Ancient & Medieval Historical Fiction discussion

Any good books based on Robin Hood that you can recommend? Thanks a bunch! ;)

Boy, I bet there'll be a lot. I haven't read many myself. I did try
Hood but it was YA and although it was nicely written it just didn't feel adult for my tastes. A bit too innocent. :-)

There is also Outlaw, but I don't know anything about it. Only seen it around.

Cool! I'll check out Outlaw! I tried looking at the library but couldn't find any that weren't YA.

Then you should be okay with Outlaw. I have been told it is definitely not YA. Of course, I can't guarantee it is well written. :-) But it is adult I hear...keep me updated when you get to it.

I really liked Parke Godwin's

Sherwood and

Robin and the King

This a different take on the legend. He moves it up 125 yrs to the reigns of William the Conqueror and his son William Rufus. Robin becomes a former Saxon Theign who was replaced after Hastings and is still concerned about his people. The two Williams and the Sheriff of Nottingham are protrayed fairly sympathetically

This one isn't bad either The Sheriff of Nottingham: 8

It protrays the Sheriff very sympathetically

Vanessa wrote: "Cool! I'll check out Outlaw! I tried looking at the library but couldn't find any that weren't YA."

Loved the Outlaw series!

Awesome! I can't wait to get my hands on all of these!

I read an article about Robin Hood being gay based on the literature about him.

I suppose no-one would know whether he was gay or straight unless they knew him. It is possible he may not have even existed passed just a name.

Hahah that is so true. By the way, what does that line beside your name mean? Wyrd bith ful araed?

It is Old English for Fate is Inexorable.
Or to some it translates as Fate is wholly inexorable.

Vanessa wrote: "Cool! I'll check out Outlaw! I tried looking at the library but couldn't find any that weren't YA."

I've read Outlaw. Just a couple months ago actually. My review if you're interested.... http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Dawn wrote: "Vanessa wrote: "Cool! I'll check out Outlaw! I tried looking at the library but couldn't find any that weren't YA."

I've read Outlaw. Just a couple months ago actually. My review if you're interes..."

Thanks for the link to the review! I'll have to go and buy it now lol!

You'll have to let us know what you think, I don't think I've convinced Terri that it's not YA. :)

Dawn wrote: "You'll have to let us know what you think, I don't think I've convinced Terri that it's not YA. :)"

Your right. :-) You haven't. My YA antennas are twitching.I'll see what Vanessa says too. Lol. She is looking for non YA Robin books, aren't you Vanessa? I am sure we'll hear if it is YA.
I need a number of bonafide verifications before I'll relax my YA antennas.

Yep, definitely looking for non YA lol! I'm almost finished with Hood though and it's pretty good. ;)

Terri wrote: "Dawn wrote: "You'll have to let us know what you think, I don't think I've convinced Terri that it's not YA. :)"

Your right. :-) You haven't. My YA antennas are twitching.I'll see what Vanessa sa..."

It's okay. I said in my review for it that, for me, it is written okay. Pretty simple, like all YA. But the skill of the author was still evident. It was the characters and storyline that was..well...being YA....written for teenagers and I couldn't relate or make myself be interested in it. I found it a bit silly. All in all I can see how others like it though. I am just fussy. :-)

I recently finished Outlaw, and I enjoyed it. It is definitely not YA. Way too violent, with one very explicit (and unwarranted) sex scene.

Agree about the sex for sure, not sure why it was necessary. And besides the story not being YA friendly, it's not written with a YA style either.

*throws hands in air* Who the hevk ever knows why authors feel they need explicit sex scenes in their books. Sometimes they work okay and seem appropriate, but many times it doesn't benefit the story.

Look at the Bernard Cornwell books (yes, here I go again) and the Robert Low books. Fantastic, rollicking reads that don't rely on love stories and sex to excite their readers. That's how I like my books. :-)
Bernard Cornwell
Robert Low

I don't know if this book has been mentioned, but I only recently discovered that Alexandre Dumas wrote a book on Robin Hood. I was surprised to make this discovery.

Robin Hood

I just finished "Scarlet" by Stephen Lawhead and thought it was better than "Hood". (Sorry, I have no idea how to link books here.) I'll start the last in the trilogy today.

