All Things Medieval discussion

I'm only new here and wodering what medieval books everyones reading or has read most recently. As I can't see a thread on this I thought I'd start one - if there is one and I've missed it mods please feel free to shout at me but please don't throw me in the stocks.

I've just finished reading The Love Knot by Elizabeth Chadwick which was equally as good as her other books I've read so far.

Now I'me reading "The Owl Killers" by Karen Maitland - its pretty big and I'm about 1/4 of the way in and loving it so far. It centres around a group of women living in a beguinage on the edge of a small village ruled by a sinister group of men calling themselves the owl masters.

I've read Pillars of the Earth and Pope Joan. Pope Joan is awesome!!!

My two favorite medieval authors are Chadwick and Penman - nobody does it better. Edith Pargeter's The Heaven Tree Trilogy is very good, slower paced but beautifully written. In you're interested in the later medieval period Brian Wainwright's Within The Fetterlock is very good, although its a have your thinking cap on type of book. No mindless reading there :)

Valerie Anand wrote a series starting starting prior to the Norman conquest and leading up to and through that period. Hard to find without dropping a pretty penny but keep searching and/or try for ILL via library. There are copies out there. [image error]

PS, don't even get me started on Pillars of the Earth. Yuck!

Misfit wrote: "My two favorite medieval authors are Chadwick and Penman - nobody does it better. Edith Pargeter's The Heaven Tree Trilogy is very good, slower paced but beautifully written. In you're interested i..."

I still haven't had the time to reread Pillars to see if I'll like it better this time.

Hee, talk about authors diddling with history.

Misfit wrote: "Hee, talk about authors diddling with history. "

explain farther.

Also, if you don't mind something more romance-oriented you might look at Roberta Gellis. She does know her period, but I'd spread them out. She gets a bit too explainatory (telling instead of showing), plus the constant misunderstanding between H&H can drive you batty. Her best are the first three in the Roselynde series.



Don't let those cheesy older covers scare you.

explain farther."

Need to get EC in on this too, it's been about three years for me. I loathed this book and not just for the inaccuracies. Cardboard cut out characters dumped in the medieval period, graphic sex and violence but the kicker was the anachronisms (sp?).

Heroine running around with her hair lose? Never.

The two kids being left alone in the castle with only the steward? Never.

There's a ton more, just read through the one stars at Amazon and you'll get the picture. I seem to recall one by Zig Gay (or something like that) that was a particular favorite.

Thanks! With so many other things to read I don't t don't think I want to take the time for a reread.

Hopefully World Without End is better because it's sitting on my shelf!

lol Misfit you and EC would have a hay day on Pillars.

You go right ahead. You'll never get me to touch another Follett novel as long as I live :)

I don't plan on reading it, too many of the people whos reviews I somewhat rely on when looking at a possible dud had bad things to say about it, so no Pillars for me!

I must say Misfit you'll laugh at this at a sale today I bought the Other Queen by PG yes I know I never finished it and such but it was for 50 ents and still in the plastic wrapping, so I bought it for shelf decoration.

Good job! Shelf decoration is a valid reason to buy a book you've already started and hated. I'm all about a good looking collection of books!

Heh, I have enough books decorating my shelves but you girls go right ahead and keep at it.

Mine are too full now,I need to get reading. (my shelves are two books deep)

I second the recommendations of Elizabeth Chadwick and Sharon Kay Penman for medieval novels. Also Edith Pargeter's Heaven Tree trilogy, which I re-read not so long ago.

Currently reading: Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell, which is set in ninth-century England against the background of Alfred the Great's war against the Danes/Vikings. So far I'd rate it OK; he's written better. I hope he does something more interesting with Aethelflaed Lady of the Mercians than looks likely so far.

Carla, have you read Joan Wolf's dark ages trilogy? Don't let the covers scare you, especially The Edge of Light. I really enjoyed that (as did Tanzanite). Road to Avalon is another take on the Arthurian legends, Born of the Son covers the period when the Saxons were taking more land and control and Edge is about Alfred.



Has anyone mentioned Helen Hollick's Harold the King? It's brick sized but I loved every minute of it.

