AncalagonTheBlack Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 The previous topic had some really good rec's but unfortunately it got archived during the forum upgrade.Opening this again to continue with the nice rec's and discussion. So the Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett is one of my favourite historical fiction series and i just read today that it's being adapted for tv by the same company that did Poldark as well as Victoria and Parade’s End. Quote Could the Poldark producers Mammoth Screen have found a successor to Aidan Turner’s Cornish romp? The company has just optioned The Lymond Chronicles, Dorothy Dunnett’s wonderfully complex collection of historical yarns set across Europe in the mid 16th century, and is currently pitching the story to broadcasters for a new drama series, RadioTimes.com can reveal. Written between 1961 and 1975 they are packed with incident and an array of characters. At the centre is charismatic Scottish nobleman Francis Crawford of Lymond (below), described by one fan as “a dark star whose gravitational charisma pulls in everyone around him”. http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-12-22/poldark-producers-line-up-new-heroic-historical-drama-the-lymond-chronicles http://dunnettcentral.org/archives/3925 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Rutherford Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 That is both exciting and terrifying. That's a pretty big budget needed in my opinion to make it work. I'm not hugely keen on Poldark. I started out excited but the show clearly seems to shift towards showcasing how magnificent Aiden Turner is. At least that is my perception and its pretty much stuck. I get the material plays into that hugely. But Lymond in some ways is even more lead character centric and if they pick someone that they think is along those lines it would pretty much ruin it for me. The wooden hopeless lead/former underwear model in The Last Kingdom turned me off hugely though writing and production values played a part in that show being a lumpen sodden mess for me overall. I'm just hoping the trend that I see from Versailles to even the Medici series falls out of favor by the time this comes to filming assuming it does, There is so much need for shock and awe and a thin attempt at edgy facades that I think the entire wit of the characters and the overall intelligence of the various storylines could easily get lost or overshadowed. The great thing is that with a good set of writers and director/s you can scope the plot of the series into a multi-season arc and yet still be tidy and concise. Plus the lure of the Niccolo series to followup if a success. Getting a good US deal to bring in Hollywood money without too much of a heavy hand in terms of scripting and filming would also be a good thing. There are just too many scenes that for me rely on having some serious cash on hand to create successfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maarsen Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Prior to going on vacation in a few days to get some sun, I went onto Project Gutenberg to download some reading material. Historical fiction has always been a source of great reads for me so ascrolling I went. I was pleasantly surprised to see a few Conan Doyle's in the list. I have read his The White Company, and had reread it again last year. One author I did notice was one G. A. Henty. He was quite prolific but I admit I have never heard of him. Does anyone have any knowledge or opinion on his writing? One other thing I noticed was the fact that S. M. Stirling took his character's names, in his books, from The White Company. Not just one or two but all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 I've tried to get into the Lymond Chronicles four times now and I just can't. I don't now what it is but I bounce of those books hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astromech Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 The success of this adaptation hinges entirely on the casting of Lymond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry of the Lawn Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 O'Brian is the shit! Just picked up the Golden Ocean, which I guess he wrote pre-Aubrey-Maturin, but contains two characters that are their earlier forms. Pretty excited to check it out but it's about five or six back in the queue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 7, 2017 Share Posted January 7, 2017 Isn't this adaptation for radio, not television? The story is in the Radio Times, after all. That won't cost much, certainly not in comparison with the cheapest most tacky television adaptation. I also read this: Quote Could the Poldark producers Mammoth Screen have found a successor to Aidan Turner’s Cornish romp? as "Aidan Turner's Cornish rump." In any case, as Lymond is probably the most annoying twit ever to flimflam thousands into believing he's the most witty, brilliant emo blahblahblah evah in the history of the world -- well, you get the picture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted June 23, 2017 Author Share Posted June 23, 2017 New Bernard Cornwell book coming out this October: Fools and Mortals Quote A dramatic new departure for international bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, FOOLS AND MORTALS takes us into the heart of the Elizabethan era, long one of his favourite periods of British history. Fools and Mortals follows the young Richard Shakespeare, an actor struggling to make his way in a company dominated by his estranged older brother, William. As the growth of theatre blooms, their rivalry – and that of the playhouses, playwrights and actors vying for acclaim and glory – propels a high-stakes story of conflict and betrayal. Showcasing his renowned storyteller’s skill, Bernard Cornwell has created an Elizabethan world incredibly rich in its portrayal: you walk the London streets, stand in the palaces and are on stage in the playhouses, as he