Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion

My nose has been buried in Aztec history the past few weeks. Pre-Columbian history of the Americas has always been of interest to me, but I had not sampled any historical fiction of this theme. Of course, I have been aware of the Aztec saga created by Gary Jennings for quite some time, but I was quite ignorant of anything besides that acclaimed series. Therefore, I endeavored to find anything I could to remedy my lapse in knowledge. Disclosed here are my findings for anyone else interested in the theme. However, I will warn you right now: the pickings are rather slim.

Invariably, all fiction that I found appears to involve early contact with Europeans. As such, I am placing this thread in the Early Modern Period folder. Also, I apologize for my bias towards Amazon ... I suffer from a deep-rooted case of brand loyalty that dates back to late 90's. If you have any insight into availability at your favorite bookstore, please do share. Also, additional suggestions are more than welcome.

AZTEC

Aztec Saga

The famous series by Gary Jennings probably needs no introduction. Judging by popular acclaim, this is a must read for anyone interested in pre-Columbian fiction. The first three books had been written by Jennings himself, while the remaining two have been a joint effort by Robert Gleason and Junius Podrugs.

Strangely, the first in the series, Aztec, is not available in Kindle format; the rest of them are.



Apocalypse 2012

Ten years after Jennings' death, the duo that penned the two remaining books of the Aztec saga, decided to cash in on their experience and produced this series, largely riding Jennings' name. A mix of ancient & modern story lines ... and, by all accounts, a major flop.

Available in a number of formats on Amazon.



The Luck Of Huemac

While looking around, I found a number of titles by Daniel J. Peters, who seems to have enjoyed Pre-Columbian history, as he had also written novels about the Maya and the Inca. The New York Times even published a review of this title three decades ago.

Printing appears to have stopped. Amazon lists a few hardcover copies from 3rd-party sellers.



Skull Rack & Hummingbird God

Written by Ron Braithwaite, these two novels are about the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire, told from the point of view of a prisoner, and participant of the conquest, interrogated by an inquisitor.

3rd party availability at Amazon.



Feathered Serpent

Those familiar with the history of Spanish conquest of Mexico will undoubtedly recognize the name Malinali or Malinche, the translator that assisted Cortez with dealings with the natives. Sold to slavery by her family, Malinche exhibited intelligence and command of Aztec and Mayan tongues, which Cortez relied upon during his conquest. She had also born him a son. This is her story.

Amazon has a few copies.



Captain From Castile

Apparently, this is a classic from 1940s. It tells a story of a Spanish nobleman who accompanies Cortez on to the conquest of Mexico.

Very few 3rd party copies available on Amazon.



Mexica

Yet another Mexican conquest recount. Relatively new production by Norman Spinrad. Available in Kindle format.



Mexico

James A. Michener is known for his brilliant, multi-generational historical sagas.



The Right Hand of the Sun

Recent work by Anita Mason published in 2008. The novel tells the story of Geronimo de Aguilar, who shipwrecked on the shores of Mexico a decade before Cortez appeared and conquered the land. Cortez met and recruited Geronimo as the translator, who along with Malinche aided in the conquest.

Amazon lists a few new and used copies offered by 3rd party sellers.



INCA

The Incas: Novel

Written by Daniel J. Peters. Amazon lists a good number of copies from 3rd parties.



Incas

A trilogy from a French author, Antoine B. Daniel, whose work had been translated to English by an individual named Alex Gilly. Apparently, the series reached bestseller status in France and Spain.

New copies available at Amazon.com.



MAYA

Tikal

Another novel written by Daniel J. Peters. Amazon lists a few of copies from 3rd parties.

Good post, ib. A lot of effort went into that. It will be my 'go to' post for Pre-Columbian Americas & Spanish Conquest fiction when I want some. :)

I just re-discovered The Right Hand of the Sun by Anita Mason ... thanks Amazon wish lists!

I'll add it to the top.

ib.

I haven't read any DH Lawrence. I should, just to see. One day...one day I'll think about it.

