Collection: Historical Fiction

A dazzling new work of literary fiction from the author of The Essex Serpent, a story of love and astronomy told over the course of twenty years through the lives of two improbable best friends.

Thomas Hart and Grace Macaulay have lived all their lives in the small Essex town of Aldleigh. Though separated in age by three decades, the pair are kindred spirits--torn between their commitment to religion and their desire to explore the world beyond their small Baptist community.

It is two romantic relationships that will rend their friendship, and in the wake of this rupture, Thomas develops an obsession with a vanished nineteenth-century astronomer said to haunt a nearby manor, and Grace flees Aldleigh entirely for London. Over the course of twenty years, by coincidence and design, Thomas and Grace will find their lives brought back into orbit as the mystery of the vanished astronomer unfolds into a devastating tale of love and scientific pursuit. Thomas and Grace will ask themselves what it means to love and be loved, what is fixed and what is mutable, how much of our fate is predestined and written in the stars, and whether they can find their way back to each other.

A thrillingly ambitious novel of friendship, faith, and unrequited love, rich in symmetry and symbolism, Enlightenment is a shimmering wonder of a book and Sarah Perry's finest work to date.

The classic, award-winning novel, made famous by Steven Spielberg's film, tells of a young boy's struggle to survive World War II in China.

Jim is separated from his parents in a world at war. To survive, he must find a strength greater than all the events that surround him.

Shanghai, 1941--a city aflame from the fateful torch of Pearl Harbor. In streets full of chaos and corpses, a young British boy searches in vain for his parents. Imprisoned in a Japanese concentration camp, he is witness to the fierce white flash of Nagasaki, as the bomb bellows the end of the war...and the dawn of a blighted world.

Ballard's enduring novel of war and deprivation, internment camps and death marches, and starvation and survival is an honest coming-of-age tale set in a world thrown utterly out of joint.

This true story of a priest in the American colonial period will inspire young readers to learn more about our religious and patriotic roots. While stationed in Pennsylvania, Father Farmer is assigned to meet the needs of the Catholics in the colony of New Jersey, but there is one problem--Catholic priests are appreciated at all in the New Jersey colony. He goes in plain clothes about the countryside for twenty-one years, never failing to reveal himself as a priest whenever needed. And there is a lot of need, as Father Farmer encounters one adventure after another in his travels. The backdrop of the story is the tumultuous period in which the colonists decide whether or not to rebel against England. Father Farmer's life is a testament to the living of the faith in word and deed, and that the Christian religion is one of love and service to others.

Yet for all his outward mildness, within him a white hot flame burned, a consuming love of God which made him willing to run all risks, a flame which enkindled those whom he instructed. Eva Betz

Egyptologist Amelia Peabody, now a wife and mother, returns in another Victorian-era mystery--to catch a murderer at an excavation of an ancient tomb.
It's 1892, and Amelia and her now-husband Radcliffe Emerson have settled down in Victorian England after their escapade in Egypt. They're raising their young son Ramses and everything seems normal--until they are approached by a damsel in distress. Lady Baskerville's husband, Sir Henry, has died after uncovering what may have been royal tomb in Luxor.
Despite rumors of a curse haunting all those involved with the dig, Amelia and Radcliffe proceed to Egypt and realize that Sir Henry did not die a natural death. Accidents continue to plague the dig, and talk of a pharaoh's curse runs rampant among the group. Amelia begins to suspect that these accidents are caused by a sinister human, but who?

The world is divided into two factions: humans and monsters called katawara. Despite being a katawara, Tama loves humans and vows to protect them from evil, even if it means fighting her own kind. Her stepbrother Jinka, however, hates humans, despite mostly being one. The siblings are joined by a cowardly swordsman named Shinsuke, who wants to learn how to become strong.

The people they meet, places they see, and creatures they battle will be legendary!

This young adult steampunk series debut set in the same world as the New York Times bestselling Parasol Protectorate is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail Carriger's legions of fans have come to adore.

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.

Johnstone Country. A New Legend in the Making.

The bestselling Johnstones kick off their blazing new western series with a real bang--a fatal, fateful shootout that sends a man named Buck Trammel on the ride of his life . . .

WHEN WYATT EARP TELLS YOU TO RUN, YOU RUN.

Once upon a time in the Old West, Buck Trammel was a Pinkerton agent with a promising future. But after a tragic incident in a case gone wrong, he struck out for the wide-open spaces of Wichita, Kansas. Working as a bouncer at The Gilded Lily Saloon, he hopes to stay out of trouble. But soon enough, his gun skills are put to the test. The Bowman gang shows up, turning a friendly card game with a Wyoming cattleman into a killer-takes-all shooting match. Buck saves the cattleman's life, but at the cost of Bowman's two sons. That's when Deputy Wyatt Earp arrives. He warns Buck that he'd better get out of town, pronto, and take the cattle baron with him. The rest is history--if he lives long enough to tell it . . .

