...there are reasons I'm full of trivia and irrationalities...

[furius]

Never mind The Baroque Cycle's alchemical gold, does not the idea of this build an adventure story

Comments

[22by7]

"the pre-Christian historical novel (other than Temeraire) that spans the Eurasian continent and featuring the sea (because there's no proper adventure story without the sea) and a self-thwarting love/vengeance-story (still the most captivating thread)."
if you find any, could you rec me? i feel like looking for historical fiction these days.

[furius]

It's a rather post-modern tale. I despairing of finding it except for the wealth of hints of one or many while reading actual history...

If you find it, do rec me.

[tyellas]

Yes, I was disappointed by The Mongoliad and declined to spend my money, as well. And I'm a big Neal Stephenson fan. To the point that I often have this conversation:

"How can you like Neal Stephenson? He needs to be edited for brevity and focus!"

"I like The Silmarillion too..."

"Say no more."

[furius]

I love the idea of The Mongoliad, too, because 13th century Far East and West stories are seldom seen. The execution is troubling. It's really less historical fiction than a sort of fantasy in historical fiction. The obvious pandering (and I think that's in the mission statement) to a specific audience is disconcerting. It works for sci-fi where it's much less obvious and for Baroque Cycle, which I still think as mostly a comical epic and is concerned with develop. of technologies.

Have you read Dorothy Dunnett? Better prose (operatic, too, rather than mere verbosity), more conspiracies, and SPRAWLING vista of characters(male and female), settings, motivations..

[tyellas]

Thanks for the Dorothy Dunnett rec! Any specific titles I should look for? I do enjoy the Baroque Cycle...Eliza is my kind of Mary Sue.

I don't have a problem with the specific-audience, because that is, apparently, the future of storytelling/publishing.

[furius]

Of her most famous series there are Lymond Chronicles and House of Niccolo, the latter concerned with the doings of the former's ancestors.

I started with House of Niccolo. The first book is Niccolo Rising.

Lymond Chronicles starts with The Game of Kings.

Start with either and be prepared to go sleepless ;)

And if you can't find the books. I've html files.

[proskynesis]

No, I'm busy at the moment with essays and things. Hopefully I'll be able to read it when I'm back at uni. The style irritated me a bit but I'll read through it because I'm craving ancient Greek historical fiction that isn't Mary Renault...

I read a historical fiction of Genghis Khan's early life and was annoyed that they left so much out/changed so much. The Secret History is an incredible source, use it!!

[furius]

I was hoping that you would be able to tell me if it's worth slogging through the prose since you just described my feelings on the matter :)

The Secret History! I just wiki-d it. Probably much more entertaining reading than any historical fiction!

(Titles like that often are. Have you read Procopius' Secret History? Byzantine gossip!)

[proskynesis]

In ways I dislike Renault, for making me so picky about other historical fiction. :P

I never read Procopius, no, though it kept cropping up in the secondary stuff I read when I did essays on the Byzantine empire. So much history is gossip, it's amazing!

[abluestocking]

I'm still on the lookout for the pre-Christian historical novel (other than Temeraire) that spans the Eurasian continent and featuring the sea (because there's no proper adventure story without the sea) and a self-thwarting love/vengeance-story (still the most captivating thread).

IF YOU FIND IT, LET ME KNOW.

Although I have so many fun-reading books (as opposed to work-reading books) scattered around my room right now. I went through a stage in March where I just ordered up used copies of all the most famous/best loved alternate history books, and I haven't yet read any of them. *headdesk*