Historical Fictionistas discussion

Anyone know of any good books set in the Byzantine Empire? I like all genres except romance.

Sean McLachlan
civilwarhorror.blogspot.com

First thing that comes to mind for me are Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay.

They're actually fantasy, and set in a fictional world. But it's heavily drawn from the actual historical world of Byzantine.

I've only read the first one so far, but I've been meaning to get to the second. I know it's not a true historical about the area, but if you might enjoy it. Kay's writing is wonderful.

The Mosaic of Shadows was pretty good.

I've read the first couple of the John the Eunuch series starting with One for Sorrow, historical mysteries set in 6thc Constantinople.

There's also a bio-novel Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore that I have not read but looked interesting or maybe The Bearkeeper's Daughter, another novel about Theodora.

I recall that A Death in the Venetian Quarter ,3rd in the Fools' Guild series took place during the siege of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1203 and had a lot of info about the inner workings of that city and the politics toward the fall of the Byzantine Empire.

I recommend an oldie but goody, Lawrence Schoonover's "The Burnished Blade." Set in the early 1400s it narrates the adventures of a French knight who travels east to The Empire of Trebizond, one of the Greek successors to Byzantium that survived until 1461, eight years after Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks. The Burnished Blade

Another outstanding "oldie," L. Sprague De Camp's "Lest Darkness Fall." It's an early example of Speculative Historical Fiction set in Byzantine Rome with a time travel element reminiscent of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court". A short novel, or novella, it's really a great read and very well researched.Lest Darkness Fall

Anne Perry's The Sheen on the Silk: A Novel is worth a look. Also Cecilia Holland's The Belt of Gold.

Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead.

Julian, by Gore Vidal.

Hello, everyone, I just wanted to point out that there is Michael Ennis' Byzantium. A very absorbing, action-filled and well-written story, with a Viking "angle" to eleventh century Constantinople.

Also, Tracy Barrett's Anna of Byzantium has been on my to-read list for some time.

By way of introduction, I'm new to the group and write Byzantine fiction, but will refrain from shameless self-promotion ... at least until we are better acquainted!

Achilleas - if you write Byzantine fiction, you've got my attention!

Like Gabriel said, Byzantium, by Stephen Lawhead, is quite an interesting read. However, I would have to say that THE book to read for this is Michael Ennis's Byzantium. No other Byzantine novel will allow the reader to chew on so much byzantine-ness. :) Enjoy.

This one is new and interesting: The Eagle and the Swan (e-book only; enhanced e-book, which for 6th-century Byzantium is a really good idea, due soon). Justinian and Theodora, courtesy of an art historian. For more information, you can listen to the free podcast at http://newbooksinhistoricalfiction.co....

OOH, OOH! I have to add my recommendation for Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore. I listened to this as an audiobook recently and it was AMAZING. So enjoyable...just a delicious book.

I've been working my way through the ebook version of The Purple Shroud: A Novel of Empress Theodora, the sequel...and while I am enjoying the story itself well enough, I'm having a very hard time reading it due to the author's unusual punctuation choices. It's not as smooth to read in book form as the first novel in the series was to listen to as an audiobook. I'm hoping they'll make The Purple Shroud into an audiobook so I can fully enjoy this story, too.

I am reading Gordon Doherty's Legionary which deals legionaries in the Eastern Empire. There are three in the series.

Yes, indeed! Orhan Parmuk's "My Name is Red."

Though rather late in this discussion, please let me recommend my own historical novels set in the Byzantine Empire of the seventh century:

http://richardblake.me.uk/

Gabriel wrote: "I am reading Gordon Doherty's Legionary which deals legionaries in the Eastern Empire. There are three in the series."

Also his Strategos series:

Strategos - Born in the Borderlands and Strategos: Rise of the Golden Heart.

Also:
The Seven Hills of Paradise by Rosemary Simpson: 4th crusade, sack of Byzantium.

There have been 3 books in the last few years about Empress Theodora of 6th-century Constantinople, wife of Justinian the Great. My historical novel The Eagle and the Swan also tells the story of her rise to power and details background scandals and accomplishments of the era. It's been available as an eBook since November. What I'm really excited about is that the 1st 4 installments can be read for free as an enhanced eBook soon on the novel's website http://www.theeagleandtheswan.com. It'll be like having access to an illustrated catalogue embedded under the story line. You'll be able to click on links to make character profiles (with images) pop up, glossary, maps, timelines, supplementary info. My mantra: entertain and inform! If you join the Readers Club on the website you'll get an announcement when the enhanced edition will be posted.

Hi, Carol—
Welcome to Historical Fictionistas! I just sent you a friend request.

