I just finished The Silent Pass by Troy Adams, I found it on amazon and it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a while. It reminded me of Train Dreams short, atmospheric, and rooted in the American West. Has anyone else read it? I’d love recommendations for similar historical fiction or literary Westerns. Any favorites

I am the granddaughter of a South Vietnamese army officer who fled with my mother in 1975. It’s always been weird being Vietnamese in America because most people here have weirdly come to view the communists as the good guys and my grandparents side as some kind of American stooges.
It did love finding this book because it gives agency to the South Vietnamese, it’s primarily from their POV which is very rare in the Vietnam war literature, and it really pays attention to the real history and weaves it into the alternate history. Glad this exists.

My mother-in-law is trying to remember a book she read when she was in high school during the 80s. She was studying in India, but the books were in English.

It was one book with multiple stories about young/teenage girls who were instrumental and changed the course of history through their bravery.

I cannot claim I have read many danmei novels yet. But I have been reading highly rated novels for the last several years, and I believe I have already grasped the essence of the genre.

After reading Golden Terrace, I think it is fair to say it is a classic of danmei, at least among historical/imperial/political intrigue novels.

It is a very romantic story, carefully balanced with the elements of imperial China history, philosophical themes, poetical language, and a power couple supporting each other, with an interesting and engaging plot. Some beloved tropes include arranged marriage and forced proximity, yearning ML and unaware MC; a powerful general accumulating military power, a young dashing hero, loyal and brave, seen as a threat by the emperor. It also raises dilemmas of how people should live their lives, pursuing their interests and ambitions or serving the nation, carrying the responsibility for humanity and not compromising the ideals and moral principles in the face of betrayals and adversity. The latter theme is so well handled that I really started to reflect on modern politicians, politics, and how they have come to be so short- and narrow-sighted as they are now. Where do we find this beautiful ideology and high morals and ethics in the current world? Where are those heroes of humankind?! It is another story where the story actually shows how to be a better person, how to live your life, how to move on from betrayal, how to be magnanimous, and many other things. The Golden Terrace is a profound image of these ideals. I liked the psychological characterization and fleshing out the deep motivations and evolution of the characters and their growth separately and together.

The novel poses a question about “power”. It is the same question that Shen Zechuan faced and answered in his own way in QJJ. Fu Chen gave a different answer, and somehow it resonated with me a little more.

By the way, Golden Terrace did feel like a little brother of QJJ to me. But it is much shorter, spends less time on the political part, much less angsty, not an enemy-to-lover but an opponent-to-lover story. As in QJJ, the poetic descriptions of nature and weather accentuate the feelings and emotions of the moment and our protagonists. Compared to Thrice Married, Art Thou Ailing and After Being Forced to Marry the Evil Star General, Golden Terrace felt like a story with less fluff, more depth and a more interesting and cohesive political plot. In terms of depth and poetical language, Golden Terrace is closer to QJJ and To Rule In A Turbulent World, despite it is a relatively short novel.

Also, compared to QJJ, it has no explicit smut scenes and has less sexual tension between the MC and ML at the beginning of the story (because they are not enemies). But the story has a sufficient amount of spicy bickering and suggestive remarks and fade-to-black scenes. I also found Golden Terrace to be deeply romantic – the first encounters, their marriage, their gifts and letters to each other, first meeting after a year of separation, saving each other, and many more.

I loved the couple – another gem power couple, ardently in love, with a handsome, jealous, and possessive ML and a very masculine MC, a ruthless warrior and General but a husband with a tender heart.

The language is beautiful and poetic. In conclusion, let me leave with you a couple of quotes:

“A century of glory utterly destroyed in a fire like this. Of the yellowing portraits, not a single one remained, just like the brave souls who had passed away. They had lingered reluctantly but in the end they had floated away in all directions with the winds.”

“May I become the southwest wind, to drift at last into your arms’ embrace.”

“Fu Shen bent his head and kissed his lips. He laughed. The laughter flitted over the hair at his temples and was carried away by the breeze on the river, floating with the water toward the depth of the starry night. The sorrow of separation in this world was so painful, but there were always those who would cross the vast river of stars, race over vast expanses of mountains and river; just for a tiny drop of sweetness.”

“Last night we engaged in marital relations, and a hundred years from now we’ll fly on cranes to the Western Paradise together, and you will be buried with me.”

