Similar books to The Terror

January 10, 2007 8:49 AM

BookRecFilter: One of my favorite authors has just knocked my socks off with his most recent book. I love what he did so much that I'd like to find other historical fiction like this. *Small spoiler for The Terror inside*

The Terror by Dan Simmons just came out and it is amazing. Here's a review from The Agony Column (great site btw).
I read a lot of science fiction, but not much historical fiction. The basic premise is that HMS Terror and HMS Erebus were lost while searching for the Northwest Passage through the Arctic. The ships were never recovered and the crews perished. This is fictionalizing of the events.

I'm having a difficult time trying to pin down what I liked about it. I think that it was because there was a supernatural element to the story (hunted by an artic monster), but that was far from the emphasis. This wasn't aliens coming to get them or the monster eating everyone. The twist of the story was that despite this monster, ultimately it was nature and man's hubris that doomed them.

So any historical fiction recommendations that feature not-so-much-in-your-face supernatural things, uncertain fates of the characters, and is a page-turner?
I've already read and loved S.M. Stirling's Island in the Sea of Time

posted by i_am_a_Jedi to sports, hobbies, & recreation (14 comments total)

I really enjoyed Diana Gabaldon author of the Outlander series, which tells the story of Jamie Fraser, a Scottish Highlander from the 18th century, and his time-traveling wife, Claire. The historical detail is tremendous and the narration from her 20th century perspective makes it very interesting. One caveat, its very much told from a woman's perspective so YMMV.
posted by Wilder at 9:01 AM on January 10, 2007

You've probably already read him, but Tim Powers does a lot of historical science fiction featuring mysterious motives for real world events and historical personalities up to no good. I recommend Declare (cold war spy thriller involving something unleashed from Noah's Ark), The Drawing of the Dark (siege of Vienna by the Turk over a beer), and Last Call (the birth of Vegas and the American West via poker).
posted by robocop is bleeding at 9:07 AM on January 10, 2007

There's a series by William R. Forstchen called The Lost Regiment that I really enjoyed. The first book is called Rally Cry. If I remember correctly, the plot is similar to Island in the Sea of Time, but I think I actually liked the Forstchen books better. I also enjoyed Wilder's suggestion above - the Outlander series.
posted by gt2 at 9:10 AM on January 10, 2007

The Ruins, by Scott Smith. I won't reveal the premise, which is absolutely ridiculous. Nevertheless this is an absolutely spellbinding book, and I usually disdain "horror" and other genre fiction. (No offense.)
posted by scratch at 9:45 AM on January 10, 2007

Warning on the Outlander stuff: It's heavy on the romance. Gabaldon's books are slightly science fiction-y in a way, but they are stocked in the romance section of the bookstore.

One book, that's short, which I might recommend, is Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. It's about plague in 17th century England, specifically about a small village that is sequestered from the world for a year. Some of the historical facts may be questionable, but I'm not sure.
posted by brina at 9:54 AM on January 10, 2007

Thanks for the answers so far. Yep, I love Tim Powers too. He's already set to autobuy for me.

I read the first two Outlander novels and I stopped.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 10:17 AM on January 10, 2007

Conspiracy of Paper and The Coffee Trader by David Liss are both HIGHLY recommended historical fiction. Not so much focus on the supernatural but the subtlies of human intrigue.
posted by emptyinside at 10:22 AM on January 10, 2007

I really liked Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. I liked his "typical" stuff (Eye of the Needle, Hornet Flight), so this was a great surprise. (But I liked Outlander, so go figure.)

How about James Clavell? I read Shogun years ago, and loved it.

My brother was a huge fan of the Patrick O'Brien novels. (It was the ships in the OP that caught my eye.)
posted by ObscureReferenceMan at 11:14 AM on January 10, 2007

Have you read anything by Guy Gavriel Kay? It's historical fiction with some fantasy elements. The Lions of Al-Rassan is my favorite of his books, and he has a new one coming out soon which looks pretty interesting, called Ysabel.

You might also enjoy the Temeraire series by Naomi Novik, which is set in an Napoleonic-era Britain with fighting dragons.

The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold, does have some supernatural elements but it's an engrossing read and real page-turner.
posted by mogget at 1:14 PM on January 10, 2007

These are some great recommendations. I've been meaning to check out the Patrick O'Brien novels. Thanks for the link, I'm a compulsive book addict and those look great.

Guy Gavriel Kay is another autobuy for me. I'm anxiously awaiting Ysabel. I read the Temeraire series. They're very entertaining (especially the first one). I've read Chalion and the two follow-ups. Very good reads.
posted by i_am_a_Jedi at 2:00 PM on January 10, 2007

For my money, Neal Stephenson does historical fiction like no other. Check out Cryptonomicon first, and if you like it and want to dive into something even meatier, tackle the Baroque Cycle.
posted by vito90 at 2:23 PM on January 10, 2007

Historical, keeps you guessing on the supernatural,
"The Dante Club" fits the bill, and is an awsome read!

In 1865 the Boston Dante Club consisting of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell and publisher J. T. Fields get involved in tracking a serial killer who kills in the style of punishments from "the Inferno".

*minor recollection of Dantes work is probably a prerequisite for enjoying the book
posted by Megafly at 5:40 PM on January 10, 2007

I recently read "Fatherland" by Robert Harris.

It's alternate-history/mystery, not explicitly supernatural, but Harris portrays a haunting 1960s Germany where World War Two didn't end in defeat for the Reich.
posted by Merlyn at 9:54 AM on January 11, 2007

I have just read the first two books of the 'Emporer' series by Conn Iggulden - The Gates of Rome and The Death of Kings.

These are a fictionalized biography of Julius Caesar - the first time I've tried this style.

My verdict - I want more...
posted by jkaczor at 2:30 PM on January 12, 2007