weaves a remarkable story in which performances, rivalries and ambition combine to form a tangled web of intrigue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljkeane Posted June 23, 2017 Share Posted June 23, 2017 A definite departure by the sound of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redriver Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 On 12/31/2016 at 1:33 AM, larrytheimp said: O'Brian is the shit! Just picked up the Golden Ocean, which I guess he wrote pre-Aubrey-Maturin, but contains two characters that are their earlier forms. Pretty excited to check it out but it's about five or six back in the queue. He absolutely is my fave historical author.Never heard of the Golden Ocean though. I've become strangely excited by this and will be rushing out to get a copy tomorrow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 On 6/23/2017 at 11:04 AM, ljkeane said: A definite departure by the sound of it. Yeah I don't know if that can even count as historical fiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted June 25, 2017 Share Posted June 25, 2017 On 6/24/2017 at 2:25 PM, Darth Richard II said: Yeah I don't know if that can even count as historical fiction. Shakespeare's brother, etc. etc. etc. about whom we know even less than we know of the internationally recognized William? Though Richard never learned to read or write, just about all that is known of him, another, the youngest brother, did try his hand at becoming an actor -- just about all that is known of him, while a nephew did become a famous actor later down the line. So this brother Richard, who is dismissed as an illiterate nonentity, has been made the protagonist of Cornwell's Elizabethan London novel. It would be difficult to get more historically fictional than this. Two of the primary criteria for the historical fiction category is that the chronological setting be at least 50 years in the past, and / or 20 years before the author is born. Thus Jane Austen's novels are not historical fiction as she writes about characters living in the same period that she is living and writing. The second primary criterian is that the author writes of the period out of research, not personal experience (see set 20 years before author is born). For more discussion read "Defining the Genre" by the editor of the Historical Fiction Society Journal. I just read Benjamin Black's newest, Wolf on a String, set in the Prague of Emperor Rudolph II of 1599. It was fine, but for me, what the central mystery was, was figured out almost immediately. This was because all the characters felt like stereotypes to my reading -- I've seen them in innumerable novels by now. But the novel's getting a lot of praise, likely due to who the author is, really the Award winning literary Irish writer, John Banville. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mankytoes Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Any fans? I imagine so, as GRRM is definitely influenced by the genre. I enjoyed the Cursed Kings he so strongly recommends, and the Last Kingdom books too, but I just finished my favourite ever- Wolves of the Plain by Conn Iggulden. It's the story of the rise of Genghis Khan, and it's one that needs no added dramatics, the truth behind it is scaresly believable. The writing is excellent, it's very gripping. I'd love a good series on Greeks or Romans, so if anyone has any recommendations on those, please do share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Conn Iggulden books are about as historically accurate as Star Wars. I also find him to be one of the worst writers of prose that has ever lived, so, uh, no, not a fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 On a non caustic note: for Rome you want Robert Harris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Marquis de Leech Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Robert Graves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Just now, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said: Robert Graves. Shit you know I've never read those and I've got some B&N gift cards, good call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astromech Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 Robert Graves, as mentioned above(I,Claudius and Claudius the God are terrific. I wasn't a fan of the narrator in Count Belisarius but the story is great.) Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series is highly praised on these boards and elsewhere. Mary Renault wrote a number of historical fiction novels set in Ancient Greece such as her Alexander the Great series. John Maddox Roberts SPQR series. I've had Gore Vidal's Julian on my TBR list for a while. (I should really get to that one.) Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series is an ancient Rome mystery series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Antony Posted December 15, 2017 Share Posted December 15, 2017 9 minutes ago, Astromech said: Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome. My favorite shit ever. 13 minutes ago, Astromech said: Robert Graves, as mentioned above(I,Claudius and Claudius the God. Gore Vidal's Julian. Robert Harris Cicero Trilogy All these were awesome too but Masters of Rome is just epic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncalagonTheBlack Posted December 15, 2017 Author Share Posted December 15, 2017 6 hours ago, mankytoes said: Any fans? I imagine so, as GRRM is definitely influenced by the genre. I enjoyed the Cursed Kings he so strongly recommends, and the Last Kingdom books too, but I just finished my favourite ever- Wolves of the Plain by Conn Iggulden. It's the story of the rise of Genghis Khan, and it's one that needs no added dramatics, the truth behind it is scaresly believable. The writing is excellent, it's very gripping. I'd love a good series on Greeks or Romans, so if anyone has any recommendations on those, please do share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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