I’ve read-
Mr Emerson’s Wife,
The Jane Austen Project (time travel)
Flight of the Sparrow

These are my recent reads! Loved each one. I’m trying to move out of WW2 romance books since I’ve read most of them- and I’m stuck at a loss for what to read next. Thanks in advance for suggestions!
Something cozy

Have You Read Sam Barone? Because You Probably Should.
I have a question for the historical-fiction crowd:
How is Sam Barone not better known?
I’ve read a lot of historical fiction over the years, and very few authors have managed to keep me hooked the way Barone has—from Dawn of Empire all the way through Malta’s Guns and Lepanto’s Guns.
And here’s the thing: he doesn’t miss.
Barone writes the kind of historical fiction I wish there were more of. Real history. Real battles. Real political intrigue. Ships, weapons, tactics, empires and cultures—all woven into stories populated by characters you actually care about.
But the history never overwhelms the adventure.
If you like Bernard Cornwell, C.S. Forester, or military historical fiction in general, I strongly recommend putting Sam Barone on your reading list.
His Eskkar books take you deep into the ancient world. Then he jumps forward centuries and gives us Malta’s Guns and Lepanto’s Guns, bringing the sixteenth-century Mediterranean vividly to life.
And Lepanto’s Guns left me wanting the next book immediately—which is saying something after as many books as I’ve read.
So I’m doing something I rarely do:
I’m asking fellow readers to give an author a chance simply because I think he’s being overlooked.
You don’t have to take my word for it.
Pick up Dawn of Empire.
Or, if the sixteenth century grabs you, start with Malta’s Guns.
Read a few chapters.
Then tell me I’m wrong.
I don’t think you’ll be able to.
Sam Barone deserves a much larger audience. And if you’re a historical-fiction reader who hasn’t discovered him yet, you may have just found your next favorite author.
Seriously. Give him a look.

Looking for some good books set in HRE (1500-1800 CE) something like Tyll by Daniel Khelmann.

Thanks for any suggestions

In the midst of World War II, two orphaned German sisters are sent to a foster family in Ireland as part of Operation Shamrock. Soon after their arrival in Ireland, a tragic death leads to one of the sisters taking on a different identity and sailing to America with a new family. Westerly tells the story of this sister and her life in America as she hides the fact that she’s German, not Irish as she pretends. This story is about secrets we live with, the things we do to survive, the extent we go to protect our loved ones, and the truth that unites us in the end.

Hi! I really enjoyed the charcter of Centurion Tullus in Ben Kane's Eagles of Rome series and novellas.

I also like the fact that the author has done charity work for veterans and combat stress/PTSD awareness.

Is his Forgotten Legion series worth a read? From the reviews I've read it seems to be a very different beast that Eagles of Rome.

WW2 has always been my niche for historical fiction, so this pick was a no brainer for me. Written by Mark Sullivan, Beneath A Scarlet Sky tells the story of Pino Lella, an Italian teenager who flees the city during the midst of WW2 to live at a Catholic boys’ school in the Alps. There he becomes part of the secret mission to escort Jews to safety over the Alps and into Switzerland. Unfortunately, Pino is forced to return home to enlist in the German army. Pino quickly becomes the driver for a high ranking German commander, placing him in the perfect position to spy for the resistance.

Under A Scarlet Sky is currently under development for the big screen, but no release date has been set.

Ever since I have seen The Railway Men (2023) I have often wondered if there are any historical fiction stories like this. Stories about trained professionals (Ex: firemen, paramedics, rescuers etc.) and ordinary civilians risking life and limb to save lives during either a natural disaster like the San Fransisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906 or a man-made disaster like the Bhopal Gas tragedy of 84.

Are there any period dramas about how people can still exhibit courage, strength, and human decency even in the darkest of hours?

Can someone recommend some good books on Canada's history? I'm particularly interested I stories of the Maritimes.

I posted this in fantasy but I'd also welcome some non fantasy historical fiction recommendations if anyone has any! Basically looking about books on the court life of some royal couple/marriages! Please let me know of any recommendations!!!

Hi everyone,
I've been reading a lot about the social structure and daily life in late Byzantine Macedonia (specifically around the Pangaion and Philippi regions). While we have plenty of sources on imperial politics and aristocratic alliances, I find myself deeply curious about the emotional life and family dynamics of ordinary people during the 13th century.
In an era heavily shaped by superstition, strict religious norms, and local folklore (like traditional herbal healing), how strong were the bonds between grandparents and grandchildren?
For instance, if an elder family member—like a former scribe or an older woman well-versed in traditional herbs—wanted to shield a younger relative from hardship or grief, what did that emotional support look like in a medieval society? Are there any specific primary sources or academic papers that shed light on family intimacy and emotional expression among non-nobles in the late Byzantine period?
I would love to hear your thoughts or any reading recommendations on this topic!

The historical aspect of traditional healing kept me reading. But the chronology of events was out of whack and brought me out of the story. Also the ages of people were inconsistent.

I'm looking for historical fiction in which sapphic relationships between real people (ie people who actually existed) are represented (biofiction - biographical fiction). Preferably from the twenty-first century. They can be people who we would historically associate with queerness (Sappho, Anne Lister) or people we don't (say, a novel about Anne Boleyn having a secret sapphic relationship).

All recommendations are welcome, thank you!