My thoughts on: medieval historical fiction

Whenever anyone asks, ‘so, why the Middle Ages?’ I tell the story of a book I read when I was about 12. I’d gotten it as a Christmas present (as I often did get books in those days) and wasn’t entirely certain I would enjoy it.

Then on the plane to go visit my grandmother, I finally gave in and began to read…and I was hooked. It remains one of my favourite books to this day: a perfect mix of not-quite-fantasy, a touch of romance, a female character who finds her strength, discovers what will make her happy and has the courage to pursue that happiness. This book inspired not just my love of history but my love of writing, and I will forever enjoy going back it. It also inspired me to veer away from pure historical fiction, and to explore creating my own medieval world for my writing.

And here it is! On Fortune’s Wheel by Cynthia Voigt, though my understanding is that recently it has been re-published under a different name that ties it into the loose trilogy – or possibly quadrilogy – around her kingdoms. These include Jackaroo and The Wings of a Falcon, both worth a read especially if you fall in love with the kingdoms.

Medieval historical fiction remains one of my favourite things to read – when done well that is – and so here is a list of some of the books I have enjoyed the most. I do also enjoy a bit of a love story along the way.

• Katherine, by Anya Seton. A beautifully written imagining of the life of Katherine de Roet, John of Gaunt’s third wife and long-time mistress. Seton perfectly details the brutality of arranged marriage and medieval life including the first wave of the Black Death, all against a passionate love story.
• Avalon, by Anya Seton. A winding tale of Anglo-Saxon England and the Viking expansion. To be fair, I’ll read almost anything by Anya Seton.
• Catherine, called Birdy, by Karen Cushman (now a movie on Prime!). Entertaining and well-written diary of a medieval teenager.
• World Without End, by Ken Follett (and the whole Kingsbridge series though this was my favourite). Sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, includes the start of the Hundred Years’ War and first outbreak of the Black Death.
• The House on the Strand, by Daphne du Maurier. Haunting, the main character takes a drug to transport him back in time to the 14th century. Another of my favourite authors, and I have read almost everything she has written.
• Lion Let Loose, by Nigel Tranter. The story of King James I and his return to Scotland after long incarceration in England.
• MacBeth the King, by Nigel Tranter. The historical MacBeth made fictional, my paper critiquing this book earned me my highest mark ever at University. Very far from Shakespeare.
• The Wind from Hastings, by Morgan Llywelyn. A moving and romantic account of the life of Edyth, wife of King Harold Godwinson of England, and her life before the Battle of Hastings. I also enjoy many of Llywelyn’s other books including The Horse Goddess, On Raven’s Wing and Druids.
• There are many more including a host of trashy romance.

I have never had overwhelming affection for Arthurian myths or the stories within, but there are two arguably more ‘realistic’ versions that I have enjoyed:

• The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Pure fantasy, but a female-centric take on the myths that I quite enjoyed.
• Skystone, by Jack Whyte, and the whole Camulod chronicles. An at-times touching on tediously detailed imagination of a purely historical and non-fantasy version of the Arthurian myth, beginning in Roman Britain and carrying on through the early days of the Anglo-Saxon invasion and departure of Rome.

BUT above all, my absolute favourite medieval author of all time is Sharon Kay Penman, who devastatingly passed away in January 2021, less than a year after the publication of her final novel. But I will need a separate post to write about her.