Seeking a series of fantasy/war books from the 1980s
November 19, 2013 11:47 AM Subscribe
You know how you can just remember a few details about some subject from your youth, and it's going to bother you until you can reveal the full scope of that memory? Yeah, I'm right there. I'm looking for a series of books. They were in the SF/F section in the 1980s. They were probably popular because their covers resembled Frazetta prints, and they tended to be really violent (i.e. jumping on the popularity of Conan).
More things I can remember:
* Books seemed to focus on battles. I don't remember any "magic" in these worlds, but I think they were covering fictional places, rather than historical places. Then again, they could have been "loosely based" on actual historical battles.
* The author kept trying for realism and grittiness: He'd spend time describing how soldiers would lose control of their bowels right before a big battle. He'd go into great depth on the torture prisoners received.
* There were a ton of these books, and there were all thin paperbacks. They used to be at the top of the shelves at my local bookstore, as the representatives put all the long series of "pulp novels" prior to the rest of the books sorted alphabetically.
* I'm pretty sure the author had another series, or a one-off novel, about a time traveler being sent back to medieval Ireland.
More things I can remember:
* Books seemed to focus on battles. I don't remember any "magic" in these worlds, but I think they were covering fictional places, rather than historical places. Then again, they could have been "loosely based" on actual historical battles.
* The author kept trying for realism and grittiness: He'd spend time describing how soldiers would lose control of their bowels right before a big battle. He'd go into great depth on the torture prisoners received.
* There were a ton of these books, and there were all thin paperbacks. They used to be at the top of the shelves at my local bookstore, as the representatives put all the long series of "pulp novels" prior to the rest of the books sorted alphabetically.
* I'm pretty sure the author had another series, or a one-off novel, about a time traveler being sent back to medieval Ireland.
Best answer: Or Robert Adams' "Horseclans," maybe.
posted by infinitywaltz at 12:17 PM on November 19, 2013
posted by infinitywaltz at 12:17 PM on November 19, 2013
Response by poster: Yes, Robert Adams.
Thank god, my long national nightmare is over.
posted by thanotopsis at 12:19 PM on November 19, 2013
Thank god, my long national nightmare is over.
posted by thanotopsis at 12:19 PM on November 19, 2013
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posted by xingcat at 11:59 AM on November 19, 2013