Best military historical fiction books according to redditors

We found 472 Reddit comments discussing the best military historical fiction books. We ranked the 214 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top Reddit comments about Military Historical Fiction:

u/Thrasyboulus · 95 pointsr/AskHistorians

I'm pretty sure the details of their training have been lost to time, but there is a way to at least get the "feel" for their training.

It would be safe to assume that their program was probably not unique for the time. Meaning, the Spartan way of combat was not different from Athens or Korinth. Like the vast differences between Kung Fu and Karate and Tae Kwon Do. That's not to say there was no difference between them, but that difference was the men who comprised the armies.

You see, the Spartans trained all the time because they were rich enough to do so. The Helots did all the farming and Perioikoi did the artisan work. An Athenian or Boeotian farmer came off the farm and joined the Phalanx with little training. Indeed, hoplite warfare----until, to some degree, the Thebans and really the Macedonians come along----is deceptively simple. You lock shields, march straight ahead, then jab your spear in the other guys face until one side breaks. While there were all kinds of nuances and politics as to who lined up where and which city did what, it was really a bunch of guys running in one long line. (See Victor Davis Hansen's The Western Way of War for a spectacular explanation of the psychology behind the hoplite).

I'd argue that what made Sparta different from the other Greek armies was their upbringing and experience in battle. They were taught from a young age to fight to the death, and would have been kicked out of Laconia (which did occur frequently, even a King was exiled for what was perceived as cowardice or weakness) went to war just about every summer. They were always fighting someone. And so until their later period, when Greece was always at war with itself, the Spartans had more experience than their foes. Another aspect of Spartan culture often overlooked, is they had to keep their slaves in line. So much of their "off" time might be spent engaging in psychological warfare on the enslaved helots and/or killing the bravest of them to make an example of them.

You can't really recreate their childhood education (which had a lot more singing and dancing than you'd expect) because stalking around stealing from people is frowned upon in our society. You can't really create their famous diet. Spartans spent much of their free time trapping and hunting game, so you could that. Also chariot racing, which is harder to get in to these days. So what's left?

This is conjecture, but, I'd argue, sound conjecture. Their exercise regimen was probably comparable to Olympic athletes of the day. The Olympians of that time were mostly from very wealthy families, who had "leisure time" to train in sports. Spartan men (and even a woman) often won Olympic victories. So where does this leave you and your regimen?

Sprinting would be good, and this would transfer well into the charge of the Phalanx. So too would push ups, pull ups, and throwing large rocks. Spartans were extremely competitive and I could see many competitions about who was strongest. Running in armor was a great Olympic event back then, so maybe buy a weighted vest and run around the track? There was the javelin, the discus and jumping too. Also, the Spartans loved to sing and dance and being unable to do was seen as a deficiency. So strut your stuff bro and belt a tune while you do it! Also, find eight or so buddies to train with. Then you all should move out of your house, into a barracks and live together and train together every hour of every day. You can see your wife/girlfriend at night but you can't sleep over, and if you don't give her a baby fast enough she'll cheat on you. But I digress.

Learning a little about Pankration might be a good place to start. It's basically a mix of western boxing and Olympic wrestling (with fewer rules actually). I know of no Pankration gyms. A boxing gym would be easy to find but wrestling instruction outside of high school and collegiate levels is hard to find. I'd argue modern MMA is pretty similar to Pankration, especially the spirit of the sport. Jiu Jitsu bay be Japanese with a Brazilian flair, but those joint locks and the concept of tapping out echoes of ancient Greek wrestling matches. Minus the Thai round kick or San Da side kick, MMA is how I'd imagine the Spartans sparring one another.


Some books to check out: The Spartans
is great. A great mix of history and culture, highlighting their rise and fall.


Gates of Fire is fiction, but it's the best show of hoplite warfare and the Spartan spirit that I have read.

And just to keep you well rounded, Lords of the Sea tells of Athens, whose navy and the men who manned it were nothing short of spectacular. They are to the sea warfare what Sparta was to land.


Hope that helps.

u/fkaginstrom · 56 pointsr/TrueReddit

Gates of Fire is a much better and more historically accurate fictionalized account of the battle of Thermopylae (told from the viewpoint of a Spartan slave, though not a Helot).

u/UnpricedToaster · 33 pointsr/worldbuilding

Prolific writers are also ravenous readers. So if you want to be like the greats: It helps having a source of inspiration. Tolkien was inspired by Norse mythology primarily, and George R R Martin was inspired by the Heptarchy period of English history and Maurice Druon's Accursed Kings series on the French nobility. Both borrowed liberally from history and the Classics.

They took the ideas of their inspiration and made them their own. Whenever they got writer's block they could return to their source material and find new insights into their own works.

So if you're not sure where to start: Look to those writers that inspire you, take their ideas and expand on them in your own meaningful way.

As George R R Martin has said, "To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."

u/GregOttawa · 28 pointsr/fffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu

More accuracy. Much better story
(not a movie, unfortunately)

u/Keerected_Recordz · 16 pointsr/The_Donald

Senator James Webb, former Secretary of the Navy under Reagan, decorated infantry officer in Vietnam, *author of best-selling 'Nam novel "Fields of Fire"

u/readitonreddit · 16 pointsr/books

I would first recommend Shogun by James Clavell. It's an epic story with a great plot. I don't believe it's too accurate, but it's a good read.


If you want to continue on with historical Japanese literature you can't go wrong with Musashi or Taiko both by Eiji Yoshikawa.


Moving on to more western stuff, I recommend the many James Michener books, but they can be boring at times. My favorite of his is Hawaii.


I'd also recommend Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield about the Battle of Thermopylae.

u/BaconBob · 12 pointsr/lacrosse

Military academy and wall street a-hole here...here's my take. Your mileage may vary.