I agree - authors shouldn't have to rely on love stories and sex. I will probably read "The Last Kingdom" by Bernard Cornwell next. I picked that up at the library the other day. And I bought "Azincourt" at the book sale for $1. SCORE!

I'm excited about Dumas's Robin Hood and can't wait to read that!

Vanessa, there is a 'add book/author' right above the comment box.......click, search your book, and hit add. For more info see this thread http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8...

$1 for .
Well done!

Had you heard of Dumas' Hood? I hadn't.

Thanks! I didn't even notice that when posting comments before.
Dawn wrote: "Vanessa, there is a 'add book/author' right above the comment box.......click, search your book, and hit add. For more info see this thread http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8......"

Terri wrote: "$1 for .
Well done!

Had you heard of Dumas' Hood? I hadn't."

OMGosh I bought about 30 books for less than $30 including a Complete Works of William Shakespeare edition that is selling on Ebay for about $60! No way am I getting rid of it though lol!

I did not know about Dumas' Hood till you mentioned it. I added it to my ridiculously long TBR list but am not sure when I will read it now since the reviews on it are not exciting me.

I also have borrowed from the library and will be in search of others. I raided your list of faves and added a lot to my TBR last night ;)

Wow. You got yoir moneys worth!

Keep us posted on your impression of that Sherwood book, Vanessa. :-)

There are another 3 books in the Angus Donald Outlaw Chronicles Series. In order:
the last one is being released next week.

So it goes back to Crusades by the looks? Does it start in Nottingham though?

Yes, it starts in Nottingham (well, Sherwood Forest). Donald says in his afterword that the real Robin Hood(s) most likely existed well after the Third Crusade. However, in keeping with modern tellings of the Robin Hood story, he set Outlaw during the reign of King Richard.

Thanks, Justin. :-)

First book is all in Sherwood and the surrounding area, the second and third books takes Robin and his merry men on the Crusades with Richard. Looks like the fourth book is set in Normandy after the third crusade.

Dawn wrote: "There are another 3 books in the Angus Donald Outlaw Chronicles Series. In order:

I really wished these were available at any of the libraries near here. Now I'll need to look for them used ;)

Always fun to hunt down used books. :)

And in case anyone is wondering....the book covers that came up are three-quarters wrong. It's a curious phenomenom that happens when you hit the reply button sometimes.

Re: bookcovers switching out
I've just posted about this bug in GR feedback. I figured it has probably happened enough now to notify them.

You can follow Angus Donald on Twitter at @angus_donald
And/or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/angus.donald.author

As for the sex scene in 'Outlaw' : What?! For real?

We're fine with characters wading through river of blood, hacking people to pieces right left and centre. Yet we're balking at a few lines that fit perfectly with the themes of the book, develop the character and are really nothing out of the ordinary?

Think 'Green Man'. Look on Wikipedia for 'Green Man' and scroll down to 'Related Characters.' Robin Hood doesn't live in Sherwood Forest, wear Lincoln Green and drink at 'The Trip To Jerusalem' (which still exists in Nottingham city centre) for nothing.

@ Speesh: Yeah, it's well into the book. To avoid any spoilers, the scene involves the whore who lives among the men in Sherwood Forest. It's short, but as graphic as it gets. It's one of those scenes that I could cover up with a post-it not and my wife could read it otherwise (she has no aversion to violence, of which there is plenty in Outlaw).

Have just read Outlaw and Crusader. Gritty, pacy and a totally different take on Robin Hood. Not quite the easy on the eye devil of Errol Flynn days! Loved the books but hid behind cushions at the bloody bits. Definitely wouldn't see this series in any YA shelves in bookshops or libraries. HIGHLY recommended.

Hi Prue, nice to meet you. Glad to have another opinion on the YA question with Outlaw. :)

We just ask that you put in the links for any books you mention in your post, it makes it easier for everyone else to see the book you are discussing. See here if you need to know how http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8....
Thanks :)

Prue wrote: "Have just read Outlaw and Crusader. Gritty, pacy and a totally different take on Robin Hood. Not quite the easy on the eye devil of Errol Flynn days! Loved the books but hid behind cushions at the ..."

Hi ya Prue,
Welcome.
I was just reading your question in the historical fantasy thread about Robin Hood. Thought I might answer you here when I saw you had posted in this RH thread too. :-)
It is a good question. Are characters of legends.....fantasy?