Chris wrote: "Possibles:

Clare Bell's Jaguar Princess ... see Amazon reviews
DH Lawrence ... Plumed Serpent
Obsidian Sky ... see Amazon reviews

Obsidian Sky
The Plumed Serpent"

I omitted Clare Bell's work in this thread due to fantastical/paranormal aspects of the novel (like shape shifting), and the Young Adult target audience. I also purposely ignored the Plumed Serpent ... the story is actually set in the 1920s, which is obviously not the scope of this list, and it is a romance, as far as I could determine ... a no-no in my books >8)

Obsidian Sky I was not aware of ... will check that out, although judging by description, it is also set in modern times.

ib.

Terri wrote: "I haven't read any DH Lawrence. I should, just to see. One day...one day I'll think about it."

SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence, a suggestion. Title kind of grips you, doesn't it? It is slow reading.

I have always regarded DH Lawrence as slow reading. I tried one a long time ago and lost interest. I don't even remember which book it was. As I say, it was a long time ago though and my tastes now in my thirties are much different to my tastes and abilities as a reader in my early twenties.

Many of the classics are slow and wordy. The sentence construction is often "not the way I'd of put that." I think that is why I like historical fiction. I can read about true events and people of an earlier age in a way that I can easily process, understand, and enjoy! There are caveats a plenty to my little speech as to why the classics are hard to read, so in the attempt to refrain from being verbose, I shall now shut up.

hehe. No need to shut up, Linda. :)
I am very familiar with classics. Have read hundreds in my reading life. Sometimes you strike an author that is slow and wordy to an extent that I lose interest, others are slow and wordy in a way I can appreciate.

I'm still looking for books about Spain in Florida. It just occurred to me to ask Los Floridanos membership, they have some knowlegable people. Also, maybe I can ask Dr. John the historian if I see hin in St. Augustine this summer. Will fill you in on results though they'll likely be slow in coming!

Crystal, I was looking for hf books in Russia. Got The Russian Concubine and was disappointed. That mistake shied me away from costly hf books about Russia. Picked up the older Gutenberg free WAR AND PEACE to re-read. It does not move any faster the second time around. The morale of this story: Be careful what you wish for. Would that I could help you on your quest, but I am not that smart. You sound well versed and well connected. Let me know what you find.

You'd think there would be a lot about Russia! Peter the Great, Ivan the Terrible, the battles with the Poles... I know I read one about battling the Poles, can't remember title or author,darn it. Maybe it's on a shelf still and not gone to the used book store. It had a great description of the battle where they used skates to lure the Poles onto thin ice...

ooooooo... thanks Chris!

Just looked and saw some promising leads outside of gov't publications and the book about Gasparilla! Gaspar was total fiction, created by the newspaper to promote a street party. lol But still a fun time today!

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf I found this Willian C. Davis book. IT may not be what you want, but perhaps it can take you where you want to go. DeSoto made a trip through Florida, discovered the mighty Mississippi River and promptly died. I hope I helped a little bit.

That does sound interesting. Thanks Linda! I just found Beyond the River of the Sun as well. And Wekiva Winter, which seems to cover the same events for a younger audience. Just going off the blurbs at any rate. I'll have to miss the annual descendants of Ponce de Leon reunion in Miami again this year, I bet they'd have some leads too.

You live in a paradise on earth. Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is a favorite. When we fish in backwaters, I am reminded of Cross Creek. On the gulf coast I feel the power in the sea that is undescribable.

I think Cross Creek is required reading for FL natives. It should be if it isn't. I grew up on the Space Coast, which is the Atlantic side, so to me the Gulf always feels like a giant lake. But I love living in St. Pete, the arts community is huge and active. And we have some gorgeous wild places to go. Now I need to go kayaking! :)

I feel the need for a swim.

I finished . Not bad, not great. Written a little young, but I encountered an ancestor who typically got himself killed by insulting the wrong people, and connected a lot of locations, so it was worth it personally. There was one location continually referred to, but not visited until rather late, Norococo. Turned out to be the southern tip of Merritt Island, where I grew up. In my youth it was known as Dragon Point because of the dragon statue a homeowner built on the very tip of the island, the dragon was named Annie.

