For more in the realm of pseudo-history I have to recommend a few I found engaging.
-Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett - a deceptively simple novel about the building of a cathedral that ties in to England's historic past.
-The Lions of Al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay - a retelling of El Cid in a semi-fantasy world, remarkable for its analysis of religious conflict in a thinly veiled stand in for Spain.
And if you like the whole "what-if" genre, there are a couple of very good studies of famous events (mostly military, i.e. battles) if the conditions had been just a little different. They're called What If and What If 2, both edited by Robert Cowley.
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For more in the realm of pseudo-history I have to recommend a few I found engaging.
-Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett - a deceptively simple novel about the building of a cathedral that ties in to England's historic past.
-The Lions of Al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay - a retelling of El Cid in a semi-fantasy world, remarkable for its analysis of religious conflict in a thinly veiled stand in for Spain.
And if you like the whole "what-if" genre, there are a couple of very good studies of famous events (mostly military, i.e. battles) if the conditions had been just a little different. They're called What If and What If 2, both edited by Robert Cowley.
Go read a few! It's good for you.