#historicalfiction Timeline

237d

Well, this is rather lovely

Thanks to Vishwam Gurudas for alerting me to this - it's not often I share a page with Hilary Mantel and Gore Vidal...

https://fivebooks.com/best-books/historical-fiction-recommended-by-historians/

#writersofMastodon
#Fiction
#HistoricalFiction
#History
I

184d

THE GREAT NORTH ROAD by Robert Louis Stevenson, with Stuart Campbell
12 Nov, Blackwell’s South Bridge, Edinburgh. Tickets £3–12

THE GREAT NORTH ROAD – a rollicking tale of highwaymen, murder, mayhem and doomed love – is one of fourteen works RLS left unfinished. Acting as a literary sleuth, Stuart Campbell has taken it upon himself to complete the unfinished tale.

@bookstodon

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-great-north-road-by-robert-louis-stevenson-with-stuart-campbell-tickets-1680543664339

#Scottish #literature #RobertLouisStevenson #HistoricalFiction

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179d

In the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast, Graeme Macrae Burnet discusses his new novella BENBECULA, the gothic tradition, how historical fiction speaks to the present day, & how BENBECULA links to HIS BLOODY PROJECT, Graeme’s Booker-shortlisted 2016 novel

@bookstodon

https://www.scotswhayhae.com/post/dark-isle-the-scots-whay-hae-podcast-talks-to-graeme-macrae-burnet

#Scottish #literature #gothic #historicalfiction #CrimeFiction

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117d

📚 Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by: V. E. Schwab

This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. Wh...

https://bookblabla.com/book/bury-our-bones-in-the-midnight-soil

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #contemporaryfiction #historicalfiction #lgbtq

This is a story about hunger.
1532. Santo Domingo de la Calzada.
A young girl grows up wild and wily—her beauty is only outmatched by her dreams of escape. But María knows she can only ever be a prize, or a pawn, in the games played by men. When an alluring stranger offers an alternate path, María makes a desperate choice. She vows to have no regrets.

This is a story about love.
1827. London.
A young woman lives an idyllic but cloistered life on her family’s estate, until a moment of forbidden intimacy sees her shipped off to London. Charlotte’s tender heart and seemingly impossible wishes are swept away by an invitation from a beautiful widow—but the price of freedom is higher than she could have imagined.

This is a story about rage.
2019. Boston.
College was supposed to be her chance to be someone new. That’s why Alice moved halfway across the world, leaving her old life behind. But after an out-of-character one-night stand leaves her questioning her past, her present, and her future, Alice throws herself into the hunt for answers and revenge.

This is a story about life
how it ends, and how it starts.

From V. E. Schwab, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: a new genre-defying novel about immortality and hunger.

USA Today, 15 Most Anticipated of 2025
BookBub, Most Anticipated of 2025 (and Reader’s Pick)
Readers Digest, 20 Most Anticipated Books This Year
Paste Magazine, Most Anticipated Fantasy

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309d

finished reading Enemy of God 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
by Bernard Cornwell.

The Saxons threaten to overrun Briton; a search for a legendary artifact to bring back the Old Gods; a little blissful romance; Lancelot is a backstabbing, cowardly bastard; oaths, what are they good for? A touch more magic than in the first book, but just as hard, dirty & cynical.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #HistoricalFiction #Fantasy

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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162d

finished reading The Help 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
by Kathryn Stockett.

In 1960s Mississippi, white women and the black maids they employ navigate the upheaval of the civil rights movement. The contrast of ingrained racism and the deep emotional integration of black women into white family life is astounding. Potential for deep analysis, but you can also just enjoy the story.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #HistoricalFiction

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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164d

📚 The Woods All Black by: Lee Mandelo

Leslie Bruin is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, under its usual mandate: vaccinate the flock, birth babies, and weather the judgements of churchy locals who look at him and see a failed woman. Forged in the fires of the Western Fron...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-woods-all-black

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #generalfiction #historicalfiction #romance

Leslie Bruin is assigned to the backwoods township of Spar Creek by the Frontier Nursing Service, under its usual mandate: vaccinate the flock, birth babies, and weather the judgements of churchy locals who look at him and see a failed woman. Forged in the fires of the Western Front and reborn in the cafes of Paris, Leslie believes he can handle whatever is thrown at him—but Spar Creek holds a darkness beyond his nightmares.

