ABC of Historical Fiction Review Project

by Chriss Cornish written on: May 1, 2010 1 Comment

ABC Historical Fiction I got a crazy bee in my bonnet last month and decided to do an ABC of historical fiction with a review a day for May where each title BEGINS with a different letter of the alphabet starting with A and ending with Zed. I may have bitten off more than I can chew, so I’m lucky to be getting some guest reviewer assistance.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

What Counts As “Historical” Fiction?

“Historical Fiction”: a story that is either wholly fictional or a fictionalized account of real people and/or events set in a *real locale during a time period prior to the author’s birth.

*Locale Caveat: The actual individual city, mountain, etc. may be pretend but the mountain range, region, etc. does/did.

Sub-genres:I’m including ALL the sub-genres of the historical fiction category in this project; westerns, steampunk, historical fantasy, historical romance, historical mystery, historical horror, historical sci-fi, and historical suspense. And, just to keep things extra spicy, I’ve also included a few alternative history titles that don’t drastically change the time setting but just posit how that event or time would be with one little tweak. Like vampires or modern uzis.

A to Zed List of Historical Fiction Reviews for May 2010

is for… Appaloosa by Robert B. ParkerMay starts off with a good ‘ol western novel set in the American Frontier Territories during the 1800s.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘A’:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Apothecary Rose by Candace Rob
Archer’s Tale, The by Bernard Cornwell
Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Falcon by Paul Daly & Steve Bryant (Illustrator)

is for… Beekeeper’s Apprentice, The by Laurie R. KingTo England now in the early 1900s for adventures with a retired Sherlock Holmes and his female apprentice.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘B’:

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Beyond the Highland Mist by Karen Marie Moning
Birds of a Feather by Jacqueline Winspear
Bundori by Laura Joh Rowland

is for… Concubine’s Tattoo, The by Laura John RowlandWith the letter ‘C’ we journey to Tokugawa Period Japan in the late 1600s.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘C’:

Candle in the Window by Christina Dodd
Confession of Brother Haluin, The by Ellis Peters
Cross-legged Knight, The by Candace Robb
Cursed in the Blood by Sharan Newman

is for… Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley‘D’ takes us back to America, to 1948 Los Angelas, California (a bare three years prior to the author’s birth)

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘D’:

Damned: Three Days Dead by Cullin Bun & Brian Hurt (Illustrator)
Dancing at Midnight by Julia Quinn
Delilah Dirk and The Treasure of Constantinople by Tony Cliff
Drood by Dan Simmons

is for… Excursion Train, The by Edward MarstonBack to England we go, this time we turn the dial back to 1852 London

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘E’:

Earthly Joys by Philippa Gregory
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Enchantress of Florence, The by Salman Rushdie
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, The by Jacqueline Kelly

is for… Face Down Upon an Herbal by Kathy Lynn EmersonStill in England, but now we’re in Gloucester for a little spying and murder during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘F’:

Face in the Cemetery, The by Michael Pearce
Fatal as a Fallen Woman by Kathy Lynn Emerson
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Forever Promised by Shirley Bullock

is for… Guns of the South by Harry TurtledoveNow to Civil War era America for some speculative historical fiction and time travel.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘G’:

Gentleman’s Honor, A by Stephanie Laurens
Gift Of Sanctuary, A by Candace Robb
Grange House by Sarah Blake
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

is for… Her Royal Spyness by Rhys BownTo London we go again, this time to 1932 for a little humorous mystery.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘H’:

His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novak
Hermit of Eyton Forest, The by Ellis Peters
Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith
Honor’s Splendor by Julie Garwood

is for… Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’DellThis Newbery Award winner brings us to 1835 & a California island for a survival tale based on a real native woman’s life.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘I’:

I, Claudia by Marilyn Todd
Irish Rebel by Nora Roberts
Iron Hand of Mars, The by Lindsey Davis
It Happened One Autumn by Lisa Kleypas

is for… Janissary Tree, The by Jason GoodwinOff we go now to 1836 and Istanbul during the Ottoman reign.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘J’:

Jane and the Man of the Cloth by Stephanie Barron
Jester Leaps In by Alan Gordon
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

is for… King’s Bishop by Candace RobbTo England yet again, this time to 1367 for a little medieval murder & mischief.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘K’:

Kill the Shogun by Dale Furuta
Killer in Winter, A by Susanna Gregory
Kingdom of Dreams, A by Judith McNaught
Key, The by Lynsay Sands

is for… Lobster Johnson by Mike MignolaThe first of two graphic novel reviews for May. The letter ‘L’ takes us to America during the 1940s for a pulp adventure with nazis, mysterious Asian cults, power armor, & monsters.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘L’:

Lady Sophia’s Lover by Lisa Kleypas
Lair of the Lion by Christine Feehan
Last Camel Died at Noon, The by Elizabeth Peter
Leper of Saint Giles, The by Ellis Peters

is for… Marriage Test, The by Betina Krahn‘M’ takes us off to medieval France for a five star adventure rife with match making and cookery!