This is the story of Buck Trammel. Hunted by outlaws. Fighting for justice. Marked for death. This is how legends are born . . .

Live Free. Read Hard.

From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Diamond Eye comes a historical saga about obsession, betrayal, and destiny.

Sabina may be Empress of Rome, but she still stands poised on a knife's edge. She must keep the peace between two deadly enemies: her husband Hadrian, Rome's brilliant and sinister Emperor; and battered warrior Vix, her first love. But Sabina is guardian of a deadly secret: Vix's beautiful son Antinous has become the Emperor's latest obsession.

Empress and Emperor, father and son will spin in a deadly dance of passion, betrayal, conspiracy, and war. As tragedy sends Hadrian spiraling into madness, Vix and Sabina form a last desperate pact to save the Empire. But ultimately, the fate of Rome lies with an untried girl, a spirited redhead who may just be the next Lady of the Eternal City....

Acclaimed creator Kaoru Mori's tale of life on the nineteenth-century Silk Road continues. Camera in tow, Smith retraces his journey to photograph the people and places that have come to mean so much to him. Though he has vast ground to cover, the inevitable delays of travel afford Smith an opportunity to rest and reflect. On Amir and Karluk, who have since sought the tutelage of Karluk's hardy brother-in-law. On Pariya, struggling to complete the elaborate embroideries for her dowry. On the young, energetic twin brides, Laila and Leily. On the grand mansion that is to be the first stop on his return journey...
Crafted in painstaking detail, Ms. Mori's pen breathes life into the scenery and architecture of the period in this heartwarming, slice-of-life tale that is at once wholly exotic yet familiar and accessible through the everyday lives of the characters she has created.

From the author of The Lost Queen, hailed as "Outlander meets Camelot" (Kirsty Logan, the author of The Gloaming) and "The Mists of Avalon for a new generation" (Linnea Hartsuyker, the author of The Golden Wolf), a "rich, immersive" (Kirkus Reviews) new novel in which a forgotten queen of 6th-century Scotland claims her throne as war looms and her family is scattered to the winds.

AD 573. Imprisoned in her chamber, Languoreth awaits news in torment. Her husband and son have ridden off to war against her brother, Lailoken. She doesn't yet know that her young daughter, Angharad, who was training with Lailoken to become a Wisdom Keeper, has been lost in the chaos. As one of the bloodiest battles of early medieval Scottish history abandons its survivors to the wilds of Scotland, Lailoken and his men must flee to exile in the mountains of the Lowlands, while nine-year-old Angharad must summon all Lailoken has taught her to follow her own destiny through the mysterious, mystical land of the Picts.

In the aftermath of the battle, old political alliances unravel, opening the way for the ambitious adherents of the new religion: Christianity. Lailoken is half-mad with battle sickness, and Languoreth must hide her allegiance to the Old Way to survive her marriage to the next Christian king of Strathclyde. Worst yet, the new King of the Angles is bent on expanding his kingdom at any cost. Now the exiled Lailoken, with the help of a young warrior named Artur, may be the only man who can bring the warring groups together to defeat the encroaching Angles. But to do so, he must claim the role that will forever transform him. He must become the man known to history as "Myrddin."

"Intrigue, rivalry, and magic among the mists of old Britain--The Forgotten Kingdom is an enchantment of a read" (Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network).

As friends, the boisterous and brash American Beryl couldn't be less alike than the prim and proper British Edwina. But as sleuths in an England recovering from the Great War, they're the perfect match . . .

1920: Flying in the face of convention, legendary American adventuress Beryl Helliwell never fails to surprise and shock. The last thing her adoring public would expect is that she craves some peace and quiet. The humdrum hamlet of Walmsley Parva in the English countryside seems just the ticket. And, honestly, until America comes to its senses and repeals Prohibition, Beryl has no intention of returning stateside and subjecting herself to bathtub gin.

For over three decades, Edwina Davenport has lived comfortably in Walmsley Parva, but the post-World War I bust has left her in dire financial straits and forced her to advertise for a lodger. When her long-lost school chum Beryl arrives on her doorstep--actually crashes into it in her red motorcar--Edwina welcomes her old friend as her new roommate.

But her idyllic hometown has a hidden sinister side, and when the two friends are drawn in, they decide to set up shop as private inquiry agents, helping Edwina to make ends meet and satisfying Beryl's thirst for adventure. Now this odd couple will need to put their heads together to catch a killer--before this sleepy English village becomes their final resting place . . .

The first complete English-language edition of one of Calvino's important early short story collections

Blending reality and illusion with elegance and precision, the stories in this collection--one of Calvino's earliest--take place in a World War II-era and postwar Italy tinged with the visionary and fablelike qualities that would come to define this master storyteller's later style. A trio of gluttonous burglars invade a pastry shop; two children trespass upon a forbidden garden; a wealthy family invites a rustic goatherd to lunch, only to mock him. In the title story, a compact masterpiece of shifting perspectives, a panicked soldier tries to keep his wits--and his life--when he faces off against a young partisan with a loaded rifle and miraculous aim. Throughout, Calvino delights in discovering hidden truths beneath the surface of everyday life.