Jack Whyte has a series on the Arthurian legend that starts right after the Romans have left.

Anyone here interested in the Templars?

Susan C wrote: "Anyone here interested in the Templars?"

I've never gotten into that topic much (except for a recent very very bad historical romance). I think EC's Daughters of the Grail touched on it briefly.

I want to get my hands on Hollick's Harold the King. The time period leading up to William's invasion of England is very interesting and I'd like to read more from the Saxon side of it.

I'd also like to get Valerie Anand's series but don't have any money to spend at the moment. :(

I am about to start "Court of the Midnight King" by Freda Warrington. Can't wait to get into it!

I'm reading Lady MacBeth by Susan Fraser King. I know I had to read Shakespeare's play in high school, but that's been many years ago (more than I'd like to admit!) and I don't remember anything about it.

Misfit wrote: "Carla, have you read Joan Wolf's dark ages trilogy? Don't let the covers scare you, especially The Edge of Light. I really enjoyed that (as did Tanzanite). Road to Avalon is another take on the Art..."

The Edge of Light and Born of the Sun are very good (as is Hollick's Harold the King).

I thought I would mention that in the Group Arthuriana - All Things King Arthur which Misfit brought to my attention, we will be reading Road to Avalon by Joan Wolf starting November 22 (probably). Sarah in that group has thread called Suggested Reading for Fall/Winter 09. I suggested Road to Avalon after discussing the trilogy books with Misfit, the books Misfit again mentions above! Maybe others are interested in reading The Road to Avalon.

the Road to Avalon by Joan Wolf is great I hear, I have it but yet to read it. I didn't know it was a triology, now I have more books to buy =)

Nona wrote: "the Road to Avalon by Joan Wolf is great I hear, I have it but yet to read it. I didn't know it was a triology, now I have more books to buy =)"

Nona, don't worry about the trilogy aspect. They're called a trilogy because of the chronological order, but there are no overlapping characters or storylines whatsoever.

I'm now off to look for the Arthurian group. Thanks Misfit!

Joan Wolf's books are on my list but I haven't got to them yet (as with so many things!).

Susan C - is that Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles series? I've read some of them, but not the whole series. I found them slow (and I think they get slower as the series progresses) and he never seems to use one word where a dozen will do, so I put them to one side for the time being.

Harold the King is my favourite of Helen Hollick's novels, though that might be because I have a soft spot for Harold :-) Maybe Sourcebooks will reissue it along with her Arthur trilogy? If you're interested in Harold, I really liked Julian Rathbone's The Last English King, which is told from the perspective of a survivor from Harold's bodyguard at Hastings. Not everyone likes the style, though - he uses some playful references to modern terminology, which I like but some people hate as anachronisms.

Tanzanite, have you read King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett? That must be my favourite Macbeth book of all time.

Carla- You are right about the Whyte books - he takes forever to get anywhere. I think I have two more books to read in the series.

I haven't read King Hereafter. I've tried a couple of Dunnett's books and didn't really care for them.

Dorothy Dunnett? she wrote the Game of Kings right? I heard she hard to follow along and her dialogue is somewhat tricky but that if you could get past that she's a great author. I haven't read anyhting by her yet but have 2 or 3 titles of hers on me shelf.

Dunnett is very hard, I think the Lymond books were easier for me as they were so similar to Dumas (who I love to bits). I do intent to read King Hereafter one of these days when I'm in an ambitious mood.

Nigel Tranter also wrote a book on Macbeth. I started it once but it was a bad book day (several flew) and I haven't tried it again. I hear Tranter is hit or miss, he can be dry as dirt. I did like the Bruce Trilogy and recommend that one.

Yes, I'd agree that Tranter is hit-or-miss. Of the novels of his that I've read, the Bruce Trilogy is my favourite. I also liked his Macbeth the King.

King Hereafter is my favourite of Dorothy Dunnett's novels. That might be partly because it's so strongly reminiscent of the Norse sagas, and I love the terse saga style. It's distinctly different from the Lymond chronicles. I found it easier to get into, but again that might be becasue I recognised a lot of the Norse aspects so that was all familiar to me.