I don't regard books with characters of history, that have not been proven to exist, as historical fantasy. Another example is Arthur. Just because he may have been made up or has not been proved to exist, and the stories of him became legendary, that doesn't make books with him in them a historical fantasy. What makes it fantasy is when spirits walk and talk, Gods walk and talk, magic is used, merlin uses magic, witches use magic...that sort of thing.

Robin Hood, King Arthur, their stories and existence are unproven, but to be unproven only makes them a ficticious character with a ficticious set of stories based upon them. It is no different to Bernard Cornwell's Uhtred character. They are all just fictional characters.

So, :-) , in a nutshell, I believe that characters from legend are not historical fantasy unless the unreal or the supernatural are involved. Keep it straight up. Based in the appropriate country in a real historical setting with no unreal elements and it is historical fiction.



Bernard Cornwell

The interesting thing about Outlaw is that Donald involves RH in significant pagan worship which fits well with the times and also shows an interesting dichotomy in RH's character. But no, there is no magic, no spell, so that makes the books hist.fict purely and simply. And re-assuring to hear that you would classify any book about Robin Hood as genuine historical fiction.

I must confess I have a vested interest here, as I published a book earlier this year on the equally fictitious character of myth and legend: Sir Guy of Gisborne. But perhaps disembowelling his character and status within hist.fict is another thread entirely!
(Spoiler: not at all bloodlusty for those that think it might be!)

Thank you for welcoming me. I'm thrilled to have found groups dedicated to all aspects of medieval hist.fict.


Gisborne: Book of Pawns

Oh..and Prue..
How could I not lay out the welcome wagon for you.

You being a sheep producer from Tasmania, me a cattle producer from Queensland. Both ladies on the land. :)

Terri! Ozzy, ozzy, ozzy!!

Have just had two weeks of cold, wet and rainy shearing! Which makes reading hist.fiction about anyone, be it Robin, Gisborne or blessed Friar Tuck an absolute escape to a far more interesting and exciting world!

Oi! Oi! Oi! :D

I would say we've had a cold snap up here and I've been freezing, but since you're a Taswegian you would know that our 'cold' in QLD is nought but a summers day for you guys. Lol.

Coming into the business end of the season up here. July, August, September. Dry and cold, pastures getting picked off by frost.. Hoping for more rain to keep that frost at bay...:/
I find this a great time of year for those 'winter hist fict' such as C.J. Sansom. Dark mysteries. :-)

I'm about to purchase Lords of the North in audio...

Terrific. :-)

Prue,
I was looking at your books on your profile page and read you GR blog post there about how you were watching the BBC Robin Hood series and you noticed a lot of attention to Guy of Gisborne in the tv series. Which spawned the idea for your book.

I wanted to mention that book here myself, as just a member and not the author, as it does sounds like it may appeal to the people who also have an interest in Robin Hood.
I know you mentioned it earlier, but I thought I'd mention it too now that I have had a read up on your profile.

It is straight historical fiction though isn't it? A ficticious story set around Guy of Gisborne? No fantasy?


Gisborne: Book of Pawns

Terri wrote: "Prue,
I was looking at your books on your profile page and read you GR blog post there about how you were watching the BBC Robin Hood series and you noticed a lot of attention to Guy of Gisborne in..."
it is straight hist.fict: most definitely. Fiction set around Guy of Gisborne. For the last 2 years I have been sunk in reference books of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and seemed to spend our Australian summer just past, smothered in reference texts on the Knights Templar as I write Book Two of the saga.
You see, I refuse to let this Gisborne end his days the way Robin Hood's Gisborne did in the Childe Ballad - ie beheaded. This Gisborne has a far different role to play.

And by way of your kindness in asking me such questions on this thread, I am happy to offer one Kindle copy of Book One to anyone you nominate and also one print copy next month when the print edition is published. Is it necessary for me to go through the conventional Goodreads Giveaway spot?

Cheers.

What a kind offer, Prue! I'll send you a pm.

Okay, :-) , I have chosen some ladies. Sent you a message, Prue, to let you know who they are.
I tried to pick two members who always leave detailed reviews of the books they read. I believe authors who offer their books for free deserve a good, detailed review. I put a lot of thought into my choices. Wanted to reward some ladies who I often see great reviews from. Even if the review is negative, they always put in some effort.