First and foremost, there is no substitute for initiative. Well done. It may make you seem like a keener to people who are less committed to succeeding but, in my opinion, it is the first step to leading.

The second step is a desire (passion) for outworking everybody. Cultivate it in yourself. Commit to doing it everyday. Embrace the grind.

Now for the hard part...where it becomes more of an "art" than a science...

The best leaders I've been around in life and sports practiced servant leadership. It seems counter-intuitive and your work will never be done but servant leadership is the tide that lifts all boats and if can make it part of who you are it will serve you well in sports and life. Even if you're on a team with a bunch of losers who don't get on board it is a tremendous character builder and you'll be a better person for it.

How to begin:

Always be the first one at practice and the last to leave.

If there's "shitty" or "not fun" job to do, always be the first to jump on it and recruit help when you need it...don't try to do it all yourself...that's a "hero", not a "leader" and will eventually burn you out. Do that shitty job everyday with a positive attitude. When a shittier job shows up, jump on that and delegate others to do the less shitty work you were working on. (shagging balls after practice, lining fields, setting goals up, keeping the locker room clean, gathering the team for talks from the coach, etc). If you can't find anything that needs doing, ask your coach if he's got anything. Do this every day.

When someone is struggling be the first to jump in and help/coach them up, always positive and always working harder than anyone else. Do this everyday.

Personally, I fucked it up when i was a player. I busted my ass, I was first and last at practice every day, I jumped on the shitty jobs and did all of that stuff but I failed because I was not positive with teammates who were struggling. I rode their asses like dogs because I thought that's what leadership was and I regret it a lot. If a guy is struggling the last thing he needs is some hard charging teammate berating him. Doesn't mean you have to coddle a struggling player, stay on him just keep it positive. Help him figure out a way to get it done, whatever "it" is. Always be looking out for the little guy. If you can help a bench player contribute, you've improved your team and helped yourself.

Good luck!


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Servant_leadership



EDIT:
If this resonates with you in any way I recommend you spend a couple bucks on amazon and grab one or both of these books:

https://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Dong-Ha-Bluejacket-Books/dp/155750587X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473342236&sr=8-1&keywords=bridge+at+dong+ha

https://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/055338368X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473342915&sr=8-1&keywords=gates+of+fire

One is nonfiction the other is fiction based on real history. Both are great reads.


u/DayQuil_Man · 12 pointsr/Fantasy

GRRM hismelf said on his blog: "Look, if you love A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, and want "something like it" to read while you are waiting (and waiting, and waiting) for me to finish THE WINDS OF WINTER, you really need to check out Maurice Druon and THE ACCURSED KINGS".

https://www.amazon.com/Iron-King-Accursed-Kings-Book/dp/0007491263

u/Anacoenosis · 10 pointsr/history

I really love the novel Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman. It's a novel, but it's a thinly fictionalized version of his experiences in WWII and afterwards.

There is a letter that one of the characters writes to his mother. It's what the author wanted to write to his mother, who was exterminated by the Nazis when they invaded. It made me cry for hours.

u/pupetman64 · 10 pointsr/AskHistorians

I'm reading Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield right now. I'm really enjoying it but can anyone tell me how accurate it is?

u/doubtingphineas · 9 pointsr/HistoryWhatIf

1901, a novel by Robert Conroy, addresses a similar scenario.

u/lavender_ · 7 pointsr/Teachers

You should also pick up Fred Korematsu Speaks Up some of my fellow grad students literally did not know about Japanese internment camps in the US. :'(

For the holocaust unit we did when I was in grade school, we read the Diary of Anne Frank.

I also read Number the Stars as a kid and here's a Teacher's Companion for it.

All the Light We Cannot See is also a really good book and gives the view points of two very different people. The Book Thief is also really really good.

u/[deleted] · 7 pointsr/todayilearned

It helps to understand the movie for which the song was written came from the book written by Richard Hooker. In the movie, the dentist- nicknamed "Painless"- decides he's depressed, and wants to die.

The suicide scene in which he is given the Black Pill while "Suicide is Painless" is sung is pretty hard-hitting, but the "rebirth" in which he is dropped out of a helicopter (shortly after being given a shot to counteract the sedative he was given) is pretty amazing, apparently curing the dentist of his depression.

The story may be apocryphal, but most of the book is said to have been compiled from actual events during the Korean War.

EDIT: Can't get the spoiler to work right. Sorry.

u/Stubb · 7 pointsr/books

For ancient Sparta, check out Gates of Fire. It's a fictional wrap to the Battle of Thermopylae and a real page turner.

u/dogmatic001 · 6 pointsr/booksuggestions

Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry

All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr

One Summer: America, 1927, by Bill Bryson

​

My taste in books and authors is constantly undergoing change. I could name a hundred and not cover the subject, but these are the three I've returned to most in the years since I've read them. All three well worth discovering if you've not done so yet.

u/silfrdreki · 5 pointsr/Fantasy

Try:

​

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton: https://smile.amazon.com/%C2%BD-Deaths-Evelyn-Hardcastle/dp/1492657964

​

And Life After Life by Kate Atkinson: https://smile.amazon.com/Life-After-Novel-Kate-Atkinson-ebook/dp/B008TUQ60G/ref=sr_1_4

u/shabroky · 5 pointsr/civ

Playing Civ made me want to read a work of historical fiction, so I picked up Bernard Cornwell's Agincourt. So far it's very good.

u/whatacatlife · 5 pointsr/AskWomen

Anthony Doerr's "All the Light We Cannot See." Absolutely beautiful.

His writing style is incredible, and I felt like I was reading poetry the entire time. The chapters are only 1-4 pages each, so the plot moves rather quickly. The story is told through several characters' perspectives, and his words just jump off the page. You can tell he carefully chose each and every word that he wrote. Also has a strong and intelligent woman protagonist, which is always a plus!

