JEFF SHAARA
Jeff Shaara wrote Gods and Generals as a prequel to his father's novel, The Killer Angels. Both approach the history of the American Civil War not as strictly historical narratives…
R. D. Blackmore
I had heard of the classic Lorna Doone, but had not had the opportunity to read it until recently. First published in 1841, it is a love story told from…
DAN BROWN
I've featured Dan Brown's work before, but The Lost Symbol bears special consideration. Even the cover hints at the complex layers of symbols and meanings found throughout the story: When…
Heroines
Once upon a time women in novels were frail creatures always in need of rescuing, or silly dolts who could not be expected to know the time of day, or…
Robert Harris
Pompeii is an historical novel through which the reader lives the last days of that doomed city of luxury and its neighbouring community, Herculaneum. The signs are there: Wells and…
Culloden
To paraphrase a famous saying: "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." To people of Scottish descent and especially Highlanders, the name "Culloden" still evokes…
Jennifer Robson
Well researched is the first description that comes to mind pertaining to my introduction to Jennifer Robson's writing: Somewhere in France, a story of men and women working behind the…
Diana Gabaldon
Given the popularity of the television series, the fanatical followers in groups like "Outlanders in Ontario," "Outmander," and many more, one would think that everyone on the planet is familiar…
Nigel Tranter
Nigel Tranter makes Scottish history so interesting you wish his books had been part of the school curriculum. In The Clansman, he explores the persona of Roy Roy and the…
Jack Whyte
From Scotland and now living in Canada, Jack Whyte writes fictionalized accounts of historical events and thereby brings long-dead figures to life. In Uther, he describes a realistic Camulod (Camelot)…