Reddit reviews The Mongoliad (The Mongoliad Cycle)

Ok, this isn't a movie, so it's not precisely on topic, but if you're interested in that sort of thing you should read the mongoliad series by Neal Stephenson and others.

It's a collaborative work of "speculative fiction" (i.e. science fiction/fantasy) but one of the interesting things about it is the books is the depiction of swordplay.

Stephenson himself is an avid swordsman hobbyist he gathered a group of experts/martial artists in medieval swordplay and worked with them extensively when writing the book.

The result is that many of the fight scenes are described in great detail with specific movements, steps and sword movements.

Might be a good time to get into audio books as well? You can get a free audiobook on audible with a membership that you can then just cancel.... a pretty cheeky discovery. My recommendations:

1- The Era of the Crusades - By The Great Courses - Narrated by Professor Kenneth W. Harl from Tulane Univ. Louisiana(woot! home state baby)

2- The Medieval World - By The Great Courses - Narrated by Professor Dorsey Armstrong from Purdue Univ.

I loved both of these audio books and they both give a very clear view of the world back then. The Era of the Crusades focuses on of course the crusades but it goes into the whole background as well. You hear all about the different Byzantine emperors such as Alexios Komneus and Manuel I. It's pretty cool. The medieval world though is a very detailed look at the people, architecture, culture, political, and economic standpoints. It even goes into detail about medieval diet.

Edit: ------ The Mongoliad is pretty cool. The fighting techniques are spot on.

https://www.amazon.com/Mongoliad-Cycle-Neal-Stephenson/dp/1612182364/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500647832&sr=8-1&keywords=the+mongoliad

The Mongoliad

Edit: The Amazon page has a better description:

You can get it as a bound volume on Amazon. It loses a lot, though; it was initially released as a "multimedia experience" in the form of an app. I've been trying to find an APK or something for years, but it seems to be lost.

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  I'm currently reading The Mongoliad
  
  Edited to say that (k) means I read it on my kindle

The Mongolaid Series

Pretty good fantasy about resistance to the Mongol invasion during the 13th C

I'm finishing up book 1 of "The Mongoliad" right now and I'm pretty happy with it. Not certain I'd classify it as non-western as most of the story follows knights of Christendom, but they are continually journeying further and further into the east. There are also many non-European viewpoint characters. The book does a great job of depicting the Mongol empire at its height.

I've also heard Guy Gavriel Kay's works are worth a gander. I'll be reading his ["Under Heaven"]
(https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7139892-under-heaven) next.

Lastly, gotta throw out a plug for the amazing Deborah A. Wolf whose book, "The Dragon's Legacy," is due out soon. I've heard it described as epic fantasy in the style of Arabian Nights.