Stories from Last Comes the Raven have been published in translation, but the collection as a whole has never appeared in English. This volume, including several stories newly translated by Ann Goldstein, is an important addition to Calvino's legacy.

Four generations. One remarkable hotel. Countless secrets.

Nestled in the hills of West Virginia lies White Sulphur Springs, home to the Greenbrier Resort. Long a playground for presidents and film stars, the Greenbrier has its own gravitational pull. Over ten decades, four generations of the Zelner family must grapple with their place in its shadow . . . and within their own family.

In 1942, young mother Sylvia is desperate to escape her stifling marriage, especially when it means co-running Zelner's general store with her husband. When the Greenbrier is commandeered for use as a luxury prison, Sylvia finds her fidelity strained and her heart on the line.

Seventeen years later, Sylvia's daughter, Doree, struggles to fit in, eagerly awaiting the day she'll leave for college and meet a nice Jewish boy. But when a handsome stranger comes to town and her brother Alan's curiosity puts him and Sylvia at risk, Doree is torn between loyalty and desire.

An immersive family saga rich with historical detail, In the Shadow of the Greenbrier explores the inevitable clash between past and future and the extraordinary moments in ordinary lives.

★★★★★ Over 500 Five-Star Reviews

You, who have dug deep and sifted hard for a story to read, have unearthed an ancient treasure: a mystery from the dusty ages, when a kid could be a hero and fight for the good of all . . .

12-year-old Zet and his sister Kat love running their family pottery stall. But it's a struggle to keep afloat, now that their father is fighting the Hyksos invaders. When Zet and Kat hear about a valuable missing scroll, the siblings team up to track it down. If they can find it, they'll win a huge reward for their family. Their problems will be over! Little do they know what troubles lie ahead. The chase leads Zet and Kat into the hotspots of ancient Egypt--from stunning temples to the Nile river, through a mysterious land of hieroglyphics, Egyptian gods, mythology, and majesty that the world has never forgotten.

From Scott Peters, award-winning author and creator of over 300 museum and science center exhibits worldwide, comes the adventure of a lifetime.

This debut novel in the ancient civilization action-packed Kid Detective Zet series from Amazon best-selling author Scott Peters is a mind-broadening adventure for elementary and middle-grade readers of Rick Riordan, The Hardy Boys, and Conn Iggulden.

Provides a smart step up for readers of Mary Pope Osborne, as it "lends itself to being read by kids moving beyond chapter books." The short chapters provide easy wins for middle school readers and makes it perfect for school reading lists. This is a middle-grade book for boys, a middle-grade book for girls. Popular in kids book clubs and homeschooling. An action oriented tale that's a great way to introduce middle-school youngsters to the world of ancient Egypt.

"A big hit in our library, can't keep it on the shelf. Don't miss this must-read!" - E. Crow, Librarian

"Excellent 'Indiana Jones' style mystery." - Top Reviewer

"My co-teacher and I have used this book for the past 2 years and the students absolutely love it!" Janine Taft, 6th grade ELA

Teachers, librarians, and parents will appreciate the ancient civilizations facts and geography and appropriate language for Ages 8-14 Grades 3-7 #1 Amazon best-selling series in Children's Geography & Cultures & Action Adventure ACTION. SMART. EXCITING Packed with Ancient Egypt References Also available: BOOK 2: MYSTERY OF THE EGYPTIAN AMULET, BOOK 3, MYSTERY OF THE EGYPTIAN TEMPLE & BOOK 4, MYSTERY OF THE EGYPTIAN MUMMY

Shelve under: modern classics, books for boys, books for girls, books for kids age 9 - 12, books for middle grade, books for boys 9 - 12, funny exciting stories for kids, reluctant readers, 5th grade, travel with kids, appropriate books for kids, librarian-approved.

Winner of the Booker Prize

Liverpool, 1752. William Kemp has lost a fortune in cotton speculation, and must recoup his losses if his son is to marry the wealthy woman whom he loves. His last resort is a slave ship, one that will take him to the Guinea coast, where he will trade for human cargo, then embark on the infamous Middle Passage. When disease ravages the ship and the African prisoners mutiny, William's profit-seeking venture falls apart. Slaves and sailors alike will join together to found a utopian community on the coast of Florida--not knowing that the vengeful, younger Kemp is in pursuit. Unsworth's tour de force is a profound meditation on the sacred hunger--the greed--couched within human nature, animating the slave trade. It is a novel that transcends its setting, illuminating larger truths that resonate to this day.

Minke is a young Javanese student of great intelligence and ambition. Living equally among the colonists and colonized of 19th-century Java, he battles against the confines of colonial strictures. It is his love for Annelies that enables him to find the strength to embrace his world.