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘M’:

Man from Stone Creek, The by Linda Lael Miller
Mammoth Book of New Historical Whodunits, The edited by Mike Ashley
Mamur Zapt & The Return of the Carpet, The by Michael Pearce
Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin

is for… Ninth Daughter, The by Barbara HamiltonAgain to America, this time for some mystery & suspense in pre-Revolution Boston during the very month of the in/famous Tea Party.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘N’:

Naked Marquis, The by Sally MacKenzi
Noble Outlaw, The by Bernard Knight
North By Northanger, or The Shades of Pemberley by Carrie A. Bebris
Novice’s Tale, The by Margerate Frazer

is for… One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters‘O’ takes us once again to medieval England, this time to the English-Welsh border town of Shrewsbury during the civil war of the 1100s (that’s the non-Cromwell civil war for those who are wondering).

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘O’:

On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn
One Thing More, The by Anne Perry
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus
Only in Your Arms by Lisa Kleypas

is for… Perfect Poison, The by Amanda QuickWe stay in England, but move forward to the Regency era for a little historical romance & suspense.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘P’:

Paid Companion, The by Amanda Quick
Peony in Love by Lisa See
Play of Dux Moraud, A by Margaret Frazer
Pride and Prescience by Carrie A. Bebris

is for…Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter by A.E. MooratEngland still, but forward to the 1830s for a little royal romance amid demonic threat and zombie hordes.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘Q’:

Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
Queen’s Own Fool by Jane Yolen & Robert Harris
Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry
Question, The by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

is for… 1140 Rue Royal by Serena ValentinoMay’s second graphic novel review, this one takes us to late 1700s New Orleans for true event inspired horror.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘R’:

Ransom by Julie Garwood
Raven in the Foregate, The by Ellis Peters
Rex Mundi by Jane Yolen & Robert Harris
Riddle of St. Leonard’s, The by Candace Robb

is for… Siddhartha by Herman HessNow off to Nepal during the time of the Buddha for a classic novel of pilgrimage & spiritual awakening.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘S’:

Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn
Shogun by James Clavell
Somambulist by Jonathan Barnes
Souless by Gail Carriger

is for… Terror, The by Dan Simmons‘T’ takes us to the Arctic for a chilling tale amid the ice for a doomed ship in quest of the fabled Northwest Passage.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘T’:

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Throne of Jade by Naomi Novak
Ties That Bind, Ties That Break by Lensey Namioka
Troy by Adele Geras

is for… Under Vesuvius by John Maddox RobertsOff now to warm up in ancient Rome with a little sun and murder.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘U’:

Unexpected Wife, The by Mary Burton
Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury
Unnatural Fire by Fidelis Morgan
Until We Reach Home by Lynn Austin

is for… Vagabond by Bernard Cornwall‘V’ takes us to France during the Hundred Years War for a little grail hunting.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘V’:

Vanishing Point, The by Mary Sharratt
Vintner’s Luck, The by Elizabeth Knox
Virgin in the Ice by Ellis Peters
Viscount Who Loved Me, The by Julia Quinn

is for… Wandering Arm, The by Sharan NewmanOff to Saxon England for the tale of a female scholar searching for a stolen relic and facing her family’s Jewish heritage.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘W’:

Wait Until Midnight by Amanda Quick
Wedding Cake War, The by Lynna Banning
Whale Road, The by Robert Low
Widow of the South, The by Robert Hicks

is for… Xanadu Adventure, The by Lloyd Alexander Now to the Victorian era for a young adult tale of an Indiana Jones-style adventuress in quest of the true origins of Western civilization.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘X’:

Are you kidding? It took me two WEEKS to find this single title. I thought the letters that would give me trouble would be ‘Q’ and ‘Z’. But it’s ‘X’ that made my eyes cross from pouring through online book databases, book lists, and analog shelves at the Library and bookstores. There just aren’t that many common words that begin with ‘X’ in the English language. I was sorely tempted to write a series of books that all start with ‘X’ words just to solve this problem for future A-Zed book list makers. Than common sense kicked in.

is for… Year of the Hyenas by Brad GeagleyNext to last in our alphabet, ‘Y’ brings us to ancient Egypt for a little murder & intrigue.

Other historical fiction titles beginning with ‘Y’:

Yankee Stranger by Elswyth Thane
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Yellow Martyrs, The by Walter Hughes
Yorkshire by Lynne Connolly

is for… Zeke and Ned by Larry McMurtry & Diana OssanaFinally, we finish up with ‘Z’ and and a tale of trouble in the post-trail of tears Cherokee district of Going Snake