James Michener
It is hard to have a list like this that does not include Michener, widely regarded as a giant in historical epics. Michener is also prolific, with a significant body of work. To date, I have read The Source, a history of the Jewish people and The Covenant, a history of south Africa. I am also really interested in his books on Alaska, Hawaii, Texas, and Spain.Michener is thorough - his books generally start far back in the history of a country, sometimes before recorded history. His books read almost like short stories, with each chapter focused on a new generation and the history of his chosen region. Like John Jakes (discussed below), he brings in real historical figures while also setting his characters in the middle of real historical events to give the reader a feeling for what real, every day people might have experienced.
I personally find Michener's writing style a bit off putting and they sometimes make his books feel longer than they already are, and I dislike the short story feeling of some of his chapters, but overall I think the breadth of what he accomplishes in his books and the incredible insight he offers into specific regions or countries outweighs the negatives. I'll keep reading.
Bernard Cornwell
I have enjoyed everything I have ready by him so far, but particularly his Arthur series, and I personally recommend starting there. This is his take on the Arthur legend, and it's definitely different from some other approaches to the story. For one thing, Arthur isn't a king.
I also really enjoy the sense of realism brought to the story - I have seen others say that no one does battle scenes like Cornwell, and I find it hard to argue with. There is a grittiness to his battle scenes, and he doesn't shy away from the "icky" details from lice to wounds to exhaustion.
He also includes a touch of fantasy in the Arthur series that I really enjoyed - Merlin is here in all of his glory, and the druids add just a touch of magic that I really felt added a lot to the story, without detracting from the focus on the battle for Britain.
John Jakes
Jakes focuses on historical fiction set in the United States, and also likes to write family sagas. The Kent family chronicles follows one family from the 1770s through to the 1890s, while North and South focuses on two families through the Civil War, including the lead up and the aftermath.
Jakes is masterful at covering the nuances of a historical moment, including the politics, without being dry. In addition, because of his focus on a family, his series have the feeling of major historical sagas.
Stephanie Thornton
I am not sure I can rave about Thornton's books enough, to be honest. To date I have read Daughter of the Gods and Tiger Queens, and I plan to read The Conqueror's Wife very soon. I will also probably buy her American Princess as soon as it comes out, which is not something I usually do.On her website (I love it when authors have websites!), Thornton says she has been "obsessed with infamous women from history" since she was 12, and it shows. She also says her first two novels "reimagine the lives of two of history's forgotten women" - Theordora and Hatshepsut. I would argue that Tiger Queens does this as well. She really got me interested in digging out historical fiction on strong women throughout history, and that is now one of my favorite areas in which to read.
I cannot recommend her books more, especially if you're interested in women from history!
Elizabeth Chadwick
Chadwick is fairly prolific, but so far I have only read her trilogy on Eleanor of Aquitaine, starting with The Summer Queen, which I can wholeheartedly recommend. I next plan to tackle her William Marshal series.In her Eleanor series Chadwick covers the life of Eleanor of Aquitaine, a ruler in her own right but also a wife to two kings and mother to three more. If that isn't enough to draw you in, it also features William Marshal, one of the more famous European knights. It features court intrigues, romance, and a tough woman who isn't afraid to stand up for herself and her family. It also takes you all over, from the crusades in Jerusalem to England and France.
I recommend just on the power of how interesting Eleanor is in her own right, but Chadwick is also a great story teller, and I plan to read more of her.
Edward Rutherfurd
Rutherfurd really brings a region to life, and like Michener and Jakes, he brings real life historical figures and events into contact with his characters. He also starts far back in history; his book on Dublin starts with the time of the druids and pre-Christianity.
I definitely recommend giving Rutherfurd a try if you like historical epics or enjoy James Michener, and I plan to read his books on London, New York and Paris in the semi-near future.
Jean Auel
The first book, Clan of the Cave Bear, follows a young homo sapien girl wandering alone, until she is adopted by a clan of Neanderthals. Her story shows the clash between the two species, as well as the differences between the two. It is a fascinating look at what life may have been like for early humans.However, I also think there are very valid criticisms of the series as a whole. For one thing, I agree that the series ran on longer than it needed to and that it ran on; while I enjoy the descriptions of the world and the plant and animal life, Auel can go overboard. Some of the books don't really move the plot along much. I also agree with some who point out that the main character, Ayla, is a bit of a super woman and that it can be hard to suspend belief - no one person invented sewing and domesticating animals, for example. However, I find that to only be a minor point.
The first book can also easily be read as a stand alone, or you can read the first two or three and stop. The first is definitely a marvelous book, I am just not sure the rest lived up to it.
CW Gortner
Gortner is a newer discovery for me, but I definitely plan to read more. So far I have read his Romanov Empress, a story of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, and I am currently reading The Vatican Princess, a story of Lucrezia Borgia. While I am not sure I am going to like the Borgia novel as much as I loved the Romanov one, it's still enjoyable and makes me anxious to continue reading some of his other novels.Like Thronton, he seems to focus on significant female figures from history. His other novels include books on Isabella of Castile, Juana of Castile, Cocoa Chanel, Marlene Dietrich, and Catherine de Medici. I love the range of eras he covers, and he creates interesting characters that are enjoyable to read about. He helps shed light on interesting periods of history from a perspective that is often neglected - that of women.