I typically read fantasy, so I may not be able to give too many recommendations. Are you a Roald Dahl fan? Or a punk fan? Those are the biographies I know ;)

u/ViktorJad · 5 pointsr/Fantasy

The Accursed King series by Maurice Dixon.

George RR Martin says this was one of his largest inspirations for A Song of Ice and Fire.

That being said, this series is not fantasy. It's historical fiction. But ASOIAF does often read like historical fiction with some dragons and zombies thrown in.

u/foxsable · 5 pointsr/Fantasy

Gates of fire is a really good read. I mean, it is a poetic retelling of the battle of Thermopylae, so not strictly speaking fantasy, but you may enjoy it anyway.

u/alamodafthouse · 5 pointsr/MilitaryGfys

I would recommend--

Fiction:

u/boughtitout · 5 pointsr/Fantasy

I remember Martin saying that the Accursed Kings series was the first Game of Thrones or something along those lines. It was written by a French war veteran and has been sitting on my wishlist for a while. It's historical fiction though, not fantasy.

Edit: Here's a link to the first book: https://www.amazon.com/Iron-King-Accursed-Kings-Book-ebook/dp/B00B0PFYKK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1493510777&sr=8-2&keywords=the+iron+king

u/ExcellentOdysseus · 5 pointsr/neoliberal

A book that was required reading at westpoint actually says as much https://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/0553580531

u/xstockix · 5 pointsr/books
u/Afaflix · 5 pointsr/booksuggestions

Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell

u/docwilson · 4 pointsr/books

Gates of Fire is an account of the battle of Thermopylae, as told by the sole greek survivor, himself a Spartan slave. A fascinating look into spartan culture and tactics, this book is required reading at Annapolis, West Point, and Quantico. It will make you wish you'd been born a Spartan.

u/Fandorin · 4 pointsr/AskHistorians

I really enjoy historical fiction. Here are a few that I really like:

War and Peace - the ultimate historical fiction novel.

Horatio Hornblower books

Aubrey/Maturin books

Sharpe's books

Gates of Fire, of course, and some of his other books.

Massino Manfredi's Alexander trilogy

And Pride of Carthage

Some of these are more fiction than history, but I think all are pretty enjoyable.

u/bovisrex · 4 pointsr/books

There's always Das Boot, quite possibly the best submarine novel ever written (though Boomer, while neither WWII nor German nor based on fact, is a close second). Still, Das Boot is amazing.

u/jetpacksforall · 4 pointsr/TalesFromTheSquadCar

There's a good book in this. A great book I think. Have you ever read Tim O'Brien's Things They Carried? It's a great example of how you can build an amazing, powerful, historically important portrait of an entire group of people out of little snippets of stories (Vietnam soldiers; modern American cops).

u/Robobble · 4 pointsr/videos

Last time this shit got posted I bought and read his book and it's really great. I think it was like $3. Then if you like that go read any of the other million books written by vietnam vets. Such a good genre.

Chickenhawk by Robert Mason

Dustoff: The Memoir of an Army Aviator by Michael J Novosel

Fields of Fire by James Webb

u/WWHSTD · 4 pointsr/CombatFootage

Definitely Generation Kill, to look into the dynamics of modern war. It's a seriously good, impartial, truthful and entertaining account of the first stages of the second Iraq war seen from the eyes of a battalion of first recon marines. Very well written, too.

War Nerd. Gary Brecher is a tongue-in-cheek military amateur analyst. His views on modern and past warfare are very lucid, albeit controversial and leftfield. His writing style is pretty original, kinda like the Hunter Thompson of war pundits. A backlog of his articles is also available online.

Making A Killing. It's the first person account of a British private security contractor in Iraq. I was expecting the worst when I read it, but it's actually very well written, informative and entertaining. Some of the lingo and drills described in the book actually helped me understand a lot of these videos.

Das Boot is my favourite war book, and it's an embedded reporter's account of a year in a german U-boat during the second world war.

u/Celebreth · 4 pointsr/AskHistorians

Check out Bernard Cornwell's stuff - he's known as one of the top historical fiction writers (if I recall correctly) and he definitely does his homework. There's a bit of fluff, obviously, like his inclusion of the chopping off of longbowmens' fingers (which we're not 100% sure happened - it's possible though!), but his books about the Hundred Years War are fantastic. I've personally read 1356: A Novel and Agincourt: A Novel.

Hope this helps! :)

u/moby323 · 4 pointsr/booksuggestions

Gates of Fire.

Its fiction, but pretty well researched historically.

u/gzcl · 3 pointsr/books

I think everyone should read With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge. Even if they're not "in to" war or anything like that. It is an excellent story from the perspective of an infantry Marine about the battle of Peleliu and Okinawa in WWII. They were possibly the bloodiest battles of the island hopping campaign. I don't think there has been any other book of similar nature has had the same effect on me.

For people who are "in to" non-fiction war books I suggest The Bridge at Dong Ha which is about John Ripley, a Marine in Vietnam who essentially saves the day singlehandedly. He's also the only Marine to be inducted into the Army Ranger Hall of Fame.