You'll see I mentioned your book above (post #13).

Carol wrote: "There have been 3 books in the last few years about Empress Theodora of 6th-century Constantinople, wife of Justinian the Great. My historical novel The Eagle and the Swan also tells the story of h..."
Thanks for the recommendation. It's a challenge to make people aware that the book exists, but your audio blog/interview surely helps.

Carol wrote: "There have been 3 books in the last few years about Empress Theodora of 6th-century Constantinople, wife of Justinian the Great. My historical novel The Eagle and the Swan also tells the story of h..."

That sounds really cool!

I'm on a mission to make people aware of Theodora. She was really significant historically but almost noone's heard of her. Her eclipse might be explained by the misogyny of the court historian who maligned her for all time. It seems he came from the aristocratic class and she from the gutter, which he could never forgive.

Audra (Unabridged Chick) wrote: "Stephanie Thornton's The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora was marvelous -- quite gripping. Inhaled this one in a matter of days.

Stella Duffy's Theodora book was a DN..."

I haven't read it yet. I've been resisting because I'm still working on the enhanced eBook edition of my novel, and I don't want to be influenced. But it seems it's Theodora's moment to finally get the attention she deserves.

The Dark Angel by Mika Waltari is about the siege of Constantinople.

Istanbul by Orhan Pamuk

Well, I still recommend my own six books set in the early Byzantine Empire. You can see them here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-Blake...

Richard wrote: "Well, I still recommend my own six books set in the early Byzantine Empire. You can see them here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-Blake..."

I will take your advice and give read them, great era for a setting. On another note anyone know of any Third or Fourth Century Roman historical fiction? Preferably with real events and battles

You can't go wrong with Gore Vidal's Julian. This is the ultimate historical novel about the 4th-century Roman emperor often called "The Apostate"

Thank you, Maggie I will certainly take your advice. The synopsis suggest a bit of Julian hero worship. Does this come across in the novella. It is a shame in cannot be bought in digital format.
Any other suggestions?

Julian is a great novel, one of my all-time favourites. I don't think I'd qualify it as a novel set in Byzantium because it's a bit early, Julian was Constantine the Great's nephew, but it's definitely worth reading anyway. And for a novel about Byzantium, I recommend Count Belisarius , during the reign of Justinian, by Robert Graves.
By the way, the story of Emperor Justinian and Belisarius is what loosely inspired Guy Gavriel Kay in his fantasy duology, The Sarantine Mosaic mentioned in the second post here.

Teanka wrote: "Julian is a great novel, one of my all-time favourites. I don't think I'd qualify it as a novel set in Byzantium because it's a bit early, Julian was Constantine the Great's nephew, ..."

I have never liked 'Byzantium' anway, it was the Roman Empire. That aside those that use the term do so often from Constantines reign or after fall of west.
I am eager for something that really gets into the minds of the generals on campaign, the dangers faced by the common soldier, as well as court politics in the Late Eastern Roman Empire.
Might have to write my own one day, but for now I just wish to be inspired!

Antiokhos wrote: "Richard wrote: "Well, I still recommend my own six books set in the early Byzantine Empire. You can see them here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Richard-Blake......"

Antiokhos, a superb classic: Eagle in the Snow, early 400s, Germania.

'Swords around the Throne by Ian Ross was out yesterday. I have not read it yet, but it is a sequel to 'War at the Edge of the World'
'http://www.amazon.co.uk/Swords-Around...

Gabriel wrote: "Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead."

I just finished rereading that and love it. I had been going through a reading slump and this book was exactly what I needed. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this time period.

I read the Lawhead one, and while I enjoyed it a lot, I would have preferred more of the action to have taken place in Byzantium itself. But that aside, this novel is a very good read and a worth addition to your “Want To Read” List.

Try Geoffrey Fox, A Gift for the Sultan

I have on my TBR shelf History of the Byzantine Empire by Alexander Vasiliev. Originally published in Russian. The revised English version is available for kindle at $1.13 it looks to be a good read.

Margaret wrote: "I have on my TBR shelf History of the Byzantine Empire by Alexander Vasiliev. Originally published in Russian. The revised English version is available for kindle at $1.13 it look..."

Oh, gosh. I read that in graduate school. First book on the Eastern Roman Empire I ever read. I still have the paperbacks somewhere.

It's a great introduction. A bit dated these days, but well worth your time.

A few books I'm aware of:
Warrior of Rome (250s): A bit early to be considered properly Byzantine but a very good series. Written by Harry Sidebottom, a famous Classicist.

Agent of Rome (270s): Adventure novels full of secret agent (frumentarii) goings on.

Helena (290s-330): Novel about the mother of Constantine the Great.