Crystal wrote: "I'm still looking for books about Spain in Florida. It just occurred to me to ask Los Floridanos membership, they have some knowlegable people. Also, maybe I can ask Dr. John the historian if I s..."

I just finished a trilogy (Contact: The Battle for America) by W Michael Gear and Kathleen Gear about Hernando de Soto as told from the Native American perspective. I have read others by this husband and wife team and I enjoy them very much. In the first novel, however, there is a lot of detailed sex. I had not read another book by them that has this but, I think they are using it to describe the unusual bond between the two main characters. Books two and three ease off back to their normal.







EDIT: I gave them all five stars! If any of them could be considered weak, I would say the first because of so much steamy sex and because they jump around from the woman remembering when she is old and the man narrating in present tense. They do this a bit in the other two but much less and it flows better than in the first.

Ah. Looks good...except for the over sexing. :-)

I put this one in the Early Modern Period thread, but I should have put it in here..
Such a beautiful cover.

Terri, they are also very big on the battling scenes, which are very good. That is mostly why I liked them so much, plus my interest in Native American history! I am still reading BCs Saxon series and I feel that the Gears are comparably good with describing battle. I feel that Uhtred would admire Black Shell and vice versa.

Darla V wrote: "Terri, they are also very big on the battling scenes, which are very good. That is mostly why I liked them so much, plus my interest in Native American history! I am still reading BCs Saxon series ..."


Well...hmmm...now you have piqued my interest, missy....


(Glad to have you back on the scene Darla..:-) ..)

I can not believe that you remember me! I had left because I felt like such a dummy in a room of highly intelligent scholars. I couldn't stay away though, because of my love for non-romantic hf. I cannot get my other group to vote my way very often. It is comprised of only women and they tend towards the chick-lit and romance- yuck!

Terri tends to remember almost everyone, it's quite amazing. :)

I've had your experience too, even if it's not romance it's still chick lit. It holds no interest.
And don't worry about all the 'scholars', I'm not one in the least and only in the last year have I really started reading HF so join in wherever and whenever you like. All comments and questions accepted and never made fun of. :)

Of course I remember you! :-) I am actually fairly good with 'faces' so to speak.
I saw you rejoin last week (I check the member list everyday to see what the number is and who the new faces are) . At first it did not click because you had the crystally avi.

Ha. Yeah. I like to call them Historical Chick Lit. But a couple days ago I actually realised how best to describe those kinds of books. Historical Soap Opera.

Many people think that the opposite of these romance type historical books is gorey hacking books, but it isn't. When you look at our bookshelves, or even our Listopia Reading List, that kind if gorey book only plays a small role in this groups taste.
The books that, to me, are the opposite of the Historical Soap Opera books are gender neutral books with more focus on activity, events and adventure than on inter personal relationships between characters.

Yeah, and don't be put off by the scholarly convos around here. All types of input is welcome. No-one judges. And if they did?? I'd be onto them about it.
:-)

Thanks, Dawn and Terri. I get a little self-conscious sometimes and that old father-daughter crap rears it head. ;-D

Soap Opera, exactly! I think that it is because so many women are dramatic that way and live as if they are in one.

I was also hesitant because there are sooo many new members. I tend to avoid big groups.

Darla V wrote: "I think that it is because so many women are dramatic that way and live as if they are in one. ..."

Ain't that the truth.


It's true. We are definitely growing, and we are only going to get bigger (although not all members are active for sure), but somehow we've managed to hold onto that intimate group feel. Dawn and I will always try and maintain that. :-)

That's good! You two can be very funny when you get on a roll. I love to laugh!

Oh and I meant to mention. Voting for books. This is why Dawn and I put up only two books in each of our two polls every month. And each poll represents a era of history. So those who like the ancient stuff get an ancient book and those who like Medieval or later history get their taste catered to also.
We put A LOT of thought into which books we select and in the end two polls, two books in each. Members have more chance on voting for something that will win.

That is fantastic! I have just suggested in my other group that we have less to vote on. They have so many that the winning title usually has 3 or 4 votes only!