Steven Saylor
Saylor is also an author I recommend frequently. Interesting, to my knowledge he has primarily focused on one period - ancient Rome. I have read his "big picture" series on Roma, which starts with Roma. In the vein of Michener or Rutherfurd, this series follows the history of Roma, with each "chapter" focusing on a different ruler or era, following two families through history.I think his more famous series is his Roma Sub Rosa series, which follows Gordianus the Finder on a series of epic adventures. I haven't read this one yet, but it is on my list of series to dig into soon. You have two choices to start with here. You can start with The Seven Wonders of his Ancient World series, which seems be a sort of prequel series for the primary Gordianus series. If you want to skip right to the primary series, you'd start with Roman Blood. The series follows Gordianus as he solves mysteries in ancient Rome, often bringing him into contact with major historical events.
Alison Weir
While the events sometimes overlap, particularly in the first two books, I don't find this detracts from them at all - in fact, I found it fascinating to read about the same events from two extremely different perspectives. Naturally, Katherine and Anne have very different perspectives on the events that to Henry's break with Rome and creation of the Church of England.
The other thing I like about Weir is that she writes fiction and non-fiction, often about the same people. I frequently read biographies after I read fictional accounts in order to get the "real story," and she makes that easy to do. For example, she has non-fiction books on Anne and Mary Boleyn that shed a lot of light on Anne's life and her relationship with Henry. However, since she has both fiction and non-fiction, you need to be a little more aware of what you're buying, unless you want to read both! I personally find her non-fiction pretty interesting, so I recommend it as well if you enjoy biographies.She has also written about Eleanor of Aquitaine, the "nine-days queen" Jane Grey, and much about Elizabeth I - I recommend starting here. For the most part she seems to try to stay true to history, although she does take a significant departure in her novels on Elizabeth - I won't spoil it for you, though. She usually writes a clear afterward in which she explains where she has taken liberties with history.
Overall, highly recommend her novels if you're interested in the Tudor period or historical women in general.
Morgan Llywelyn
Llywelyn writes a great deal on the history of Ireland. While I have only read one of her books to date, which may make it a stretch to call her a favorite, I intend to read a lot more. I started with Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas, a book about pirate Grace O'Malley. (If you're interested in this topic, I also plan to read The Wild Irish by Robin Maxwell, which focuses on O'Malley's confrontation with Queen Elizabeth I.)Grania is a fascinating look at a really interesting woman, and I thought Llywelyn did a great job of bringing her to life.
She really peaked my interest in Irish history, and I plan to dig into her series on the Irish Rebellion, which starts with 1916, soon. She also has a series on the druids of Ireland, which starts with Druids. She also has books focusing on other major figures in Irish history like Brian Boru.
Conn Iggulden
To date, I have only read his Genghis Khan series, which starts with Birth of an Empire (which tends to be pretty cheap on Amazon - it's $0.99 right now). I also plan to read his other series, although fair warning - I have heard he takes some liberties with historical fact in the Roman series, although not having read it yet myself I cannot verify.
I really am enjoying the Genghis series (I have the last two left to read). It's a really interesting look at Genghis and his family, starting in his younger years when he and his mother and siblings are abandoned by his tribe and following his rise to power. There is plenty of action here, but also family drama and politics to contend with. It's an interesting look at not only why he was successful, but at how his people managed to conquer as they did, but also the shortcomings of his ruling style. Definitely recommend.
Philippa Gregory
Last but not least, I felt I had to include Philippa Gregory. She is such a giant in the field of Tudor history that, given my fascination with that era, I couldn't leave her off. I do enjoy her books - they're definitely guilty pleasure reads. However, because she takes a little more liberty with the historical facts than I prefer, I am usually slightly reluctant to recommend her or recommend her with a strong caveat. You're probably familiar with her work, even if you don't know it; her book The Other Boleyn Girl was the basis of the a major motion picture staring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana. Her novels were also the inspiration for The White Queen and The White Princess television series about Elizabeth of York.There are several orders in which you can read her novels, but I recommend following the order set by Goodreads, which combines her Tudor and Plantagenet series into one longer series. This order starts with The Lady of the Rivers, which covers the life of Jacquetta Woodville, Lady Rivers, the matriarch of the Rivers family and mother of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV. Elizabeth's story follows, naturally enough, in the second book, The White Queen.
The series follows the family through the War of the Roses and continues on into the Tudor era. As with Weir's books, there is some overlap in events from book to book - for example, The White Queen and The Red Queen in part cover the same period of events. However, as with Weir's books, the perspectives are so different as to make this an asset rather than a downside. The Red Queen is told from the perspective of Margaret Beaufort, arch-enemy of the Woodvilles and mother of Henry Tudor. Naturally, Elizabeth and Margaret have different views of the events as they unfold.
While she does stretch the facts, most historical fiction does. She usually does include an afterward touching on where she stretches the truth, although it is not always as detailed or thorough as those of many other authors. I just keep in mind that not everything she writes can be taken as gospel truth, and plan to read biographies or at least do some research on the actual historical figures.
But for sheer readability and guilty pleasure status, it's hard to beat her. Her books have it all - sex, intrigue, battles and high emotion. There's a reason she is incredibly popular.
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