For fictional war related books one of my favorites is Fields of Fire. Excellent story telling and I found myself really connecting with the characters. It has a great way of giving non-soldiers an understanding of the many reasons why people choose to serve, how they serve, and the struggles within.

u/TheAmazingSpider-Fan · 3 pointsr/Showerthoughts

The Accursed Kings is a set of french novels about the French Royals, which Martin accredits as the inspiration for Thrones.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Iron-King-Accursed-Kings-Book/dp/0007491263

u/Futurebeat · 3 pointsr/books

City of Thieves by David Benioff. Hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time, it's also cited as a major inspiration for the video game The Last of Us.

u/deputy1389 · 3 pointsr/skyrim

If you haven't already, I would suggest reading Gates of Fire

u/Raoc3 · 3 pointsr/tipofmytongue

To add to this, the Immortals served the Persian Kings, including Darius' son, Xerxes, whose invasion of Greece included the Battle of Thermopylae and ended with the Battle of Salamis. I recommend the excellent book "Gates of Fire", which goes into great detail about the Battle of Thermopylae and the Spartans and their adversaries, the Persians.

u/asuraskordoth · 3 pointsr/asoiaf

Link for the lazy. There is another book with the same name, don't buy the wrong one...

u/anastaziax · 3 pointsr/whatsthatbook

The Last Town on Earth: A Novel

The reason I was thinking apocalyptic was the title.... that is why I would have been intrigued.

Found this by googling:
Fiction book flu epidemic quarantine barricade.

It was the first thing that popped up and this is definitely the book that I was thinking of.

u/SC275 · 3 pointsr/rs2vietnam

A few more to add to your list!


Books:

Matterhorn

We Were Soldiers Once and Young

Fields of Fire


u/ReaderGraboid · 3 pointsr/suggestmeabook

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Town-Earth-Novel/dp/0812975928

About a town that quarantines itself because of a flu epidemic.

u/Bufo_Stupefacio · 3 pointsr/suggestmeabook

If you are into military historical fiction, you need to read Gates of Fire if you have not already done so.

u/ShutUpDonny12002 · 3 pointsr/AskHistorians

If you want to know more about how ordinary German soldiers experienced the war, I recommend two books. Both are fictional, but strongly based on the personal memories of the veteran authors:

  • The cross of iron by Willi Heinrich about a Sergeant fighting on the Eastern Front (turned into a movie by the same title)
  • The Boat by Lothar-Günther Buchheim about a German submarine (also turned into a movie)

    Then there is an autobiographical book called Die Brücke by Gregor Dorfmeister (aka Manfred Gregor) about six teenagers who were ordered to defend an insignificant bridge during the last days of the war.

    Last but not least I recommend the movie Downfall if you want to know more about the difficulties of restructuring the Wehrmacht during the battle of Berlin. It is based on a nonfiction book by the renowned historian Joachim Fest.

    I know these titles aren't exactly what you asked for, but I thought they might be helpful.
u/1_Marauder · 3 pointsr/history

I'm really enjoying the Cornwell Series that begins with The Archer's Tale at the moment but I'm almost three quarters through and starting to worry about what I'll read next.

u/Petrarch1603 · 3 pointsr/booksuggestions

City of Thieves is an exciting thriller/coming of age book set in Leningrad during the siege of World War 2. Might not be exactly what you're looking for, but its a fun and clever page-turner.

u/arzvi · 3 pointsr/Fantasy

They are being released as ebooks. The first is out there - for $1.99 - http://www.amazon.com/Iron-King-Accursed-Kings-ebook/dp/B00B0PFYKK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=
2nd coming out in november. WOuld become my next goto series

u/chunklight · 3 pointsr/PropagandaPosters

I recently read a very good historical novel about this assassination called HHhH.

https://www.amazon.com/HHhH-Novel-Laurent-Binet/dp/1250033349

u/stonewall1979 · 3 pointsr/suggestmeabook
u/FaceTimE88 · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Fields of Fire is great. It was written by Jim Webb who is a Vietnam vet and former Senator.

u/AlySedai · 2 pointsr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon
  • I love my job. I also hate my job some days. But mostly I love it. Here's why...

    Because as a teacher, and a high school teacher at that, I am able to actually make an impact in these kids lives. Some of my students don't have anyone to listen to them. It's my job and my joy to be one of the people who does. This year, I had a student who was a self-harmer. She brought a blade with her to school, and gave it to another student to throw it away.

    I saw the whole thing happen.

    Legally I have a responsibility to pass this information on. So I did. I was worried that the student would be angry at me for my tough love, but the following class period, there she was, all smiles. She told me that because I had said something, her parents brought her to the hospital, and got her the help she needed. She's now talking with a therapist, and is feeling much better. She even wrote me a note and put it on the board.

    I know that that isn't much, but it was enough to remind me that what I'm doing makes a difference, even if it's only a class like Creative Writing. I love my students. I love how interesting and individual they are. I love that I can make a difference. And I love how they change my life as well.

  • "Glitter all the things"

  • Book
u/stuckinthepow · 2 pointsr/civ

If you want to know more of what happened, read The Gates of Fire. The battle field was fought between the west gate and the Phokian wall in what is called the Narrows or Thermopylae and sits off the Malian Gulf. The closest city was Antheia, not Sparta. Sparta is no where near Thermopylae. In fact, it was several days journey for the Spartans to get to their destination.

u/AthlonRob · 2 pointsr/AskHistorians

For anyone interested in a great historical fiction (fiction but based on historical facts) Bernard Cornwell wrote an amazing book called Agincourt, you guessed it, about the battle of Agincourt, as seen from the perspective of an English archer. Amazon.com link here

He also has a 3 book series (historical fiction again) focusing on an English archer. The series is called "The Grail Quest" and the first book is called The Archers Tale. Amazon.com link here.

