Quote:
Originally Posted by gwhite
Patrick O'Brian's "The Aubrey/Maturin Series" has to be the best historical nautical series I've ever read. With O'Brian's historian's eye for detail and deep knowledge of human nature in the time of wooden ships, it offers a view of the manners, the sense of humour and the hardships of an ordinary seaman's life at that time. Based upon the real exploits of Admiral Cochran it is a fascinating and entertaining read.
|
I'm also a huge O'Brian fan. I've spent many weeks at sea as did the author -- he really nails both nautical and historical detail, and his character development is wonderful.
My favorite overall writer of historical fiction is Dorothy Dunnett. Her Lymond Chronicles series, set in mid-16th century Scotland with forays to France, Russia and elsewhere, is very complex. The stories' hero is a fully-formed, flawed man who, I think, readers of all orientations would find fascinating. Dunnett's works require a bit more of the reader than do books by Follett et al., but she's worth it.