I'm 100% sure you will enjoy it, my friend. Just keep in mind that you can't really compare it to the 300. Gates of Fire is as closely based on actual historical events as possible. It is an AWESOME book, i'll take my oath on that, but if you expect it to be the same, you may be dissapointed.
"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another."
Read McCarthy's Blood Meridian. It's a haunting look at the scalp trade in the 1840s.
"I aim to misbehave."
-- Malcolm Reynolds
"I am a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-- Hoban Washburne
"What does that make us?"
"Big damn heroes, sir."
"Ain't we just."
-- Malcolm Reynolds and Zoe Washburne
it goes on the list.
thanks steve
"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another."
Speaks the Nightbird by McCammon was a great read - a little slow at first, but once it got its claws in me, it wouldn't let go. The sequal to it is coming out later this year.
I'm thrilled to have McCammon back writing and publishing again!
bumping due to the recent conversation in the what are you currently reading thread.
The Terror and Drood by Dan Simmons (along with his earlier The Crook Factory) are great historical novels.
What's The Crook Factory about, I've never heard of it?Originally Posted by Bev Vincent
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
It's about Hemingway during the years when he lived in Cuba. In Simmons' world, at least, he was looking for spies.
Interesting. I might check it out.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.
I don't know if they count as Historical Fiction, matter of fact, i don't think they do, but they touch on alot of history, and it's purported to be fact, so I'll discuss them here.
The first time I heard of Dan Brown was when all the fuss was made about The DaVinci Code.
As a total hater of everything that's popular that i didn't like before it was popular, i decided I wouldn't read it.
Recently I found both Angels and Demons and The DaVinci Code for 25 cents a piece at a secondhand store, and bought them. They sat in a plastic bag in my closet for 2 weeks before I ran out of things to read.
I have to say I read Angels and Demons in one night, and The DaVinci Code the next. Not the best books ever, but definitely very well written and compelling. It seems to me that Dan Brown fancies himself
M. Knight Shaymalan of the writing world, with the twists he always throws in, but other than that they were quite entertaining.
I recommend that if, like me, you have shunned these books because of popularity, you get over yourself and read them. They're worth a look.
"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another."
i completely disagree. one of the things i despise about dan brown (and james patterson for that matter) is that they write as if they believe me to be stupid, and that i need every single thing spelled out for me. i feel like i'm being talked down to while i'm reading, and i don't need that from books. i get it enough in real life.
JB, I don't remember if it was you I mentioned this to before, but here goes:
Conn Iggulden's books about Caesar. The series is called "Emperor". 4 books so far, great stuff.
Also Wilbur Smith's books about Taita. (River God, The Seventh Scroll, Warlock and The Quest)
Some are born to sweet delight,
some are born to the endless night.
thanks chap.what are the Taita books about?
also, someone mentioned a bunch of books about primitive peoples, and now I can't find it, something about people of the sea or something?
"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another."
look in the gude to dutch hill.
it's under "people of the..."
Last edited by sarajean; 06-08-2009 at 06:17 PM. Reason: to add the link
hard to describe what the Taita books are about.
It takes place in ancient Egypt
if you google Wilbur Smith and read about his "Egyptian series", you'll see. Taita is the main character in 3 of the 4 books. He's... special.
Some are born to sweet delight,
some are born to the endless night.
speaking of special, Gary Jennings wrote a book named Raptor about a hermaphrodite raised in a convent who goes out to find his fortune and becomes a Minister of War to the Ostrogoth king, pretty good read. ending kinda sucks tho, but you could say that about all his books. Except Spangle, that was good.
"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another."
Hey JB, I really enjoyed Gates of Fire. Twas awesome
I don't read alot of historical fiction, but I love James Clavell. Shogun is an amazing read and the books that follow on from it, Gai Jin, Tai Pan are entertaining, if not the best writing around.
His WW2 story King Rat is a complete knock out though, that's highly recommended.
You can bet that if I'm not reading science fiction I'm reading historical fiction. Since I live in the here and now stories set in it tend to bore me.
Actually, I should amend that...if it takes place within the last few hundred years I probably won't pick it up. We're talking Renaissance and back.
Glad to hear it, i still read it about once a month.Hey JB, I really enjoyed Gates of Fire. Twas awesome
Xeo rocks.
"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another."
goes on the list.
"So many vows. They make you swear and swear. Defend the King, obey the King, obey your father, protect the innocent, defend the weak. But what if your father despises the King? What if the King massacres the innocent? It's too much. No matter what you do, you're forsaking one vow or another."
Chap, I LOVE Taita! What a character. The first book is my absolute favorite, I must have read it at least ten times. The other books.. I don't know, they somehow lack the magic the first one had. Perhaps I should give them a try again.
I'll mention The Egyptian again.
Quoting Wiki:
I love, love this book. Full of sadness, but so well written. I've also heard the translation is quite good (Waltari, the writer, was a Finn). Read it. Read it! *hypnotizing voice*The Egyptian is the first, and the most successful, of Waltari's great historical novels. It is set in a fascinating period of Egyptian history, mostly during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten of the 18th Dynasty, whom some have claimed to be the first monotheistic ruler in the world.
The hero of the novel is not Akhenaten, however, but the fictional character Sinuhe, the royal physician, who tells the story in exile after Akhenaten's fall and death. Apart from incidents in Egypt, the novel charts Sinuhe's travels in then-Egyptian dominated Syria (Levant), Mitanni, Babylon, Minoan Crete, and among the Hittites.
"...neither the stupid jokes nor the easy surface emotions were the truth of Cuthbert Allgood."
Oh I couldn't agree more, Lily! The first book is pure brilliance.Chap, I LOVE Taita! What a character. The first book is my absolute favorite, I must have read it at least ten times. The other books.. I don't know, they somehow lack the magic the first one had. Perhaps I should give them a try again.The others are good, but not like that.
My least favourite would probably be the last one.
Some are born to sweet delight,
some are born to the endless night.
I came in here to post about that actually. Its one of the best books I've ever read hands down as well as one of the most despairing. I think its one of the most astute things ever written about American Exceptionalism. Very few things within the past few years have affected me as much as Blood Meridian. People tend to hate McCarthy or love him and I'm definitely the latter in all respects. Several times I had to put this book down for a few minutes and just weep. You can call me a pussy JB, but I couldn't care less.
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