Im going camping, I need a good fiction book. Possibly a greek, roman, or about middle ages?

Question

Im going camping. any good ideas? i like historical fiction. Lik the oddysey, the inead, and the illiad

Answer 1

Mary Renault has written some excellent novels about ancient Greece. The King Must Die is a favorite, sort of a fictional retelling of the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur. Her trilogy about Alexander The Great is a favorite too, but not appropriate for teenagers. For action and war, I would recommend Steven Pressfield's book The Gates Of Fire. Same story as 300, but a lot closer to what may have happened there than the comic book will ever be.

Nothing beats the translated classics however, and for that I would recommend Alexander The Great's other favorite book after the Iliad, and that is Xenophon's The Persian Expedition. It is not a long book, and an exciting tale of 10,000 Greek mercenaries stranded in Persia who just want to go home.

Answer 2

You will love any book written by Roger Lancelyn Green who wrote loads of ancient Roman and Greek stories, or get "The Ghosts of Motley Hall" by Humphrey Carpenter which is about a haunted English house with many ghosts including a medieval one and an Elizabethan one who carries his severed head under one arm. Good for campfire tales!

Answer 3

Well, more recently there's Mythology by edith hamilton, Troy (can't remember who it's by, but you can find it in any bookstore, most likely in the literature section)
well, you've already mentioned the three pinnacles of ancient greek/roman literature [it's the Aenid, by the way! :) ], but try some of Sophocles' plays or (even though it's a few millenia late)the Divine Comedy, by dante alighieri- it's a personal favorite
happy reading!

Answer 4

Have U tried Lindsey Davis' Marcus didius Falco series? Detective stories set in ancient Rome. eg Last Act in Palmyra.(lots more). Or the Cadfael books byEllis Peters - Murder mysteries in Mediaeval Shropshire. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

Try Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. Middle Ages, very good read.

Answer 6

How about either Neverwhere or American Gods, both by Neal Gaiman. Neverwhere is one of my favorite books. It's set in the modern London subway system, but has a medieval feel to it.

Answer 7

I second The Pillars of the Earth. If you'll be enjoying the great outdoors why not bring some bird/flower/insect identification books and see what you can find?

Answer 8

I really enjoyed Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton. It is about Vikings who go on a quest to kill a Mist Monster

Answer 9

Try "Pompeii" by Robert Harris.