Suggested Reading Thread

[Hroth]

Post the title of any suggested reading related to the classical era in history. You may also want to include Author and brief summaries of the plot lines. -

[Unintended BM]

This thread may interest you.

[Benster]

I think he means less factual books

[anubis88]

What does less factual mean?

[Gustave]

I strongly suggest Asterix.

[Seneca]

I guess he wants historical fiction. In that case I'll recommend Steven saylors works from the late Roman republic about Gordianus the finder. They are crime novels from ancient Rome and are wery well researched. Christian Camerons tyrant books about a greek hippeis commander in the time of Megas Alexandros are good but I find them weak in the story telling in some parts. Also Simon Scarrows books about two legionaires in the conquest of Britain is fine reading.

If you want historical accuracy I advise you to stay far away from Conn Igulden and the emperor series though.

[Cute Wolf]

I reccomend to read this super awesome historically inaccurate reading :

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...rt-Hadastei%29

[oudysseos]

I never included my favourite historical fiction in the Bibliography thread 'cos it's so subjective: I think that the Stephen Saylor books are far inferior, for example, to the Falco series. But that is just my opinion.

[geala]

Could you tell a little bit about the Falco series? When, where, by whom, ...

[Unintended BM]

I think he means less factual books

Oh, in that case:

I strongly suggest Asterix.

I agree with that.

[WinsingtonIII]

Well, I think everyone can agree that I, Claudius by Robert Graves is a quality work, but I'm sure almost everyone here has already heard of that. My parents tell me the tv series from the seventies (I think?) was quite good as well, but I have yet to see it.

[Ludens]

Well, I think everyone can agree that I, Claudius by Robert Graves is a quality work, but I'm sure almost everyone here has already heard of that. My parents tell me the tv series from the seventies (I think?) was quite good as well, but I have yet to see it.

Yes, the series is very good, although you should not expect action of any kind. It's just people talking in palatial rooms. It seems more like a play than a television series, in fact. If that's not your kind of thing then I recommed you give the series a pass.

[oudysseos]

Could you tell a little bit about the Falco series? When, where, by whom, ...

The Falco Series of Lindsey Davis.

The historical novels and non-fiction of Mary Renault:

The Last of the Wine (1956) — set in Athens during the Peloponnesian War; the narrator is a student of Socrates
The King Must Die (1958) — the mythical Theseus up to his father's death
The Bull from the Sea (1962) — the remainder of Theseus' life
The Mask of Apollo (1966) — an actor at the time of Plato and Dionysius the Younger (brief appearance by Alexander near the end of the book)
Fire from Heaven (1969) — Alexander the Great from the age of four up to his father's death
The Persian Boy (1972) — from Bagoas's perspective; Alexander the Great after the conquest of Persia
The Praise Singer (1978) — the poet Simonides of Ceos
Funeral Games (1981) — Alexander's successors
The Nature of Alexander (1975) — a biography of Alexander the Great
Lion in the Gateway: The Heroic Battles of the Greeks and Persians at Marathon, Salamis, and Thermopylae (1964)

Robert Graves' historical fiction:

I Claudius, Claudius the God, Count Belisarius, King Jesus, Hercules, My Shipmate

I'm sure that everyone knows of Stephen Pressfield, but, honestly, aside from Gates of Fire and Tides of War, not really that good.

Valerio Massimo Manfredi has written umpteen million books, which IMHO are pretty crap.

On the other hand, something which I may get laughed at for doing is to recommend Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series. She's not quite the academic heavyweight that she sometimes seems to think she is, but the series is really very good, although the earlier books are much better than the last two.

Finally, I also liked Robert Harris' Pompeii, Imperium and Lustrum.

[-Praetor-]

Valerio Massimo Manfredi has written umpteen million books, which IMHO are pretty crap.

I couldn't agree more.

[anubis88]

I couldn't agree more.

LOL... It was his 3 books on Alexander the Great that made me a history fanatic... What does that say of me? Well, I was young

Of those others I only read Pressfield's Tides of War, and i must say, it's a fascinating book.

[Andronikos]

What about Coleen McCullough: Masters of Rome series? My friend told me it's pretty cool and I consider reading it when exams are over.

[oudysseos]

What about Coleen McCullough: Masters of Rome series? My friend told me it's pretty cool and I consider reading it when exams are over.

Dude? Post #13?

[Bucefalo]

I liked The Tyrant from Valerio Massimo Manfredi the most, did not like much other of his books (like the last legion very bad). Why do people say that he is bad? I am no historian but i found him enough accurate and his books were quite easy to read. I also liked his alexandros trilogy, and after reading it i got more interested in that period as well.

[Andronikos]

Dude? Post #13?

Uh, lol, I'm blind and my dog is dead.
Why should you get laughed at by recommending it? Because of her another works?

[oudysseos]

Well, she is know more for writing huge brick-shaped pot boilers like the Thorn Birds.

[vartan]

This thread may interest you.

PWNED. Check out Conn Iggulden (did I spell that right?). He's got some sick books.

[Klearchos]

I realy liked Nicholas Nicastro's "The Isle of Stone".It's about the Spartan defeat (and un-heroic surrender) at the battle of Sphacteria (425 B.C.).
Michael Curtis Ford's "The Ten Thousand" is also pretty good, describing the exploits of Xenophon and the 10000 greek mercs, who fought (and lost) by the side of Cyrus the Younger.
As for Valerio Massimo Manfredi, I recently read "The Lost Army", and I didn't like it. It's also about Xenophon and the "Myrioi"

[WinsingtonIII]

Yes, the series is very good, although you should not expect action of any kind. It's just people talking in palatial rooms. It seems more like a play than a television series, in fact. If that's not your kind of thing then I recommed you give the series a pass.

Yeah, I'm aware that's it's not an action show; I mean, it was on PBS, which generally doesn't go for action. But, I would still like to see it. I've heard it can actually be quite funny at times.