Glad to hear I;m not the only one who finds Jack Whyte slow!

Carla wrote: "Yes, I'd agree that Tranter is hit-or-miss. Of the novels of his that I've read, the Bruce Trilogy is my favourite. I also liked his Macbeth the King.

King Hereafter is my favourite of Dorothy..."

I think I like the Jack White series because I'm a sucker for books with a lot of details.

I'm currently reading The Wild Hunt by Elizabeth Chadwick, second reading and stille love it!

The Borgias by Marion Johnson

oh, I hink I have that on my shelves somewhere, different cover art though. How are you liking it thus far?

Nona, yes mine has a different cover - up to page 103 - Rodrigo is Pope, Lucrezia is into her first marriage - Cesare hasn't been up to anything to mischievous yet.

Enjoying the background of the Borja / Borgia family as a whole.

I know nothing of them, I think thats why I picked it up, hehe.

I forgot how much I enjoyed The Wild Hunt, Guy and Judith are just right for one another.

Nona wrote: "I know nothing of them, I think thats why I picked it up, hehe.

I forgot how much I enjoyed The Wild Hunt, Guy and Judith are just right for one another."

They are a great pair, aren't they? I liked seeing them grow and change through the other two books as well and keep a strong marriage and family.

well I now have the second one and am looking forward to reading it but I still lack the last, TLU. :( but when i get that one it gives me the excuse to re-read them all together.

Last time I looked Leopard Unleashed was still pretty darn expensive. I know I sound like a broken record but do try for an ILL if your library particiates. I seem to recall my county had it in their catalog so there might be some copies available.

yeah I could but I want to buy it when it is re-released so all my covers match, I have a first edition of The Wild Hunt too (no, I'm not parting with it). I want all three and want them to match, I'll check to see if I can get it on ill but my library charges $2.50 per book, ughh, might as well wait and but since I will anyway.

They make you pay? Holy cow. I had one ILL where the loaning library would only let it go for $15 (I was asked whether I wanted to pay or not) but otherwise I've never had to drop a dime for an ILL.

yeah well when you live in poe-dunk Oklahoma(one of the poorest states I might add) they make you pay for Ill, $3 for 15 miles on the turnpike, and it seems no matter how much taxes we pay there is still a pot hole every three feet of asphalt, and our winter stores of salt and sand are always depleted with the first snow storm, hmph I might also add was at Christmas and Jan and Feb are always rough here. Ok I'm done ranting on good ole' Oklahoma.

Yes I agree though it shouldn't cost but it does but I'm going to check into it and if they can find it put a request in. Now Tulsa county which is bigger only cost's a $1.25 but I'm no longer a member there since we moved.

I read the Julie Garwood medievals/highlanders novels and really enjoyed them.

hmm, Julie Garwood. I haven't read her stuff, I know it's wrong of me but I judge covers when it comes to romances. I kow, I know. The covers are usually cheesey or a little too revealing so I tend to stick to more historical fiction. I read romances but tend to judge them by covers first then ratings.

Nona wrote: "hmm, Julie Garwood. I haven't read her stuff, I know it's wrong of me but I judge covers when it comes to romances. I kow, I know. The covers are usually cheesey or a little too revealing so I tend..."

Her covers are different. Very few have the male/female on the cover.

I did read most of Garwood's medievals a few years ago when I was moving from HR to HF, but after Chadwick and Penman I'm guessing I'd have a hard time with them. I don't expect high fiction but I still want a little believability. Shadow Music was dreadful though, as much as I wanted to enjoy it as it was a sequel to Ransom which I had loved to bits.

Shadow Music was miserable, I agree. I was just mentioning Garwood because she's an easy read and I loved The Prize, The Secret and Ransom. Sorry if I offended.

UniquelyMoi *~*Dhestiny*~* wrote: "Shadow Music was miserable, I agree. I was just mentioning Garwood because she's an easy read and I loved The Prize, The Secret and Ransom. Sorry if I offended."

Don't ever worry about expressing your opinion. We're not all going to like the same books every time and that's why we're here. This is Goodreads and not Amazon, the land of snarkiness :)