Historical Fiction Part I (5 stars to 4.40 stars)
Explore top-rated historical fiction books with ratings from 5 to 4.40 stars. Discover captivating tales of the past in this curated list of must-read novels.
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The Walking Drum
by Louis L'Amour
Warrior, lover, and scholar, Kerbouchard boldly sweeps through the castles, villages, and galleys of twelfth-century Europe, in an adventure that takes him from the shores of Brittany to the steppes of Russia.
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Eureka
by William Diehl
Eureka. It’s what you say when you strike gold. It’s also a town in California where the truth might be buried forever. In New York Times bestselling author William Diehl’s thrilling, accomplished new novel, the seamy past of America’s most glamorous state lies in this deceptively peaceful area, one hundred miles north of Los Angeles. It was the lawless place from which young, rugged Thomas Culhane escaped to fight World War I. Now it’s a place where, two decades later, police detective Zeke Bannon investigates a death that seems a sad accident. Until you look a bit closer. The year is 1941. Verna Wilensky has been electrocuted in her bathtub, leaving a lower-middle-class life, no survivors, and a bank account packed with almost a hundred thousand dollars. Mysterious checks have consistently come to her for more than twenty years, most drawn from a bank in San Pietro, a town once known as Eureka. Eureka was a town that used to be a bootlegger’s paradise and a gangster’s dream. Now it is the rebuilt metropolis where Sheriff Thomas Culhane is launching a bid to be the golden state’s next governor. But something just might threaten his ambitions. As Bannon digs deeper into Wilensky’s demise, he unearths a decades-old secret that starts in a shootout, builds to a bloodbath, and could end up within the upper echelons of California’s elite, forever changing the destiny of a state. Rich in historical detail, complex in its connection between past and present, and filled with the nonstop action that are the hallmarks of this modern master, Eureka is an epic achievement of storytelling and suspense–William Diehl’s most extraordinary novel yet. From the Hardcover edition.
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Cloud of Sparrows
by Takashi Matsuoka
In 1861, after centuries of isolation, Japan finally has opened its doors to the West, and Lord Genji, a young nobleman with a gift for prophecy, joins forces with a group of Christian missionaries, a mysterious geisha, and a legendary swordsman to embark on a harrowing odyssey toward an ultimate battle. A first novel. Reprint.
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The Mask of Ra
by P. C. Doherty
His great battles against the sea raiders in the Nile Delta have left Pharaoh Tuthmosis II weak and frail, but he finds solace in victory and the welcome he is sure to receive on his return to Thebes. Across the river from the Egyptian capital, however, not all take pleasure in his homecoming. Reunited with his wife, Hatusu, and his people, Tuthmosis stands before the statue of Amun-Ra, the roar of the crowd and the fanfare of the trumpets ringing in his ears. But within an hour the Pharaoh is dead, and his unfinished tomb ritually polluted by a witch. The people of Thebes cannot forget the murder and the desecration any more easily than they can forget the frightful omen of wounded doves flying overhead. Rumor runs rife, speculation sweeps the royal city, and Hatusu vows to uncover the truth. With the aid of Amerotke, a respected judge of Thebes, she embarks on a path destined to reveal the great secrets of Egypt. The Mask of Ra is a compelling and dramatic novel set against the background of Egypt's eighteenth dynasty--a time of great change, as warlike Pharaohs fought to control not only the tribes on their western and southern borders, but to bring their subjects firmly under their rule.
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Kill the Shogun
by Dale Furutani
Matsuyama Kaze, a samurai on a quest to rescue his murdered lord's kidnapped daughter, is caught in a plot to kill the shogun.
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The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper
The wild rush of action in this classic frontier adventure story has made The Last of the Mohicans the most popular of James Fenimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales. Deep in the forests of upper New York State, the brave woodsman Hawkeye (Natty Bumppo) and his loyal Mohican friends Chingachgook and Uncas become embroiled in the bloody battles of the French and Indian War. The abduction of the beautiful Munro sisters by hostile savages, the treachery of the renegade brave Magua, the ambush of innocent settlers, and the thrilling events that lead to the final tragic confrontation between rival war parties create an unforgettable, spine-tingling picture of life on the frontier. And as the idyllic wilderness gives way to the forces of civilization, the novel presents a moving portrayal of a vanishing race and the end of its way of life in the great American forests.
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Last Seen in Massilia
by Steven Saylor
In 49 B.C., Gordianus travels to the besieged city of Massilia (Marseille) to discover the truth about his son Meto.
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Rashomon Gate
by Ingrid J. Parker
Award-winning writer Parker brings ancient Japan to life in a tale of blackmail and murder among high-ranking nobles. 10 illustrations.
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Year of the Hyenas
by Brad Geagley
In this evocative murder mystery set in ancient Egypt, an empire's sumptuous glory and intrigue blend seamlessly with timeless themes of greed, ambition, and crimes of passion.
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Rubicon
by Steven Saylor
Gordianus the Finder is in a tough spot when Pompey takes his son-in-law hostage, and to save both their lives, Gordianus must prove that his son did not kill Pompey's beloved cousin.
