Seattle Picks: Historical Fiction--Ancient & Medieval WorldLike this list

13 items

• The King's Mistress

  a Novel

  Campion, Emma

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  The young widowed Alice Perrers and her daughter find both protection and danger in the lavish court of King Edward III and Queen Philippa.

• Agincourt

  Cornwell, Bernard

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  In order to escape hanging, archer Nicholas Hook joins King Henry V’s army and is sent to France where he fights in the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, and rescues a French novitiate from raiding troops.

• The Palace of Illusions

  a Novel

  Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee, 1956-

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  The legendary princess Panchaali narrates this re-telling of the ancient Sanskrit epic of Mahabharata from the viewpoint of a rebellious, strong, magical woman. Filled with intrigue, battles, plot twists, tragedy and romance.

• Baudolino

  Eco, Umberto

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  Baudolino, an Italian peasant, saves a Byzantine historian during the 1204 sack of Constantinople by Christian crusaders. Baudolino then recounts the story of his life in a leisurely narrative sprinkled with fantasy.

• People of the Longhouse

  Gear, W. Michael

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  An Iroquois brother and sister in early 15th-century North America are kidnapped when unknown warriors raid their village. Written by archeologists, this gripping (and at times violent) adventure tale has many authentic cultural details.

• The Red Queen

  Gregory, Philippa

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  Lady Margaret Beaufort, ruthless Tudor matriarch, steers her way through courtly intrigue and civil strife to ensure that her son, Henry VII, becomes King of England.

• The Rebel Princess

  Healey, Judith Koll

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  Princess Alais navigates conspiracies and shifting loyalties in the royal French court of the early 13th century. This suspenseful, richly detailed novel is a sequel to The Canterbury Papers, but stands on its own.

• By Fire, by Water

  a Novel

  Kaplan, Mitchell James

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  This carefully researched and vividly rendered account of 15th-century Spain follows the experiences of several Jewish characters during the Inquisition and the voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World.

• Queen Hereafter

  a Novel

  King, Susan, 1951-

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  An 11th-century Scottish warrior-king grants sanctuary to a royal Saxon family, demanding in exchange to marry their daughter. Based on true historical figures.

• Ransom

  Malouf, David, 1934-

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  This lyrical and moving retelling of Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, focuses on Achilles’ killing of Hector and the subsequent heart-wrenching act of supplication by Hector’s father, the king of Troy.

• Watermark

  Sankaran, Vanitha

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  In 14th-century France, Auda, a papermaker’s daughter whose tongue was torn out at birth, learns to read and write. These skills allow her self-expression, but also bring her into conflict with the Inquisition.

• Empire

  the Novel of Imperial Rome

  Saylor, Steven, 1956-

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  Filled with the drama of ancient Rome, this saga follows multiple generations of the Pinarius family as they serve a series of emperors from A.D. 14 to 141. A sequel to Roma, but stands on its own.

• Captive Queen

  a Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine

  Weir, Alison, 1951-

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  Weir brings a historian’s eye for detail to this gracefully written account of Eleanor of Aquitaine and her stormy, passionate marriage to King Henry II.