Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion

I decided that since Ben has quite a few books out and his books are well known around here, that he should have his own thread.

Ben will no doubt swing by from time to time to this thread so while negative feedback on his books are as welcome as positive feedback, please keep all negative comments respectful.
If you didn't like a Ben Kane book, you are entitled to say so here, whether the author is around or not.

Please refer to this part of our Group Guidelines when posting in all threads:

We encourage freedom of opinion on books and authors in this group. As long as the opinion is respectful and harmless and breaks no Group rules. Don't feel you can't be honest about a book or author. No matter how popular the book or author is. Our Group Motto, courtesy of George S. Patton, is:
If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.

To any new members who missed it. In March 2013 the group did a group read of Ben Kane's book,

Hannibal: Enemy of Rome

The feedback was mostly positive.
It is never too late to comment in that Group Read thread even though the group read is finished. So if you are reading Hannibal and would like to comment, you can comment here or that group discussion thread which is here:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

I also did a blog interview with Ben on the A&M Group Blog (The Ancient & Medieval Mayhem Blog) to coincide with the group read.
http://ancientandmedievalmayhem.blogs...

Anyone in Bristol in October?

http://historicalnovelsociety.org/ann...

Anyone planning on Bristol in October?

Don't think I'm going to Bristol when I'm in England but it does look interesting.

I saw that in the HNS site the other day. Looks like a great event to catch.

Speaking of Ben Kane events....has anyone else been checking out the photos on his Facebook page of his Romani Walk for Charity? There are some pretty funny photos of the three of them trying to clamber over stiles in their full regalia. With shields and spears. :-) Funny stuff indeed.

https://www.facebook.com/benkanebooks

I am sorry Ben, but I am not so sure these three fine warriors would strike fear into my heart if they came to conquer my tribe. Lol

I liked the post from Anthony Riches the best Russ and I may walk the miltary road (100 yards back from the line of the wall tomorrow) in order to stay in the game rather than aggravating our various sores and cankers with going up and down a lot, but I'm sure Ben will be doing his best Mountain Goat impression.

They are walking through some beautiful country though.

Haha. I had not read that. Go Ben!

Yes, the countryside in the photos has been as enjoyable as seeing the authors strutting their stuff.

am half way in Ben kanes hannibal enemy of rome, its a top read

Good to hear, Patrick. Hope you keep enjoying it.

Finally got around to coming back and posting Ben Kane's stable of books.
I set up the thread and then kept forgetting...






Hannibal: An Island Aflame (no cover yet)

I am on page 237 of Ben's The Silver Eagle (2nd book from The Forgotten Legion Series), and while reading I got the impression that Ben's like to have and "impulsive" female characters in his books.

Is it a reoccurring thing, Lia?
I notice authors who like a certain type of female character tend to use them a lot. Another great example of this is Bernard Cornwell.
Majority of his love interest women are small, waiflike, skinny, showing bones, no breasts usually black hair and nearly all dullards.

@Terri: Yes, it is start to look like a reoccurring thing. His leading female in Hannibal: Enemy of Rome also (in my opinion) was cut from similar mold.

I just read that Ben's next books are in the Hundred Years War - moving Crecywards. Interesting... http://beforeitsnews.com/books/2013/0...

Lot of books going to come out in the next couple years in the Hundred Years War.
Ben's books.
Conn Iggulden
Robyn Young
And someone else..can't remember who.

Are you perhaps thinking of the Accursed Kings series by Maurice Druon? The series isn't new, but the 8 translated books are slowly being released, or is it someone altogether new to it?

Actually that might be it. Its relaunch in English has put it in the list of new books set in The Hundred Years' War for sure.

Was Joan of Arc during the Hundred Years War? If so, then maybe M.C. Scott

Yes! That was the one I was trying to think of.
Manda Scott/M.C. Scott is also doing The Hundred Years' War.

Gosh, Manda too! I look forward to that.

I think hers will not be straight historical fiction and in the end won't be one for our era threads. I have seen Manda call it a 'time slip' novel. So
I am assuming it will be a novel set in a contemporary setting with skips back in time to Joan of Arc era. So more a contemporary fiction by the sounds.

I have had a hard time finding fiction on Joan of Arc. Currently I am reading a non-fiction book about her and really enjoying it.

I also wanted to say that I have read The Forgotten Legion and absolutely adored it. I plan on continuing on with the other books in that trilogy. Hopefully my library will also get his books about Hannibal and Spartacus. Good job Ben. :)

Yikes! I don't drop in for a few weeks, as I try to catch up on things after the walk, and I come back to find I have my own thread! :-) Thank you, Terri, and everyone else!

@Lia: the main female lead in Hannibal is far less of a rebel than the one in The Forgotten Legion - at least she is in my head!

@Patrick: Glad that you're enjoying it!

@everyone: Christian Cameron is also moving into the Hundred Years' War. So too is Michael Jecks, and a new Head of Zeus author, whose name escapes me...

@Brandy: thanks a lot!

Lia wrote: "I am on page 237 of Ben's The Silver Eagle (2nd book from The Forgotten Legion Series), and while reading I got the impression that Ben's like to have and "impu..."

I enjoyed this one! Only one of Ben's our library system has.

You are welcome, ben. You need your own thread. You are really getting quite a few books under your belt and in different themes ie not just Roman..and now 100 Years' War.
This way they can all come together in the one place. :)

My confession is that still have not read one of Ben's books. Not because I don't want to, only that the stars haven't aligned for me and any of Ben's books. I simply can't manage to get to one. I am currently booked out for the next couple months. :) Maybe by September.

