Historical fiction is probably one of my favorite genres, alongside sci-fi. Why? Because it electrifies history and animates it into something almost everyone can understand and appreciate. I like history classes more than most, and I plan on taking some in University. I've even considered pursuing a minor in history. Yet, I can understand the common criticism that history can be perceived as stale or boring. All too often, history is reduced to a lifeless recollection of facts by unenthusiastic teachers and dull textbooks. History should be exciting! People behave in similar patterns as we did way back when. Understanding those patterns is the key to understanding the future. I know I'm not the first person to write such pretentious words. Regardless, I still believe they hold true, despite all cliches.
If history is important, then why are the liberal arts in decline? Yes, not just history. But writing! Writing is increasingly regarded as liberal excess or perhaps simply as an occupation that produces little to no material benefit. As the Western world strains under populist pressures, and disinformation spreads like wildfire, people seem to be withdrawing from the arts and instead turning to the reliably neutral realm of the sciences. What do they think is going to happen when everyone surrenders their culture and forces themselves to imitate the computers which will replace many of us? Do they think that society will thrive in any meaningful capacity? What are we, if not evolved animals? Literacy and creativity are the tenets of any civilization. Without them, we will crumble into flavorless dust. By "they" I mean You as much as anyone. No one is forcing people to take the paths that they do. Perceptions guide actions, they don't make them.
I seem to have gone off on a little tangent. My apologies.
So, what do you consider to be among the best historical fiction books? If you don't read historical fiction, what books do you read? I want to know, and it would be nice to get some engagement on this blog. Might help boost the damn thing on the search engines. SEO, they call it. Goodness gracious. What a headache.
I think it is possible to comment on here. Someone did it once.
A series I'm currently reading is called the Earth Children. It has a very unique style of writing that is very familiar and easy to read, but also just different enough and with the odd cool thing here and there, that it ends up being very exciting to read. It's like when your favourite dish is prepared in a slightly different way, where cultural spices have been used.
While I say it is history, its actually prehistoric, during the first days of man, where we diverse into different human species. The first book follows a girl, just like us, who gets adopted by Neathandals, a human species but not like the differences among us today, where we maybe have differen…