Something ugly festers within the local congregation, and its malice has focused on a young person they insist is an unruly tomboy who must be brought to heel. Violence is bubbling when Leslie arrives, ready to spill over, and he'll have to act fast if he intends to be of use. But the hills enfolding Spar Creek have a mind of their own, and the woods are haunted in ways Leslie does not understand.

The Woods All Black is a story of passion, prejudice, and power — an Appalachian period piece that explores reproductive justice and bodily autonomy, the terrors of small-town religiosity, and the necessity of fighting tooth and claw to live as who you truly are.

The Woods All Black is equal parts historical horror, trans romance, and blood-soaked revenge, all set in 1920s Appalachia

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155d

📚 The World Jones Made by: Philip K. Dick

Precognition; a world ruled by Relativism; giant alien jellyfish. The World Jones Made is a classic Philip K. Dick mash-up, taking deep philosophical musings and infusing them with wild action.

Floyd Jones has always been able to see exactly one year into his future...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-world-jones-made

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #historicalfiction #humorousfiction #arthurianfiction

Precognition; a world ruled by Relativism; giant alien jellyfish. The World Jones Made is a classic Philip K. Dick mash-up, taking deep philosophical musings and infusing them with wild action.

Floyd Jones has always been able to see exactly one year into his future, a gift and curse that began one year before he was even born. As a fortune-teller at a post-apocalyptic carnival, Jones is a powerful force, and may just be able to force society away from its paralyzing Relativism. If, that is, he can avoid the radioactively unstable government hitman on his tail.

PHILIP K. DICK (1928 1982) wrote 121 short stories and 45 novels and is considered one of the most visionary authors of the twentieth century. His work is included in the Library of America and has been translated into more than twenty-five languages. Eleven works have been adapted to film, including Blade Runner (based on Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?), Total Recall, Minority Report, and A Scanner Darkly.

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127d

📚 The Will of the Many by: James Islington

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilized soci...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-will-of-the-many

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #epicfiction #historicalfiction #generalfiction

I tell them my name is Vis Telimus. I tell them I was orphaned after a tragic accident three years ago, and that good fortune alone has led to my acceptance into their most prestigious school. I tell them that once I graduate, I will gladly join the rest of civilized society in allowing my strength, my drive, and my focus—what they call Will—to be leeched away and added to the power of those above me, as millions already do. As all must eventually do.

I tell them that I belong, and they believe me.

But the truth is that I have been sent to the Academy to find answers. To solve a murder. To search for an ancient weapon. To uncover secrets that may tear the Republic apart.

And that I will never, ever cede my Will to the empire that executed my family.

To survive though, I will still have to rise through the Academy’s ranks. I will have to smile, and make friends, and pretend to be one of them, and win. Because if I cannot, then those who want to control me, who know my real name, will no longer have any use for me.

And if the Hierarchy finds out who I truly am, they will kill me.

At the elite Catenan Academy, a young fugitive uncovers layered mysteries and world-changing secrets in this “brilliant and gut-churning masterpiece” (Library Journal, starred review) by the internationally bestselling author of The Licanius Trilogy, James Islington.

The Catenan Republic—the Hierarchy—may rule the world now, but they do not know everything.

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131d

Hey #Bookstodon - I am in a bit of a reading rut and need some #recommendations to help me get out. Do you have any good recommendations for historical #fiction? I would even take some well-written #history or #travel books. My only restriction is that I would like recommendation not focused on the United States (but I am open if it is good). Thanks!