Twilight of Empire (Early 300s): A series that follows the rise of Constantine. Lots of blood and warfare.

Gods and Legions (350-363): Tells the story of Julian through the account of his Christian physician. Not nearly as good as Gore Vidal's introspective novel.

Julian (350-363): The life of Julian the Apostate as told through his journals and the recollections of cranky old man Libanius.

Amida (359): Haven't read it yet, but it's set during Shapur's siege of Amida.

The Lion and the Lamb (366): The "barbarian conspiracy" invasion of Britain.

Britannia (367): The "barbarian conspiracy" and defense of Britain.

The Beacon at Alexandria (370s): A woman flees her arranged marriage and goes to Alexandria to learn medicine.

The Janus Eagle (370s): Not the best. An overblown series set in Armenia during the reign of Valens. ***** for a cool setting, ** for the writing style.

Legionary (370s): I don't like it (too Assassin's Creedy over-the-top) but others might enjoy the exaggerated adventure that it makes of the Roman Empire under the emperor Valens.

Roman Hostage (378): A young Visigoth flees his Roman home and joins his people for the battle of Adrianople.

Divided Empire (391): Looks a bit bad romance novel level rubbishy from the cover, but the plot doesn't sound like it fits that. It focuses on a mission to keep Britain from tearing itself out of the Empire.

Eagle in the Snow (400s): This one seems to be popular but I can't stand it. Lots of tortured prose and some very antiquated attitudes about the fall of the Roman Empire.

Threshold of Fire (414): The poet Claudian and the conflict between paganism and Christianity in the years following the sack of Rome.

Imperial Purple (450): A state slave discovers a plot to depose the emperor Theodosius II.

Attila (430-453): A trilogy about the life of Attila the Hun.

At the Ruin of the World (448-451): The collapsing West Roman State tries to defend itself against Attila.

The Sword of Attila (451): Aetius defends the Roman Empire from Attila the Hun.

The Fall of Rome: A Novel of a World Lost (476): A somewhat overblown book about the fall of the Western empire.

The Last Legion (476): The deposition of Romulus Augustulus (the last Western emperor) and his journey to Britain where he does Arthurian stuff. Pure pulp, but good-natured.

Raptor (490s-526): The life and times of Theodoric the Goth.

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore (525-548): The life of the Empress Theodora.

One for Sorrow (530s): A series of mystery novels starring John the Eunuch set in Justinianic Constantinople.

Belisarius: The First Shall Be Last (530s-565): A life of Belisarius, Justinian's most famous general.

Count Belisarius (530s-565): A novel about Belisarius and his scheming wife Anotonina by the same guy who wrote I, Claudius. He doesn't really get the period and describes it as incomprehensible that King Arthur should come after Julius Caesar. Kinda bugs me what a massive hate boner he has for powerful women.

Caesar's Sword (530s-568): The wars of Belisarius as told by King Arthur's grandson.

The Bearkeeper's Daughter (540s): The life of the Empress Theodora.

Conspiracies of Rome (610s): The first in the Aelric series about a young Saxon who tries to save the empire.

Game of Empires (617-619): YA novels about Rodi, a young bureaucrat who has to try and save the disintegrating empire. Title seems to be a bit Game of Thronesy.

Alchemy of Fire (672): A novel about the creation of Greek fire.

Justinian (late 7th Century): No, not that Justinian. The other one. Justinian II was emperor twice (685-695 and 705-711) and by all accounts was a nasty, vengeful little man. But that's what makes him fun to watch. By Harry Turtledove, the alternate history writer, who certainly knows his stuff having gotten a PhD in Byzantine history.

Edge of the Empire: Ex-soldiers and melodrama in Byzantium.

The Belt of Gold (c. 800): The Empress Irene tries to hold her power base together and rule Byzantium as its first proper Empress.

Queen of Lies (850s-867): The rise of Basil I and his overthrow of Michael III.

Byzantium (870s): A young Irish monk travels to Byzantium to deliver a copy of the Book of Kells. A very good book.

Theophano: The Crusade of the Tenth Century (956-969): An account of Byzantine politics in the 10th century.

Byzantium (1030s): The life of Harald Hardrada (the future victim of Stamford Bridge in 1066) and his service in the Varangian Guard in Byzantium.

The Last Viking (1030s): The life of Harald Hardrada in Byzantium.

Strategos (1046-1071): Adventure novel set in the buildup to the battle of Manzikert.

East & West: Catharsis (1070): John Lascaris goes east towards Manzikert to investigate why his money supply has dried up.

The Lady for Ransom (1070s): A Norman knight recounts his journeys to Byzantium.

