Medieval Fiction
Modern fiction set in the medieval period. Our recommendations for "...novels where historical details are correct enough (that) the inaccuracies don't grate."
- Gregory, Philippa - The Other Boleyn Girl (Tudor, a retelling of the story of Anne Boleyn)
- Frazer, Margaret - The Novice's Tale
- Jecks, Michael - The Last Templar
- Newman, Sharan - Death Comes as Epiphany
- Penman, Sharon Kay - The Queen's Man : A Medieval Mystery
- Peters, Ellis - A Morbid Taste for Bones, the first book in the "Brother Cadfael" series
- Robb, Candace - Margaret Kerr series
- Buckley, Fiona - Ursula Blanchard series
- Davis, Lindsey - The Silver Pigs, first book in Marcus Didius Falco series (Roman)
- Tremayne, Peter - Sister Fidelma series
- Emerson, Kathy Lynn - Susanna, Lady Appleton series
- Lofts, Nora - The Concubine (Tudor, Anne Boleyn)
- Oldenbourg, Zoe - Cities of Flesh (Toulouse during the Inquisition against the Cathars, with a Courtly love thread interwoven. "Yummy, though wrenching.")
- Knight, Bernard - The Sanctuary Knight (first of series)
- Follet, Ken - The Pillars of the Earth
- Eco, Umberto - The Name of the Rose
- Pouillon, Fernand - The Stones of the Abbey ("Hard to find, but a great read about the building of an abbey by monks in 12th century France.")
- Scott, Sir Walter - most of his works
When in doubt also go back to the source. There are some great short story versions of French Romance/Love tales that are easy to read and are period. Rabelias book "Gargantua and Pantagruel" is good. Boccaccio's bawdy tales collected in "The Decameron". If you take some time, you can find some good translations of period books that are easy to read for a modern person.