#Books #literature #historicalfiction #histodon #histodons @bookstodon

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55d

📚 The Green Mile by: Stephen King

Welcome to Cold Mountain Penitentiary, home to the Depression-worn men of E Block. Convicted killers all, each awaits his turn to walk 'the Green Mile', the lime-colored linoleum corridor leading to a final meeting with Old Sparky, Cold Mountain's electric chair. Prison guard Paul Edgecombe ...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-green-mile

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #historicalfiction #horror #generalfiction

Welcome to Cold Mountain Penitentiary, home to the Depression-worn men of E Block. Convicted killers all, each awaits his turn to walk 'the Green Mile', the lime-colored linoleum corridor leading to a final meeting with Old Sparky, Cold Mountain's electric chair. Prison guard Paul Edgecombe has seen his share of oddities over the years working the Mile, but he's never seen anything like John Coffey a man with the body of a giant and the mind of a child, condemned for a crime terrifying in its violence and shocking in its depravity. And in this place of ultimate retribution, Edgecombe is about to discover the terrible, wondrous truth about John Coffey—a truth that will challenge his most cherished beliefs...

Masterfully told and as suspenseful as it is haunting, The Green Mile is Stephen King's classic #1 New York Times bestselling dramatic serial novel and inspiration for the Oscar-nominated film starring Tom Hanks.

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49d

James Leslie Mitchell (1901–1935), better known as Lewis Grassic Gibbon, was born on this day, 13 Feb. Author of SUNSET SONG – & many other titles from historical to science fiction – he is one of the most important Scottish writers of the 20th century.

A 🎂 🧵 …

1/10

https://digital.nls.uk/learning/sunset-song-quines/overview-of-the-novel/biography-of-lewis-grassic-gibbon/

#Scottish #literature #modernism #20thcentury #HistoricalFiction #ScienceFiction #LewisGrassicGibbon

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304d

Memory & Moggies: McIlvanney, Muriel & Making a Novel
10 June, free online

Prof Zoë Strachan explores the inspiration behind her latest novel, the historical fiction Catch The Moments as They Fly (2023) – including the work of William McIlvanney, & Muriel Spark’s advice that writers should acquire a cat…

@writingcommunity
@litstudies

https://www.scotland.uni-mainz.de/reading-scotland/

#Scottish #literature #writing #historicalfiction #novel #IAmWriting #WritingCommunity #Scotland #Ayrshire #memory

READING SCOTLAND
with Zoë Strachan

Memory and Moggies:
McIlvanney, Muriel and Making a Novel

Tuesday 10th June 2025
6:00 – 7:30pm (German time) on MS Teams

www.scotland.uni-mainz.de

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302d

THE Q&A: AMBROSE PARRY

Married pair Marisa Haetzman & Christopher Brookmyre write historical crime fiction as “Ambrose Parry”. In The List’s Q&A they muse on the benefits of apple corers, being a gay panda, & putting your hands in the air like you just don’t care

https://list.co.uk/news/the-qa-ambrose-parry-46686

#Scottish #literature #crimefiction #historicalfiction

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302d

Val McDermid – A Kick Up the Arts Live Podcast Recording
9 July, Portobello Bookshop, Edinburgh. Online & in person, tickets £0–£8.99

Join Val McDermid and Nicola Meighan for a special live recording of the Scottish Arts & Culture Podcast, A Kick Up the Arts, to celebrate the paperback publication of Val’s latest book, QUEEN MACBETH.

https://www.theportobellobookshop.com/events/val-mcdermid-with-nicola-meighan-queen-macbeth

#Scottish #literature #podcast #Edinburgh #ValMcDermid #historicalfiction

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241d

finished reading Spring Snow 🌕🌕🌑🌑🌑
by Yukio Mishima.

