5 Reviews for…Fiction Set During the Medieval Period

I haven’t posted one of these for a few years (gasp!), so it’s high time for another.  About thirty-five to forty percent of the historical fiction I read is set during the Medieval period (1066-1485).  All right, I’ve not done the maths, but it is an educated guess…

It is one of my favourite periods of history purely because so much of the architecture has survived to the present day.  Nearly every English village has a church that dates back this far, and most towns have more than one.  Then there are the castles and big houses, smaller houses and pubs…I just find it fascinating, so its no wonder I like to read stories set in this period.

Below you will find links to a number of books set during the Medieval period that I not only enjoyed, but also recommend:

• Company of Liars by Karen Maitland – Set in 1348, a diverse group of people are brought together under extremely stressful and deadly circumstances: the plague has arrived in England. Absorbing, compelling reading, this is probably my favourite book by the author.
• Inquisition by Alfredo Collito – Set in 1311.  A suspenseful read, full of action and drama, Inquisition is a compelling read centred on the early days of modern science, The Templars and of course, the Inquisition.
• We Speak No Treason by Rosemary Hawley Jarman – This is actually a two books series: The Flowering of The Rose and The White Rose Turned to Blood – It tells the story of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who will become Richard III, told from the viewpoint of his mistress and his fool in the first book, and his sworn man and the mistress in the second book.  Set in the later decades of the fifteenth century, both books are fantastic pieces of historical fiction, and also, I found, quite emotional.
• The Apothecary Rose by Candace Robb – Set in 1363, The Apothecary Rose is the first Owen Archer mystery.  Owen Archer, on losing an eye while fighting in France, needs a new occupation and quickly finds himself employed as a spy for the Lord Chancellor.  His first missions has him sent to York to investigate a series of mysterious deaths…
• A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters – This list wouldn’t be complete without a Cadfael mystery, would it?  Not only have I chosen to list A Morbid Taste for Bones (set in 1137) here because it is The First Chronicle of Brother Cadfael, but also because it is my favourite.  Why?  Because it clearly shows how important relics were to religious houses during the period, and the lengths these religious houses would go to obtain them…

Have you read any of these books?  What did you think to them?  I would love to hear your thoughts…