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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 10:34:20 AM

mnottertail

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Caleb Carr does a great deal of that, like The Alienist....and so on.

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 10:37:51 AM

Moonhead

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If fiction with a historical setting is ideal, would some of George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman books be acceptable? These are comedies rather than thrillers, but they're hysterically funny, and Fraser's attention to historical detail in them is breathtaking. There's plenty of walk on cameos for the likes of Wild Bill Hickock, the Duke Of Clarence and the occasional fictional character like "basher" Moran as well. Great fun. His The Pyrates is just as good. (Aaargh!)

TH White's Once And Future King he's hopefully read already, but that's a work of fiction with an incredible amount of historical infodumping in it, some of which has since been disproven, and some of which was nonsense or anachronistic in the first place. Still a cracking read, though.

Michael Chabon's Kavalier And Clay has a lot of information about the early comics industry in it.

Poppy Z Brite's Liquor and Prime are quite informative about the restaurant business in New Orleans and bloody funny, but avoid the two later sequels like the plague.

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 10:41:33 AM

LadyHibiscus

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With the caveat that Liquor and Prime are about a gay couple... and what's wrong with the second two, Moony? Haven't gotten to them

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 10:42:30 AM

mnottertail

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Well, if Merlin and Arthur and that lot, the crystal cave, the hollow hills, the last enchantment and so on, Mary Stuart.

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 10:49:23 AM

Moonhead

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quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus

With the caveat that Liquor and Prime are about a gay couple... and what's wrong with the second two, Moony? Haven't gotten to them

They aren't half as good as the first two, sadly. Not actively bad, I suppose, but still a bit of a disappointment if you're expecting another as good as the first couple.
(I suppose if Camille's dad is of a certain age and/or attitude, the gay lead couple thing could be an issue for him. I'd honestly not thought of that, so I'm glad you pointed it out...)

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 11:30:31 AM

LadyHibiscus

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Moonhead

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus

With the caveat that Liquor and Prime are about a gay couple... and what's wrong with the second two, Moony? Haven't gotten to them

They aren't half as good as the first two, sadly. Not actively bad, I suppose, but still a bit of a disappointment if you're expecting another as good as the first couple.
(I suppose if Camille's dad is of a certain age and/or attitude, the gay lead couple thing could be an issue for him. I'd honestly not thought of that, so I'm glad you pointed it out...)

Yeah, Camille is an old neighbour, and the country in Michigan is the country everywhere!

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 11:37:15 AM

Moonhead

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Seen. I'm very glad you thought of that, then. Thank you.

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 4:15:22 PM

outhere69

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If you want to reach back a bit, I'd recommend a few Leon Uris novels. Trinity (Ireland near the Easter Uprising, with a lot of backstory), Mila 18 (Warsaw Ghetto uprising), and Armageddon (end of WWII and Berlin Airlift). I'd avoid The Haj (it's rife with historical inaccuracies).

James Michener does things in a similar vein, though much longer (1200 pp or so). Centennial, Texas, or Alaska a great reads but The Source is largely inaccurate.

Not ragging on Uris or Michener for the inaccuracies, but a whole lot of new source material came out well after they wrote the novels. Most were written prior to '99 or so, but have been through numerous re-releases.

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 5:38:20 PM

angelikaJ

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Has he read the Aubrey-Martin series by Patrick O'Brian?
It is a set of 20 novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.

Clive Cussler writes a series of novels that feature modern maritime adventurer Dirk Pitt.

There is another series which genre defies description:
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

It could be classified as romance, but it could also be a fantasy (time travel), but don't let those scare you as it explores Scottish, European and American histories from a fresh perspective.

A wonderful coming of age story from an unlikely source (he is typically considered a horror novelist) is Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon.

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 5:42:05 PM

LadyHibiscus

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The O'Brians, brilliant choice, Jellie! Really good intense descriptions of being at sea!

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 5:47:07 PM

DesFIP

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Has he read any Geraldine Brooks? People of the Book or Year of Wonders?.

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RE: Book help - 6/5/2012 8:31:38 PM

TheBanshee

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Trinity, Armageddon by Leon Uris -
Ken Follett Pillars of the Earth, Lie down with Lions
Shogun, Tai-Pan James Clavell

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RE: Book help - 6/6/2012 5:34:07 AM

Moonhead

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I'd suggest Henry Treece, who wrote some of the most vigorous and entertaining historical fiction I've read, but I don't think he's been in print for a very long time now.

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RE: Book help - 6/6/2012 3:41:30 PM

landrezy

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quote:

ORIGINAL: angelikaJ

Has he read the Aubrey-Martin series by Patrick O'Brian?
It is a set of 20 novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.

Aaaand you beat me too it. I second the suggestion however.

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