No, I am not him or his publicist, but he is my favorite author :)

u/jiggy68 · 2 pointsr/movies

David Benioff was such a fantastic author. He doesn't write novels anymore. I know I'm bringing on the down votes but this whole GoT thing has sidetracked him from what he does best and I'm really disappointed. City of Thieves was a fantastic book set in Russia during WWII. I've heard he's trying to get it made into a movie.

u/TsaristMustache · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Life and Fate by Grossman is a modern (ww2) war and peace

u/frakkingcylon · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

>it's essentially MASH in book form

You know MASH was a book too right?

u/babblefisher · 2 pointsr/asoiaf

Check out The Accursed Kings series by Maurice Druon. All historical fiction about the rise and fall the Capetian Kings of France. Even GRRM said it was "the original Game of Thrones."

u/CastleRoogna · 2 pointsr/booksuggestions

Just look up historical fiction, fantasy by definition has to have some kind of magic in it. But this is set in medieval europe, and I loved it. It's a fast read http://www.amazon.com/Archers-Tale-Grail-Quest-Book/dp/0060935766

u/CrackerofWise · 2 pointsr/mash

Here you go. This book started it all. The franchise grew progressively further away from it though, as it's much closer in feel to the movie than any of the show.
The book spawned a plethora of sequels (most of them by a different author) that I have not read, but I'm sure someone here has.

u/rebel761 · 2 pointsr/assassinscreed

Thanks for the recommendation. I will have to check it out.

I was also thinking of books to go along with the game and came up with these.

  • The Assassin's Creed Odyssey official novel (obviously).
  • The gates of fire by Stephen Pressfield:An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae: You can consider it as the prequel to the world of Odyssey since it covers the battle of Thermopylae. Can't say enough good things about this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
  • Tides of War by Stephen Pressfield: I haven't read this but it's one of my next books since it covers the story of Alcibiades’ bodyguard and assassin and what was happening during his era.
  • The song of Achilles:A novel: Covers the story of Achilles right before and during the Iliad (war on Troy). Again a prequel title for the world of Odyssey but an excellent read with an interesting story which covers the Gods/human interactions pretty well.
  • The Peloponnesian War: If you search amazon, there are many books that cover the Peloponnesian War in great depth. Might not be the best read in terms of story but they're probably the best source for understanding what was really happening during the era (and how closely the game follows the actual events).
u/Macedonian_Pelikan · 2 pointsr/MensLib

I think boys can still read more adult literature. Maybe 8 or 9 is a bit young, but early on in high school was when I read Gates of Fire. It was very adult - it had rape, gore, swearing, and it also turned me onto history in such a big way that I now study the subject professionally. Yeah, it definitely would not fly as part of a school's curriculum, but thankfully I had teachers who either didn't give a fuck what we read or were just happy that we were reading on our own. It was my own book, not like they could really take it away anyway.

u/Woop_D_Effindoo · 2 pointsr/The_Donald

James Webb was a platoon commander in Delta Co./1st Battalion/5th Marines in Vietnam.

Wrote a great combat novel from his experience: "Fields of Fire"


edit: Also former Secretary of the Navy.

u/RatherBeYachting · 2 pointsr/CFB

In that case I strongly advise the beauty killer series.

Loved this one, City of Thieves. From the critically acclaimed author of The 25th Hour and When the Nines Roll Over and co-creator of the HBO series Game of Thrones, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival — and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.

The collected short stories of Sherlock Holmes and all the Agatha Christie books are also something I think every one must read.

u/caseyoc · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson sort of does this. Rather than being a different person's perspective though, each scene ending is repeated in the next scene's beginning. The protagonist lives both of them, but each beginning is changed from the ending. I don't want to give anything away, but Amazon probably explains it better than I do.

u/commiepinkosocialist · 2 pointsr/MilitaryHistory

Not online unless it comes in ebook format, but this is exactly what you're looking for.

http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Sword-Illustrated-Weaponry-Prehistory/dp/0684844079

u/expaticus · 2 pointsr/worldnews

>Germany's pre-1914 plan to invade New England because of a dispute over some islands in the Pacific.

There is a very entertaining book/novel about this. It's called 1901

http://www.amazon.com/1901-Robert-Conroy/dp/0891418431/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1374223177&sr=8-2&keywords=1901



u/KMilliron · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

RomanticDramaThrillerHorror? I'm not sure of something that would cover all of that, but your request for a new hot book tells me you may be interested in All the Light We Cannot See, which appears to have gone up in price since I last bought it. Any who, it's about a boy and a girl on separate sides of WWII. Check out the description, because I don't think I would explain it very well haha.

u/Sayer101 · 2 pointsr/CrusaderKings

The Accursed Kings series is amazing imo.

u/Adderbox76 · 2 pointsr/history

I'm obsessed with the U-Boat war in the North Atlantic, so my vote goes to:

Das Boot: By Lothar Buchheim

u/omaca · 2 pointsr/Fantasy

It's beside my bed-side table.

Which is a pretty major step, considering I have literally hundreds of unread books to get through. Consider it on the (physical) short-list. :) It's a toss up between that, a biography of Muhammad, The Luminaries (which just won the Booker Prize), Bring up the Bodies (which won last year) and HHhH.

Also, after years of resisting I bought a Kindle and now buy most of my book in ebook format; something I thought would never happen. My impulse buying of books has increased, and I find myself reading on the Kindle more than picking up real books these days. This saddens me in a strange way.

u/NeilOld · 2 pointsr/suggestmeabook

I haven't read either of the titles that you posted, but will note that Vasily Grossman's 'Life and Fate' is a major novel re: Stalingrad. Grossman was a Soviet writer who served during WWII and has got to be up there with Solzhenitsyn.

u/amaxen · 2 pointsr/AskHistorians

By far the best book on getting a feel for what it was 'like' is actually a novel: Gates of Fire: A novel of Thermopylae. Highly recommended.

u/wittyid2016 · 2 pointsr/MilitaryGfys

It's been a while but some that I remember:

  1. Run Silent, Run Deep
  2. Das Boot
  3. Final Harbor
  4. Silent Sea
u/CEOofEarthMITTROMNEY · 2 pointsr/books

The paper back I have says "together"

this one: http://www.amazon.com/Things-They-Carried-Tim-OBrien/dp/0767902890

u/BMXCowboy · 2 pointsr/malelifestyle

Most of my crew team read this in high school. I like to think it was at least partly responsible for who I am now along with rowing in general, of course. It taught me how to be tough, how to keep going despite being in physical pain, to always put the well-being of my friends first, and that if I have to down I should go down fighting. Fantastic read. Link

u/Flope · 2 pointsr/todayilearned

Everyone in this comment thread should read City of Thieves!

