I’ve been fascinated by history since I was eight. I remember reading through the biography section of my grade school library, cleaning out the names from the Revolution, the Civil War, famous pioneers, and the Wild West. I also had some unbelievable professors in college. One of my first courses was entitled “The World Since 1919.” It began with Herman Muller blinking in the Hall of Mirrors as he signed the Treaty of Versailles. The course material took us from that moment until the morning news on the last day of class. We learned that history isn’t about the past but how we came to the present.
I wrote
Anvil Of God: Book One of the Carolingian Chronicles
This book is a story about a British pilot landing in Japan with the intention of breaking up the Portuguese monopoly on trade. He becomes quickly entangled in the country's internal politics and becomes immersed in Japanese culture.
A new film version of the saga is currently on Apple TV and is exceptional. I highly recommend both the book and the mini-series.
Alternate Cover for 0440178002A bold English adventurer. An invincible Japanese warlord. A beautiful woman torn between two ways of life. All brought together in an extraordinary saga aflame with passion, conflict, ambition, and the struggle for power.Here is the world-famous novel of Japan that is the earliest book in James Clavell’s masterly Asian saga. Set in the year 1600, it tells the story of a bold English pilot whose ship was blown ashore in Japan, where he encountered two people who were to change his a warlord with his own quest for power, and a beautiful interpreter torn between two…
I read this book by James Clavell when I was just out of high school. And while I had always been interested in history and biographies, I'd never really read historical fiction. It blew me away. I became lost in the book.
The heart of the story lies in the intense rivalry between two opium traders, Dirk Straun and Tyler Brock, who come to dominate Britain’s newfound control over Hong Kong in the early nineteenth century. Their shared history as powder monkeys on a British ship during the battle of Trafalgar, where a seven-year-old Dirk Straun was mercilessly whipped by the older Tyler Brock, sets the stage for a lifelong conflict that shapes the course of the narrative.
While the rivalry between Straun and Brock is the driving force of the plot, the true essence of the story lies in the exploration of the integration of Chinese and British culture in Hong Kong. Straun, a character who embodies the best of both worlds, challenges Brock with his unique perspective, leading to a fascinating clash of cultures. This aspect of the story not only entertained me but also left me with a deeper understanding of the complexities of cultural integration.
The story is an epic saga with countless ups and downs, surprise turns, and a fantastic ending. I remember thinking then, “This is how a book should end!”
My introduction to Bernard Cornwell's work was a series of audiobooks that chronicled the journey of a British Rifleman who fought in every battle against Napoleon’s army, from the ports of Portugal to Waterloo.
This book is the first novel in a new series by Cornwall called The Saxon Series, which begins the tale of Britain. It is told through the eyes of a Saxon noble (Utred of Bebbanburg) who is captured and raised by invading Danish Vikings. He is assimilated into their warrior culture before events lead him into service to King Alfred of Wessex. His knowledge of Viking battle tactics and his ruthless approach to war make him invaluable in a number of battles.
The story immerses you in the history of Britain, following a compelling protagonist whose story weaves you into the politics of Britain’s early days. I walked away thoroughly entertained and informed. This series was also made into a mini-series that is quite entertaining.
The first book in the epic and bestselling series that has gripped millions.
A hero will be forged from this broken land.
As seen on Netflix and BBC around the world.
In a land torn apart by conflict, an orphan boy has come of age. Raised by the Vikings, deadly enemies of his own Saxon people, Uhtred is a fierce and skilled warrior who kneels to no-one.
Alfred - Saxon, king, man of god - fights to hold the throne of the only land still resisting the pagan northerners.
Uhtred and Alfred's fates are tangled, soaked in blood and blackened…
Gabaldon is a master at blending mysticism and history. She uses Stonehenge-like stones as a time-traveling device to send a British WWII nurse (Claire Randall) back in time to Scotland in 1743, where she falls in love with a Highland warrior named Jamie Fraser and becomes involved in a doomed Jacobite uprising.
While it is a love story, it's also a very compelling epic drama that transports the reader (like Claire) to a different time and culture. Her struggle for survival and love, coupled seamlessly with Jamie’s clan’s struggle for freedom, keeps the plot engrossing and always entertaining. This, too, has been translated into film in a compelling mini-series.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The first book in Diana Gabaldon’s acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series.
One of the top ten best-loved novels in America, as seen on PBS’s The Great American Read!
Unrivaled storytelling. Unforgettable characters. Rich historical detail. These are the hallmarks of Diana Gabaldon’s work. Her New York Times bestselling Outlander novels have earned the praise of critics and captured the hearts of millions of fans. Here is the story that started it all, introducing two remarkable characters, Claire Beauchamp Randall and Jamie Fraser, in a spellbinding novel of passion and…
Despite his success as a spy/thriller novelist, Ken Follett had trouble finding a publisher when he tried his hand at historical fiction. Fortunately, he persisted and published this book, which outsold every novel he'd ever written.
When it was first released, my wife refused to let me read it as I was in the midst of writing my own book. “It’s too similar to your story,” she said. It may throw you off.” Although set several centuries after my book's story, the world had changed little and featured similar conflicts between pagans and the church. Where my book tells the story of what happens to Charles Martel's family upon his death, Pillars tells the story of Britain after the loss of a host of nobles, including the heir to the British throne, on a boat that sank in the English Channel.
It's a great book, a fun read, and it spawned several sequels.
The "extraordinary . . . monumental masterpiece" (Booklist) that changed the course of Ken Follett's already phenomenal career-and begins where its prequel, The Evening and the Morning, ended.
"Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner," extolled Publishers Weekly on the release of The Pillars of the Earth. A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it stands as a testament to Follett's unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal.
In 741, only one thing stands between Charles Martel and the throne–he's dying. He plans to divide the kingdom among his three sons, betroth his daughter to a Lombard prince, and keep the Church unified behind them through his friend Bishop Boniface.
Despite his best efforts, after Charles's death, it is only chaos. His daughter has no intention of marrying anyone, let alone a Lombard prince. His eldest sons question the rights of their pagan stepbrother, and the Church demands a steep price for their support. Son battles son, Christianity battles paganism, and Charles's daughter flees his court for an enemy's love. This book is a whirlwind of love, honor, sacrifice, and betrayal that follows a bereaved family's relentless quest for power and destiny.
The Valor of Valhalla series by Martin Kearns is a pulse-pounding dark urban fantasy trilogy that fuses the raw power of Norse mythology with the grit of modern warfare. Set in a world where ancient gods and mythical creatures clash with secret military organizations and rogue heroes, the series follows a band of unseeming heroes who are bound to an ancient prophecy. As they navigate a dangerous web of deceit, sacrifice, and violent combat, they must confront not only their own demons but also the growing threat of Ragnarök—the Norse apocalypse.
At its heart, The Valor of Valhalla blends high-stakes…
In a battle between two ancient evils, can one naïve young man become the last hope against powerful creatures of legend?
David Dolan thinks he's already got the world figured out. But when a collapsed bridge plunges him into the icy Hudson, he's pulled deep into the deadly realm that exists between life and death. And with his earthly form trapped in a coma, he's vulnerable to the horde of demons hell-bent on his utter destruction.
Traversing the road to the afterlife, David seeks the wisdom and skills he needs to fight the demonic forces reigning havoc on his allies…
