[Macros]

War of the Roses is a period I know very little of to be honest, so I wouldn't even know if he was fudging it massively.

For the Rome series there a few massive deviations from the script so to speak, but to the betterment of the narrative and characterisation he gives the big names. If (massive derail) You're looking for a less popcorn Cornwellesque look at Rome, Colleen McCullough's Master of Rome series is fucking superb

[Macros]

And if you're looking for an even more popcorn and Cornwellesque take on Rome, pick up Simon Scarrows Eagle series

[JPK]

Macros, on 29 September 2021 - 07:08 PM, said:

War of the Roses is a period I know very little of to be honest, so I wouldn't even know if he was fudging it massively.

For the Rome series there a few massive deviations from the script so to speak, but to the betterment of the narrative and characterisation he gives the big names. If (massive derail) You're looking for a less popcorn Cornwellesque look at Rome, Colleen McCullough's Master of Rome series is fucking superb

I have learned to trust your tastes over the years. I just picked up FIRST MAN IN ROME and will start it as soon as I finish my current ebook.

[Tsundoku]

+1 on Masters of Rome series. Brilliant.

Beware though it may be hard to keep track of characters because they have a tendency to name their kids the same as themselves. Nicknames help ( eg "Piggle wiggle" and "Piglet").

[QuickTidal]

Macros, on 29 September 2021 - 07:09 PM, said:

And if you're looking for an even more popcorn and Cornwellesque take on Rome, pick up Simon Scarrows Eagle series

Seconded!

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

QuickTidal, on 30 September 2021 - 12:16 PM, said:

Macros, on 29 September 2021 - 07:09 PM, said:

And if you're looking for an even more popcorn and Cornwellesque take on Rome, pick up Simon Scarrows Eagle series

Seconded!

To add to this,, Adrian Goldsworthy's Vindolanda was recommended to me by a colleague on the basis that Goldsworthy is an academic historian who cares for accuracy, but also has the ability to write a cracking yarn.

I'm two thirds of the way through the book presently and agree wholeheartedly with my colleague - so would definitely recommend that too

But for popcorn, definitely thirding the Scarrow recommendation. They're good fun.

This post has been edited by TheRetiredBridgeburner: 30 September 2021 - 02:36 PM

[QuickTidal]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 30 September 2021 - 02:31 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 30 September 2021 - 12:16 PM, said:

Macros, on 29 September 2021 - 07:09 PM, said:

And if you're looking for an even more popcorn and Cornwellesque take on Rome, pick up Simon Scarrows Eagle series

Seconded!

To add to this, Adrian Goldsworthy's Vindolanda was recommended to me by a colleague on the basis that Goldsworthy is an academic historian who cares for accuracy, but also has the ability to write a cracking yarn.

I'm two thirds of the way through the book presently and agree wholeheartedly with my colleague - so would definitely recommend that too

*googles title*

Goddamnit, I'm in!

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Hope you enjoy it, I'm loving it!

[Macros]

Why RTB WHY????

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Macros, on 30 September 2021 - 02:48 PM, said:

Why RTB WHY????

Because I'm a rascal

[Tiste Simeon]

Turns out it's a trilogy!

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

Yep, I've got book 2 waiting in the wings. This colleague is going to be terrible for my bank balance, I can tell

[QuickTidal]

Tiste Simeon, on 30 September 2021 - 03:02 PM, said:

Turns out it's a trilogy!

Not just that, he's shifted the lead character from the orignal 3 books to a new area of the Empire to kick off a new trilogy too (THE FORT).

[Macros]

Sigh, ordered the Vindolanda trilogy

[JPK]

Now I have a dilemma. Do I start McCullough as planned or do I buy and start VINDOLANDA to get in on the ground floor with the three of you?

I also grabbed the first EAGLES book on audio. You didn't tell me there are 20 of these!

This post has been edited by JPK: 30 September 2021 - 08:09 PM

[Macros]

muwahahaahaha

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

This is perhaps the best place to ask this.

I assume many here have read Glen Cook's Black Company series. My question is would you recommend them to me?

The reason I ask is because they, alongside Stephen R. Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series, were a huge influence on the MBotF according to Erikson in his preface to Gardens of the Moon, the difference being that the Black Company is far more bleak and cynical in tone than MBotF. From what I have read they're very popular with military guys because they don't romanticize military life and portrays it realistically, Cook himself having a military background. I also get the feeling that they are way more character driven than Malazan.

I have no military experience whatsoever and found the military parts of Malazan to be amongst the most boring in the series. Based on that info would you you still encourage me to give it a try or just ignore it?

[worry]

While avoiding spoilers, I'll say: Black Company is written almost exclusively from a single perspective, the company's Annalist, as he records the events the mercenary company is party to. In terms of being character driven, it's rather more polar than Malazan -- you get to know a few characters very well, and everyone else is much more distanced than the secondary Malazan folks, as a matter of what the Annalist finds pertinent to record. In addition, events that are seemingly of grave (or even epic) significance are often summed up rather succinctly, and after the fact rather than in the heat of things (in contract to what you'd get from a more omniscient narrator).

I know this sounds cold and academic, and it was off-putting to me at first, but there's this cumulative effect to it as you really get to know the major characters, and as events necessarily dictate that the writing gets more personal. I mean he has discernible personality anyway, but his writing evolves alongside the Black Company's journey. All of which is to affirm that it's very character driven and it doesn't get bogged down in military minutiae, but it's such a unique narrative voice that it's hard to predict how someone will take to it. It didn't strike me as cynical btw -- maybe relative to MBotF, but Dr. Seuss is more cynical than Malazan.

Anyway, I highly recommend it, with the note that there's a curve to it. Luckily none of the individual novels are very long and it's collected in omnibi, so you can get the first three in one and get a good preliminary sense of things.

This post has been edited by worry: 31 October 2021 - 06:45 AM

[ContrarianMalazanReader]

Thanks for the overview, worry.

[Whisperzzzzzzz]

ContrarianMalazanReader, on 31 October 2021 - 06:53 AM, said:

Thanks for the overview, worry.

I second worry's summary.