A guy at work turned me on to an author that I am enjoying immensely. The author's name is Conn Iggulden. He writes historical fiction and it's fantastic!
So far he's written two series. One is a set of novels about Genghis Khan, one of my favorite historical characters. The other is about Julius Caesar. Each series is based on facts, with liberal use of creative license. I thought both series were great.
The author does a great deal of research into his subjects, as well as the times and places they lived. He uses this knowledge to compliment his tremendous gift for storytelling.
In the Conqueror novels, you get a sense of how tough it was to live on the Mongolian plains in the 12th century. You come to appreciate the genius of Genghis Khan, as well as his ruthlessness. You admire the strength of his will and his perserverence over all obstacles. You see his ability to unite and lead. You see how he recognizes technologies that may be used in war. And you are blown away by his raw ambition! And you learn of the Mongols acceptance of different religions and cultures. There are plots and subplots, rivalries and power struggles. My favorite character in the novels is Tsubodai, the greatest military general I'd never heard of.
In the Emporer series, you see Julius Caesar in action. Caesar was the perfect man for his times. A strong general and leader; a politician in overdrive. You feel like you are with him battling foreign and civil wars. The author gives the reader the feeling of comradarie of soldiers must have felt around the fire after a long day of marching off to war. Brutus is brought to life in this one as well; with a special guest appearance from Cleopatra!
This stuff is fascinating reading. It never gets boring. The only problem comes when it ends and there's no more.