@Stuart: Two Hannibal books, back to back - that should be good - hopefully! ;-)

@Terri: no pressure ;-)

Lol. :-)

Ive got Spartacus on my TBR pile. Ben is a FB friend of mine and always chatty and friendly.

Ben gives hf authors a good name (don't get a big head now BK). I used to think that the 'bestseller' author would think themselves too much of a star to mix with the civilians. Robert Low, Ben Kane and Michael Jecks have completely changed my mind on that (although there still other bestselling authors who think themselves a league apart from their readers...I realise now they aren't all like that).

I've been thinking about authors who are writing in the 100 Years' War...I go that wrong in an earlier post. Conn Iggulden and Robyn Young are next to write and release new books in the War of the Roses not 100 Years' War. Oops. Sorry for getting my Wars tangled up.

Stuart wrote: "Do you know of any authors who have tackled the Hundred Years War? Curious now..."

Is this a rhetorical question? As part of a p#ss take? Or do you really want to know?

If you do want to know. Here is the era thread. You can find some in there. :-)
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...

Stuart wrote: "Do you know of any authors who have tackled the Hundred Years War? Curious now..."

I thoroughly recommend the Bernard Cornwell series about Thomas of Hookton, but then I would recommend Cornwell in any period he has written on.

Just noticed what thread we are on Stuart. I think that is why Terri though you might be taking the proverbial.

Chris F wrote: "Just noticed what thread we are on Stuart. I think that is why Terri though you might be taking the proverbial."

No. Not for that.
No I thought he was taking the proverbial because I had just been having a conversation in this thread on fiction written during the Hundred Years' War....and then Stu asked me what authors had written on the 100 Years' War.
So I thought he was teasing. Because we had only recently been having a discussion on it in this thread which I thought he had seen, but maybe he hadn't. Perhaps even though Stu was posting to Ben at the same time as the 100 Years' War convo was going on around him, he wasn't actually aware it was going on around him. :)
I just gave Stu the 100 Years' War thread link. It was easier that getting too off topic here.

So has anyone here been one of the lucky few to have got their hands on a copy of Hannibal: Fields Of Blood?

Nope. Not yet. But I have to read the preceding books in the series first. :)

I have a copy but likely won't get to it until next week end or so.

I've only actually read the first Hannibal book myself though I've had all the Forgotten Legion books waiting on my shelf to be read for a little while now. I keep getting distracted by other Roman authors or trying to make progress with all the series I've got on the go as it is let alone starting a new one!
If it's like the first Hannibal - or better - I'm pretty confident I'll enjoy it. Ben's got a talent for making the characters very much human and believable without distracting you from the action etc.

He kindly suffers my occasional inane tweets thrown at him too so for that he deserves some extra kudos from me! :D

Do you own any of the Spartacus: The GladiatorSpartacus: Rebellion books yet, Paul?

I do. I picked the paperbacks up in a couple of supermarket cheap deals but, again, they're a part of the ever growing 'to read' pile that never seems to get any smaller! Even more so when you add in their non fiction comrades!

Paul wrote: "So has anyone here been one of the lucky few to have got their hands on a copy of Hannibal: Fields Of Blood?"

I was lucky enough to get sent an advance copy of Hannibal: Fields of Blood - which I've read and enjoyed. According to my own weird system it would have got 3 stars (I guess that would be 4 stars from most people). It's a good thumping easy-to-read story. For me, the best bit is the setting - the Punic Wars - which takes me back to being ten years old and buying lead soldier Triarii and playing a favourite Strategy and Tactics game (http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/41...). The action is good, and the narration is clear. Where it falls down (slightly) for me is characterisation. The Roman protagonist has what seems an arbitrary change of situation, which is fun to read but not entirely credible. Also both the male protagonists are mostly motivated by glory of war (dulce et decorum est pro patria mori), which may be historical, but I found alienating. I'll certainly read others by Ben, though - which is the ultimate accolade from someone like me who is pretty much drowning in books!

-Richard wrote: "Paul wrote: "So has anyone here been one of the lucky few to have got their hands on a copy of Hannibal: Fields Of Blood?"

I was lucky enough to get sent an advance copy of Hannibal: Fields of Blo..."

Gee you were advanced. The only lead soldiers I got to play with as a kid were army ones and the only game I played with them usually involved a pile of dirt under the house

Terri wrote: "Gee you were advanced. The only lead soldiers I got to play with as a kid were army ones and the only game I played with them usually involved a pile of dirt under the house."

Lol, I think I was a little unusual :) I was at a posh school where we learnt Latin from 9 years old, and I LOVED the stories of Republican Rome. I couldn't get enough of them. I particularly remember devouring Tales about the mythology of Greece and Rome. But I also have a brother nearly five years older who loved military history and wargaming, so although his obsessions were WW2 and the Byzantines, he would meet me half way and indulge my classical enthusiasms from time to time. And it felt really good beating my older brother in the second Punic War!

Hannibal: Enemy Of Rome This was the other book that fired my imagination back then - probably scorned by historians now.

Terri wrote: "Do you own any of the Spartacus: The GladiatorSpartacus: Rebellion books yet, Paul?"

I don't own it, but it came in for me at the library and will be read this month sometime.

I hope you enjoy them, Happy!

Thnx Ben

I've enjoyed everything I've read of yours so far, so I am looking forward to it.