A doomed romance in early 20th century Japan. Interminably slow, with frequent tangential digressions into philosophy and description. Nearly gave up but something finally happened 100 pages in. The climax verges on the tragi-comic, but it's mostly just brooding & hopeless. I was intrigued by the nobleman who is so elegant that problems solve themselves, hence effortlessly maintaining said elegance.

#BookReview #Books #Bookstodon #HistoricalFiction #Romance

@WildWoila @wildwoila@wyrms.de

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276d

I just released to run my Japanese #historicalfiction on Mastodon! I'll update a new toot almost every day.
#bookstodon #horror #fantasy #indieauthors

DAYS IN GREEN
https://sns.dougetsusha.com/@dig_en

and renewed my website
https://pdp.xrea.jp/
--
The two-party system collapsed, finally leading to a sixty-year civil war, even though the periodic government change worked well initially to compete to improve the governance system. This isn’t a story about our modern political situation.

On a late spring night in 1353, a ghost woman appeared before ex-Emperor Kōgon, who had been captured by the Southern Court...

An image of my website; a young lady in Heian-style gown reading a book.

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13d

My second #TransRightsReadathon book was Women's Hotel by Daniel Lavery. I immediately felt right at home, because though set in 1960s Manhattan, it reminded me so much of the sort of classic British books #FurrowedMiddlebrow reprints -- which I later learned was quite deliberate. https://mainstreetmag.com/a-conversation-with-daniel-m-lavery/

I thought it somewhat lacking in plot and through line -- which can be an issue for me with those books as well. Perhaps Lavery found the perfect way to play to his strengths and weaknesses as a writer, by being somewhat out of time.

My favorite part of the book was the depiction of early AA and one character's journey with alcoholism.

@bookstodon
#LBGTQBooks
#HistoricalFiction

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27d

“It is not a romantic Tale that the Reader is here presented with, but a real History. Not the Adventures of a Robinson Crusoe, a Colonel Jack, or a Moll Flanders, but the Actions of the HIGHLAND ROGUE…”

Rob Roy MacGregor was baptised #OTD, 7 March, 1671. Walter Scott’s novel made the Scottish outlaw internationally famous – & created the model for today’s roguish antiheroes

@litstudies

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https://theconversation.com/two-centuries-before-marvel-and-star-wars-walter-scotts-rob-roy-was-the-first-modern-anti-hero-89421

#Scottish #literature #history #historicalfiction #romanticism #WalterScott

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7d

I'm delighted to announce that all my books are now available at Bookshop dot org in ebook as well as print format. So you can support local, independent bookstores even if you prefer ebooks.

https://www.lauraperryauthor.com/books

#books #bookstodon #pagan #fiction #nonfiction #HistoricalFiction #GayRomance #Minoan

A stack of Laura's books lying horizontally on a crackled-finish cream surface with bright red fabric drapery in the background. The book titles are visible on the spines. From bottom to top they are: Tales from the Labyrinth: Modern Minoan Myths; Ariadne's Thread; The Wiccan Wellness Book; The Last Priestess of Malia; Labrys & Horns; Ancient Spellcraft; Leap! A Love Story; and Pantheon: The Minoans.

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5d

📚 The Poppy War by: R. F. Kuang

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d fi...

https://bookblabla.com/book/the-poppy-war

@bookstodon

#books #reading #libraries #fiction #fantasy #historicalfiction #epicfiction #romancefiction

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.
But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers in this grimdark fantasy that she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few

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1d

George MacDonald Fraser (1925–2008) – author, historian, journalist, screenwriter – was born #OTD, 2 April, 1925

“His dedication to strongly researched stories, built firmly on a bedrock of historical fact, but always with an eye to the humour of a situation, was the core of what appealed to me”

Historical novelist Michael Jecks discusses MacDonald Fraser’s writing for the Royal Literary Fund

@bookstodon

1/6

https://www.rlf.org.uk/showcase/not-a-serious-writer/

#Scottish #literature #historicalfiction

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