The Mosaic of Shadows (1096-1099): A mystery novel set during the First Crusade. But it takes place in Byzantium with a Byzantine lead.

Anna of Byzantium (1110s): The life of Anna Comnena and the family squabbles therein.

The Seven Hills of Paradise (1202-1204): The fourth crusade as told from the French perspective.

The Golden Horn (1203): Enchantresses try to stave off the fourth crusade. Ugh.

Lord Geoffrey's Fancy (1220s): Adventures in the Frankish kingdom in the Morea.

The Mistra Chronicles (Late 14th Century): The decline of Byzantium and the effort to hold the Turks at bay.

The Emperor's Winding Sheet (1453): A shipwrecked English boy is considered a good luck charm and follows Constantine Palaiologos to the siege of Constantinople.

The Dark Angel (1453): The fall of Constantinople.

Queen of Cities (1453): The siege and conquest of Constantinople.

The Last Byzantine (1453+): Haven't read it. Tells the story of a young man who witnessed the fall of Constantinople during his travels through Europe.

Niccolò Rising (1460s): The adventures of a Brussels merchant throughout Europe. Some are set in Byzantine or former Byzantine territory.


Some slightly off topic suggestions:
The Misplaced Legion: First in a series of Fantasy books based heavily on the Byzantine empire. He mix and matches times a bit (and throws in some teleported Romans for good measure) but on the whole it captures the feel of Byzantine life better than any other books I can name. Probably because so few of them exist and those that do tend to focus on big personalities rather than lower society/politics. And of course they're all Justinianic or First Crusade and later. His second and third series in this world are even more clearly Byzantine, with Krispos being about Basil I, and The Time of Troubles being about Heraclius. These two are close enough to events that I really wonder why he didn't simply write them as historical novels.

Sailing to Sarantium: This does what Harry Turtledove did with Videssos only it's rubbish. The basic story of a mosaicist from not-Ravenna travelling to not-Constantinople to work on the not-Hagia Sophia is good (although why he didn't simply make it a historical novel I don't know) but the endlessly showy prose and lazy changes (Bassanid for Sassanid? Really?) make it a tedious slog.

Lest Darkness Fall: A timetravelling archaeologist from the future helps defend Ostrogothic Italy from the Romans in order to prevent the Dark Ages. A classic and still a fun read.

Belisarius: An alternate history/scifi/fantasy series that sees General Belisarius fighting an Indian army led by beings from the future. It's epic, insane, and just plain fun. I wouldn't give it many props for accuract (though it's certainly well researched) but that's hardly the point. It's an epic Fantasy set in a real time and place.

Agent of Byzantium: An alternate history version of the 1300s where Mohammed became a Christian saint and the East never fell to the Arabs. This follows the adventures of Basil Argyros, a secret agent of sorts sent out to find new threats to the empire. A very clever reenvisioning of history. A collection of short stories rather than a full novel.

The Dragon Waiting: Set during the War of the Roses, but in a universe where Julian the Apostate kept the empire pagan. Very inventive and different.


I know that's a reasonable list but it's really scraping the bottom of the barrel. There are more books in Greek and probably a few in Russian and the like, but there really haven't been many fictional tales written about Byzantium.

I've just discovered this list, which looks as if it could have interesting discoveries: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

edit: Varangians were Viking soldiers at the service of the Emperor of Byzantium.

There's also Tales of Byzantium: A Selection of Short Stories by Eileen Stephenson.

deleted user wrote: "Gabriel wrote: "Byzantium by Stephen Lawhead."

I just finished rereading that and love it. I had been going through a reading slump and this book was exactly what I needed. I would r..."
I loved that book. It's strange how he's listed as a Christian author, but none of his books push religion at all. Lawhead is a wonderful writer. I've enjoyed everything I've read of his. It's too bad when authors are wrongly categorized like this. I live in the liberal community of Santa Cruz, CA and his books aren't even carried in our libraries...

Margaret wrote: "I've just discovered this list, which looks as if it could have interesting discoveries: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7...

edit: Varangians were Viking soldiers at the ser..."

Actually Varangians were eastern Vikings who conquered Russia ca. 862 and continued down the Dnieper to Constantinople, where some did remain in service to Byzantium whereas others, having been paid off, returned to Kiev and to what is now Sweden.

In both places they combined trading, fighting, and "governing"—in the sense of exacting tribute from those around them. But in Constantinople they did act as a kind of royal guard.

One novel on the non-Byzantine Varangians is Cecilia Holland's Varanger. But a much better book by her that at least copes with situations that indirectly affected Byzantium is Until the Sun Falls: A Novel, about the Mongol invasion of Russia.