I like to read history based fiction in my free time and am searching for a new read. thought by starting this thread some of us could share recommendations and what not.

I'll start with my top five as of this point:

Killer Angels = civil war based on both Lee, Grant, Stonewall Jackson, etc. perspective. awesome read.

All quiet on the western front = a French ww1 vet writing from a german's perspective. gives a personal insight of the thought of a WW1 soldier. old but really good!

the Jester = Crusades era mystery written by james patterson. Just plain entertaining.

Blood meridian = written by Cormac Mccarthy. A civil war vet that ends up riding with a group of souless scalp hunters. Straight up wicked! very bad dudes.............

The things they carried = Tim O'brian book about a vietnam soldier. very well written by a vietnam vet.

I never read fiction. Only non-fiction history......not that they are not mostly fiction anyway. Try reading the River of Doubt if you ge the chance. Cool read about teddy R heading into the Amazon. Also read in the Heart of the Sea. The story MobyDick was based on. Both great books. Probably in the top ten I have ever picked up.

cool, I will put them on my list. Do you happened to rmrmber the author's names? no biggy.

I believe many of Gore Vidal's novels are historically based fiction. I haven't read any, but have heard they're pretty decent.

"Centennial" by James Michener is a great fictional history novel.

As was Alaska by Michener. Long, but a great read.
I liked James Ellroy's books as well.

The Big Burn by Timothy Egan - recounts the creation of the USFS and the huge fire of 1910 in the rockies. Great stuff on Teddy Roosevelt and the creation of our national forests, parks, and monuments.

Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Gabriel Horn
I, Claudius

...And if you have a year or two, maybe three to kill, try Patrick O'Brien's Master & Commander series. About 6500 pages all together. By the time you're done, you'll know the name of every component of a sailing ship from the Fore Skysail Stay to the Spanker.

Well looks like I have compiled a descent list from these recommendations. I am currently on a crusades kick, anything along those lines. love blood and guts!

I read an exerpt (i think that is how you spell it) and it seemed pretty good. have you read it hank?

If your willing to switch over to the non-fiction side check out some of the works of Stephen Ambrose. For the outdoorsman, Undaunted Courage, based on Lewis & Clark is a good read as well as Nothing Like It In the World, based on the building of the transcontinental railroad. If your more into blood and guts, D Day, Band of Brothers, and Citizen Soldiers might be more to your liking.

I have read both undaunted courage and D-day. very good reads.

Ambrose doesn't write his own books. He compiles excerpts from previously written books & memoirs and compiles them, puts his name on the cover and has them published.

I know there had been some criticism about his research and citing sources. the dude really pumped them out. I think he had 4 or five books on Eisenhower alone

I'm reading a book about the Alamo Scouts right now. Inserted behind Japanese lines in the late parts of WW 2.

has it been good so far?

Yes

I'm writing some historical fiction right now.

My timesheet for last week.

that was too good!!!!!!!!

New historical fiction set for release on Nov 9 called Decision Points by G W BUSH.