Darla V wrote: "Crystal wrote: "I'm still looking for books about Spain in Florida. It just occurred to me to ask Los Floridanos membership, they have some knowlegable people. Also, maybe I can ask Dr. John the ..."

I've read a couple of the Gear's books and quite enjoyed them! I will most definately look for these, thank you Darla!!!! I did find Johnathan Dickinson's Journal, a published account of the survivors of the shipwreck of the Redemption off the coast of FL, their captivity by the Ais, and eventual repatriation at St. Augustine. Jonathan Dickinson's Journal

Darla V wrote: "That is fantastic! I have just suggested in my other group that we have less to vote on. They have so many that the winning title usually has 3 or 4 votes only!"

And that is exactly why polls with too many books don't work.
At least if there is only a couple to choose from, people don't vote or vote for fun and don't get disappointed.

Jonathon Dickinson's Journal is right up your alley, Crystal!

I found it from a comment on a thread in a history group on Facebook of all places. Where we're seriously discussing the rebuilding of a dragon statue that was made after a legend of the Ais on the island where I grew up.

Arauco: A Novel

An epic on the Spanish invasion of Chile, told from both sides. Has a bit of everything. You'll need the glossary.

Added to my TBR...

Found a book about the Calusa Tribe in FL during the First Spanish Period The Pot: Cauldron of the Calusa
Am getting a copy direct from the author after a friend of his said it was available in the True Florida Cracker Facebook Group. Yet another FB group book find!

Not sure if this book fits in this period. I think it might.

The Moor's Account

This book was a losing book in our 'Medieval or Later' March 2015 Group Read Poll.
Plague Land won that poll.

If anybody is reading this book (Moor's Account) I would love to read your feedback on it here. I am interested in reading it myself, but would like to see more feedback first.

Now on my TBR Terri, looks good to me. Am currently reading The Conquest of Florida, Under Hernando de Soto. Volume 1 of 2

Crystal wrote: "Now on my TBR Terri, looks good to me. Am currently reading The Conquest of Florida, Under Hernando de Soto. Volume 1 of 2"

I see that poor book needs a rating, Crystal. :)

Let me finish it and I'll even have a review! lol Learning a lot while reading.

What a good list! I have a strong interest in the Incas, but I haven't read (or found) very much historical fiction about them -- instead I have read mostly non-fiction. I'll have to check some of these out. :)

Happy to see the thread has helped you find some titles, Kirsten. :)

Terri wrote: "Not sure if this book fits in this period. I think it might.

The Moor's Account

This book was a losing book in our 'Medieval or Later' March..."

Hi Terri, I read The Moor's Account in February. I enjoyed it very much. Very well written. It covers a a true and rather amazing survival story as a result of a very failed conquest attempt now known as "The Narváez Expedition". It began with 4 ships and 600 men and women. About 100 deserted in the Caribbean, and all the rest died except for 4, including a Moorish slave. The other 3 surviving members (all nobles) wrote accounts that still exist, but of course the slave had no voice. This imagined "what really happened" account makes a great read. The mind set of the conquistadors is of course appalling, and a good reminder of what our (in my case) white, North American society is based on.

I'm currently reading a book with some similarities, "The Gold Eaters" by Ronald Wright. He is an expert in meso-American cultures. Years ago, I read his excellent non-fiction "Time among the Mayas". The Gold Eaters is about the conquest of the Incan empire by the Spanish, told mainly from the POV of a native boy captured by the Spanish to use as an interpreter. Excellent writing, extremely well researched, poignant... I highly recommend it.

These 2 books epitomize my favourite kind of HF: very long ago, relating to actual historic people and events, well researched and well written. And, ideally, about times and places I don't know much.

Kirsten wrote: "What a good list! I have a strong interest in the Incas, but I haven't read (or found) very much historical fiction about them -- instead I have read mostly non-fiction. I'll have to check some of ..."

I'm not sure which list you are referring to, but I would recommend "The Gold Eaters" by Ronald Wright, about the end of the Incan empire and the conquest by the Spanish. Extremely well researched (Wright is an expert in ancient American cultures), and very well written.

I never did get around to reading The Moor's Account. I know some members did read it at the time. I think they enjoyed it like you did.