http://www.amazon.com/City-Thieves-Novel-David-Benioff/dp/0452295297

u/dcnblues · 2 pointsr/interestingasfuck

If you're interested in learning all about the English longbow, read Azincourt, by Bernard Cornwell http://www.amazon.com/Agincourt-Bernard-Cornwell/dp/0061578908 It's a good read, and really really informative about the unique weapon. One thing he makes clear (there's an afterword, I think, that goes into the history in some detail) is that these archers trained from local competitions from childhood on, and were strong as hell. As well, they didn't shoot the way you see movies and contemporary archers shoot, drawing back to their chins. Instead, they drew all the way back past their shoulders, and had to learn to aim that way. But the gain in power was a requirement with bows such as they found on the Mary Rose.

u/MrFrode · 1 pointr/AskMen

Lots of good stuff out there. You might look at

  • Dostoevsky's "Notes from Underground"
  • Steven Pressfield's "Gates of Fire"
u/AllinWaker · 1 pointr/AskEurope

Thank you, added to my list. I'd add Wild Swans by Jung Chang and I enjoyed the Soul of the Sword quite a bit as well as The Hinge Factor. The first one is about Mao's China and the second about military history and the third about the role of chance in history.

u/Sieberella · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

City of Thieves - David Benioff

Envy - Sandra Brown

u/A_Foundationer · 1 pointr/asoiaf

I see there are a lot of fantasy recommendations here, but I think you may want to try out historical fiction.

GRRM gets a lot of his inspiration from history. Try out Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough.

u/matapusi · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Hello! Good meowing! Totally leaving that. Thanks iPhone Autocorrect. I get off work in an hour then I'm off a few days. Yay!

I want this book because it's 1.99. Also George R.R. Martin has recommended it and being a fan of his I think I should check it out!

u/jnulynne · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

The Iron King by Maurice Druon is quite good so far; I'm about half way through. The ebook is currently on sale for $1.99. George RR Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire (more popularly know as Game of Thrones) recommended it for historical fantasy fans. Here's the amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Iron-King-Accursed-Kings-Book/dp/0007491263/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371230196&sr=1-2&keywords=the+iron+king

u/1d8 · 1 pointr/Fantasy

You might like the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. The main character is a lawful good ranger/assassin with animal companions. Quite good IMO.

http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

In the not quite fantasy department, I recommend the Grail Quest trilogy by Bernard Cornwell. Totally kick-ass archer main character in the gritty world of the hundred years war. Best archery porn evar.

http://www.amazon.com/Archers-Tale-Grail-Quest-Book/dp/0060935766/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318509234&sr=1-2

u/reddy-kilowatt · 1 pointr/reddit.com
u/haikumoment · 1 pointr/Fantasy

Not exactly what you call fantasy but a great book with an archer main character:

Archer's Tale

u/hmchl · 1 pointr/running

Great read - reminded me a lot of The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

u/Pizzadude · 1 pointr/AskReddit
u/Dynascape · 1 pointr/TotalReddit

My favorite writer is Soviet, and I cant even read his greatest work.

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Fate-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590172019

Its just way too long. His account of the Eastern Front though, is seminal, along with some stuff by Ilya Ehrenberg.

u/SpectacularVernacula · 1 pointr/worldnews

If anyone if interested I'd highly recommend this very interesting book about Heydrich and the men who were sent to try and assassinate him.

http://www.amazon.com/HHhH-A-Novel-Laurent-Binet/dp/1250033349/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410924117&sr=8-1&keywords=Hhhh

u/BlindSwordzzman · 1 pointr/todayilearned

I highly recommend "Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield if anyone is interested in reading about Spartan culture and the battle of Thermopylae specifically. It is fiction, but very good.

http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/0553580531

u/claptoff · 1 pointr/pics

This historical novel is as accurate as it can be while remaining a novel. The author provides the list of inacuracies at the end. This book tackles the same topic and I remember really enjoying it. I definetly recommend it and it is accurate as well, I just feel like the first one affected me more. Other than that, there are obviously historical documents that give you the information in academic way, rather than storywise, but I'm not fan of those, I prefer historical novels.

I also just found this document issued by the Czech government that compiles the informations with pictures, maps and everything. I haven't read it, but I'd assume it's accurate based on the publisher.

u/PlatnumPlatypus · 1 pointr/AskReddit

"Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield. An epic novel spanning the life of a Spartan helot into the maturing man fighting in the Battle of Thermopalyae. Highly reccommended as the retired marines insight provides an underlying sense of valor and admiration to the Spartans tough military lifetsyle.

http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/0553580531

u/DandelionKy · 1 pointr/tipofmytongue

I remembered and solved it myself! The Iron King by Maurice Druon. Also wrong war, it was the Hundred Years War. It was actually the responses that helped me realize it was the wrong war. Thank you!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0007491263/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_o1jIDbFMSC95Y

u/nickik · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

You might be intrested in the The Accursed Kings Series. Its about the french royal familly in the high middle ages. It starts out around the time when the king goes after the templars. Its a lot of politcs and familly matters. It his really close to what actually happens, I always like that.

