics I reckon if i scratched away at the surface i'd find some errors, but for me that isn't the point of historical fiction - by and large i know the research won't be academic standard -it's there to entertain, so if you try Rebels from the library if it's good you can read through it, and if after the first chapter you can't be bothered it's not cost you anything!!

As a good aside the BBC history magazine podcast interviewed Bernard Cornwell a few months back and he gave a great quote saying if historical fiction writers felt they want to be historians then they were in the wrong job! which i feel sums up the thread nicely!

[Cubster]

I have signed the capitulation and you still shoot at me.

Okay, you can keep your sword, let's spare the rest of the members the misery.

I actually like Maturin (he's my favourite character), he's the Yin to Aubrey's Yang. He's an extreme character, as is Aubrey, but it is just a story.

Have you read any of Conn Iggulden's Khan Dynasty series? I've just finished the fourth book and enjoyed it, perhaps not as much as the Ghengis books, but he's a tough act to follow.

[Invisible officer]

I have signed the capitulation and you still shoot at me.

Okay, you can keep your sword, let's spare the rest of the members the misery.

I actually like Maturin (he's my favourite character), he's the Yin to Aubrey's Yang. He's an extreme character, as is Aubrey, but it is just a story.

Have you read any of Conn Iggulden's Khan Dynasty series? I've just finished the fourth book and enjoyed it, perhaps not as much as the Ghengis books, but he's a tough act to follow.

No, I buy historic novels only at the fleamarket. Have not seen such a book here.

Just a story, that's the point. Far to many people believe what they read in novels or see in movies. Or worse, TV "documentations". Some are good but most are

[Cubster]

The first book in the series is called 'Wolf of the Plains' and is about the boy Temujin and his trials as a boy and then young man. I found it gripped me almost immediately and drew me into a period and subject about which I knew nothing at all.

[mikeland]

I have signed the capitulation and you still shoot at me.

Okay, you can keep your sword, let's spare the rest of the members the misery.

I actually like Maturin (he's my favourite character), he's the Yin to Aubrey's Yang. He's an extreme character, as is Aubrey, but it is just a story.

Have you read any of Conn Iggulden's Khan Dynasty series? I've just finished the fourth book and enjoyed it, perhaps not as much as the Ghengis books, but he's a tough act to follow.

No, I buy historic novels only at the fleamarket. Have not seen such a book here.

Just a story, that's the point. Far to many people believe what they read in novels or see in movies. Or worse, TV "documentations". Some are good but most are

Ah don't worry about what people believe... Surely that is what the Invisible Officer was put on this earth for, to correct such wrongs!

[mikeland]

The first book in the series is called 'Wolf of the Plains' and is about the boy Temujin and his trials as a boy and then young man. I found it gripped me almost immediately and drew me into a period and subject about which I knew nothing at all.

Not tried them, will keep an eye open in Oxfam.

[paulsmodellingworkshop]

I have all the series as well Mr Cubbin - yes I love them (let's not start that again ) great stories and battle descriptions. I reccomend them to anyone.

I also have them all on cd talking books - don't know if I'll have the time to read the books again but I have listened to the entire series twice whilst working. At least one of them is narrated by Jason Isaacs - great voice.

[clivethecelt]

Bit late in the day on this thread, but has anyone read Allan Mallinson's Matthew Hervey Napoloeonic books? Don't know how they stand up to critical study, but they seemed less populist and "modernised" than Cornwell's Sharpe (at least, to begin with - he lost me in the last couple of books after Badajoz), well-written and from a cavalry officer's POV. I do think it's a pity Richard Holmes never put pen to paper in this line, though, of course, his non-fiction work is exemplary (IMHO).

[Cubster]

I read one of his books years back and don't really remember much about it.

[Invisible officer]

The Hervey novels have the old problem of the modern age writer with a 19th century setting. Travel times. Persons, informations and goods needed a long time to get to far distant points. 1815 he is in action at Waterloo, 1816 in India, 1817 Home and America. No problem today but in that time? 1819 Rome and again India and Burma. South Africa, Balkan, Turkey, hardly any corner that the hero is not visiting within 15 years.