This one is the first: http://www.amazon.com/Iron-King-Accursed-Kings-Book/dp/0007491263

u/yokedici · 1 pointr/Turkey

iyide japonyayla müttefikler,kankalar ilk dünya savaşında,aralarında bi husumet yokki.


aklım almadı


biraz daha baktım bi saçmalık daha , meksika büyümemiş,hatta tijuana yı avusturyaya bırakmışlar, WTF

zimmerman telgrafında meskikaya söz verilen arizona teksas fln var oysaki.


bu böyle ciddi bişi değil ya ,olamaz çok saçma çünkü. paylaşsana dergiyi merak ettim.





edit :

öğrendim mevzuyu

https://www.amazon.com/1901-Thrilling-Novel-that-Never/dp/0891418431

bi alternatif tarih romanından alıntıymış harita.

u/solar-deity · 1 pointr/audible

The Accursed Kings series by Maurice Druon. One of the inspirations for ASOIAF. Martin even wrote the forward to an English edition of the series.

>Over the years, more than one reviewer has described my fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, as historical fiction about history that never happened, flavoured with a dash of sorcery and spiced with dragons. I take that as a compliment. I have always regarded historical fiction and fantasy as sisters under the skin, two genres separated at birth. My own series draws on both traditions … and while I undoubtedly drew much of my inspiration from Tolkien, Vance, Howard, and the other fantasists who came before me, A Game of Thrones and its sequels were also influenced by the works of great historical novelists like Thomas B. Costain, Mika Waltari, Howard Pyle … and Maurice Druon, the amazing French writer who gave us the The Accursed Kings, seven splendid novels that chronicle the downfall of the Capetian kings and the beginnings of the Hundred Years War.

>Druon’s novels have not been easy to find, especially in English translation (and the seventh and final volume was never translated into English at all). The series has twice been made into a television series in France, and both versions are available on DVD … but only in French, undubbed, and without English subtitles. Very frustrating for English-speaking Druon fans like me.

>The Accursed Kings has it all. Iron kings and strangled queens, battles and betrayals, lies and lust, deception, family rivalries, the curse of the Templars, babies switched at birth, she-wolves, sin, and swords, the doom of a great dynasty … and all of it (well, most of it) straight from the pages of history. And believe me, the Starks and the Lannisters have nothing on the Capets and Plantagenets.

>Whether you’re a history buff or a fantasy fan, Druon’s epic will keep you turning pages. This was the original game of thrones. If you like A Song of Ice and Fire, you will love The Accursed Kings.

>George R.R. Martin

u/ScratcherGillespie · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

Try Life and Fate by Vassily Grossman. It's not really alternate countries etc, but it is fiction set on the Eastern Front during world war 2. It has a similar framework to War and Peace, so it can be intimidating, but I found it incredibly rich in detail.

The guy who wrote it was a famous war correspondent during world war 2, and knows how to tell a tale.

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Fate-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590172019

u/steph-was-here · 1 pointr/books

Something like City of Thieves by David Benioff? I'm not sure what I liked about it, the setting and storytelling maybe.

u/Ogarrr · 1 pointr/asoiaf

As an Englishman I'm actually rather interested in American history, mainly in the greater context of the conflicts with France happening at the time. If you enjoy GRRM's series I would recommend you read either some narrative histories or some historical fiction.

The Plantagenets by Dan Jones is extremely good as a cursory introduction to the beginnings of the English monarchy. It starts with the anarchy and makes it's way up to the fall of Richard II to the Lords Appellant and Henry IV that was so fantastically dramatised in Shakespeares play of the same name.
Dan Jones also wrote some terrific narrative history on the Wars of the Roses. He's a young historian, more focused on the narrative than the analysis but his bibliography is impressive enough.

For historical fiction, look no further than The Accursed Kings

It's a terrific look at the end of the Capetian dynasty and the set up for the Hundred Years War, where Edward III claimed to be the successor to the Capetians by English inhetitance laws and the French claimed he was not due to their new found love of Salic inheritance law. This was truly the war that forged the nation states of France and England and set them apart from each other.
Give it a read, although I'm not sure whether the last couple have been translated yet.

u/ZekeUSMC0844 · 1 pointr/The_Donald

300 was fuckin stupid. Read this

u/grunte30 · 1 pointr/Military

I don't think anyone mentioned Fire at the Gates yet
http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/0553580531

I read this book for the first time back in 04 while I was in Iraq. I've read it 5 times since. It's beat the hell up but I'm too attached to this copy to give it up. But if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.

u/asev0 · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

For fantasy, I'd recommend His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman.

I'm not really sure where Dark Tower by Stephen King falls, but that's a great read, too. It's not a horror novel, so no fear. It's a long series if you like that kind of thing. I never quite got into it, but I enjoyed the first book a lot when I was your age.

I saw someone else mentioned Garth Nix. I've noticed that most book stores don't have any of his stuff anymore. Sabriel was easily one of my favorite books in high school, and I still enjoy rereading it from time to time.

For Sci-Fi, I recommend Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Dune by Frank Herbert, and Asimov. For Asimov, The Last Question and The Last Answer are great short stories. Otherwise, his Foundation series is a lot of fun.

Aaand, here's some Call of Cthulhu by HP Lovecraft. I love how it just leaves you with this sense of unease that there's something malign about the world as you know it.

Also, you might really enjoy The Things They Carried by Time O'Brien.

u/bkisntexpanding · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

Not exactly what you're describing, but The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is about the Vietnam War, and all throughout the book, it's questioned whether any of the stories are fact or fiction. A really really great read!!!

u/nicholsml · 1 pointr/Fantasy

This times infinity. I came here to post this and found this comment.

He also did an archer series about the hundred years war. The Archer's tale. He was very detailed and explained how the English used new tactics to demolish mounted knights.

The series is really good and explains why full plate knights became inefficient and died out. Most people assume plate armor started to decline with firearms, but some say it started with English tactics, bodkin arrows and poleaxes/halberds. The heavy plate armored knights relied on horses to carry them into battle and the english archers would kill the horses so men-at-arms could easily dispatch the cumbersome knights.

During the hundred years war, the English consistently destroyed the french heavy plate armored knights over and over again.

u/Amdouz · 1 pointr/books

The Accursed Kings series from Maurice Druont are the main inspiration for ASOIAF. And it's a great series.

u/genida · 1 pointr/AskReddit

Anyways, having looked over my bookshelf, here are some recommendations purely for the sake of recommending. Maybe not spot on what you're looking for, but why not...

Neverwhere. A book I've read about nine times. Because it's awesome.

Time Traveler's Wife. Kind of established/re-ignited my hope and sense of romance. My father isn't much of a reader and usually takes months to go through a single book, but after losing his wife, my stepmother, he went through this in a week and thanked me profusely afterwards.

Island. I'll tell you right off, it's one of those 'intelligent reads'. The end is proclaimed early, it comes as predicted and it's depressing, but the book overall is nice. You read it first, to check :)

Gates of Fire.

Born To Run. Just read this recently. Fun, interesting, quick.

u/VileObliquity · 1 pointr/scifi

He recently put out (another) book that should mollify your concerns if ~250 amazon reviewers are to be believed: http://www.amazon.com/City-Thieves-Novel-David-Benioff/dp/0452295297/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267611982&sr=8-3

u/General_Specific · 1 pointr/books
u/LearningLifeAsIGo · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

City of Theives. Great book.

u/hipsterparalegal · 1 pointr/books

Gates of Fire by Steve Pressfield. It's 300 for grown-ups: http://www.amazon.com/Gates-Fire-Novel-Battle-Thermopylae/dp/0553580531

u/arod1086 · 1 pointr/videos

Taking the movie on its on merits it'll be a mindless effects laden summer movie blockbuster type so you shouldn't expect much in terms of mind blowing writing and the such. Now what I take offense too, and this is something Hollywood continues to do, is take incredibly interesting historical events, which on their own merits are remarkable stories in it of them selves and completely change the stories to make them more "bad ass" and appeal to a general blockbuster style fan base. Take 300 for example, now nothing wrong with Frank Miller's amazing graphic novel, or Zack Snyder's direction of the adaptation BUT now we'll never see a real true telling of the battle of Thermopylae or at best have to wait like 20 years since the rights to Stephen Pressfield's Gates of Fire are locked away in the phantom zone of Hollywood. The story of the 47 Ronin is amazing and should be told as it happened, not with dragon ladies, giant armored Samurai monsters and Keanu wielding a lightsaber katana. Also, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is a pretty damn fun read...which Hollywood dumbed down beyond possible levels and changed pretty much everything in the book, in fact they pretty much just share Abraham Lincoln and little else. - Ends rant, Steps off soap box. (Also fist post here so if it was way too long sorry lol)

u/gm2 · 1 pointr/funny

Ever read the book? It's a good, quick read.

u/craig_hoxton · 1 pointr/malelifestyle

Ernest Shackleton's South - the early 20th century polar explorer's account of the ill-fated Endurance voyage that was trapped in Antarctic ice.

Yamamoto Tsunetomo's Hagakure: The Way of the Warrior - the 18th century Japanese book on the samurai code that gets quoted a lot in the 1999 Jim Jarmusch movie "Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai".

Erik Larson's Devil in the White City and Isaac's Storm - two excellent non-fiction accounts of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the gruesome murders that surrounded it and the 1900 storm that destroyed Galveston, Texas.

Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire - it may be fiction, but it doesn't get any manlier than 300 Spartans facing off against thousands of invading Persians at Thermopylae.

u/ratcheer · 1 pointr/Survival

Two (OK, three) come to mind:

Railway Man, by Eric Lomax

Railway Man, on Amazon

An American captured by the Japanese in (I think) Indonesia during WWII, and forced with other prisoners to build a railroad, and survive a Death March. He's also tortured for information. The story of his sheer survival is fascinating, but what's really amazing was the surprising forgiveness that emerges.

The Long Walk, by Slavomir Rawicz

The Long Walk, on GoodReads for a change

"The harrowing true tale of seven escaped Soviet prisoners who desperately marched out of Siberia through China, the Gobi Desert, Tibet, and over the Himalayas to British India." It's also quite moving.

Finally, a more recently written WWII tale (no, I don't have a thing for war stories - these are the ones that occur to me) during the Siege of Stalingrad:

The City of Thieves, by David Benioff (the screenwriter).

City of Thieves
It's really really good!

u/realandrewkirk · 1 pointr/PacificNorthwest

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Town-Earth-Novel/dp/0812975928
The Last Town on Earth... really enjoyed it.

u/TheFamilyAlpha · 1 pointr/31DaystoMasculinity

Excellent work man, great progress.

Also, everything in this book is planned for a particular reason, trust me.

As for books, Gates of Fire is my favorite, the concept of brotherhood, duty, and masculine power are all covered within.

u/tiny_but_tough · 1 pointr/Random_Acts_Of_Amazon

This is it boys, this is war.

I got a tablet for a gift and would love to read this, it's located on my just for tiny list!

u/futureslave · 0 pointsr/books

Sounds like you might not be familiar with MAS*H as a book, which is my favorite incarnation of the story.

I get a lot of hate from fans when I tell them that in my opinion MAS*H is best as a book, great as a movie, worst as a TV show.

u/Meh_I_Care_Little · 0 pointsr/books

Its nonfiction ish but I just read HHHH
reddit!

Story is amazing anyway, his telling makes it fun

u/ShakaUVM · 0 pointsr/AskHistorians

>Ps. It's spelt Azincourt by Cornwell not Agincourt.

It's printed with both spellings on the cover, depending on the localization.

http://www.amazon.com/Agincourt-Bernard-Cornwell/dp/0061578908

There's another thread on here somewhere that talks about all the research Cornwell does.