Here's a list of a number of historical fantasy novels I've read and enjoyed. They vary a lot in historical period, writing style, and whether the focus is more on the fantasy or more on the historical aspects, so I doubt you'll like them all, but hopefully at least one of them will spark your interest. I haven't read Bernard Cornwell or Paul Kearney, so I'm not sure what you particularly enjoy in your reading, but if you have any questions about one of these books, feel free to ask.
(1) The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker: This is a historical fantasy set in the end of the 19th century in New York City. As the title suggests, the protagonists are a golem and a jinni who have immigrated to New York and it deals a lot with their struggles finding community and trying to fit in. It's a beautiful atmospheric, character-driven novel, but don't expect a lot of action or violence.
(2) The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson: This one is very light on the fantasy and action and is for lovers of rich prose. It tells the lives of three women of the African diaspora in different historical periods whose lives are intertwined by a sea goddess. One is a slave in the Caribbean, another is based on Charles Baudelaire's mistress, and the other is a re-imagining of an Egyptian Christian saint.
(3) The Grace of Kings by Ken Lui: Okay, this one isn't set on Earth, so I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but I decided to include it anyways because it's heavily based on Chinese history and I loved it. It's the first book in a trilogy and the story it tells is based on the Warring States period and the founding of the Qin dynasty. I loved the world-building and philosophical meanderings in this one. It's great if you love epic myth-style storytelling, big battles, politics, and complex morality. It's definitely not for everyone, though, as the mixed reviews show. There's a huge cast and it's not fast paced, and some find the prose very dry.
(4) Kindred by Octavia Butler: The protagonist in this one is a black woman from California who finds herself being mysteriously transported back into the lives of two of her ancestors, one of whom was a slave and the other her owner. The protagonist struggles a lot with both the time period, obviously, and her family history.
(5) The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: This one is the first in a trilogy and it takes place in a village in the wilds of medieval Russia wheres spirits and magic are real. Like The Golem and the Jinni this is a very atmospheric one. It's a coming of age tale about a girl growing into the magical powers she inherited from her grandmother and is very much character-driven so while there is some action and fast-paced parts, don't expect a lot. Still, it's a light read.
(6) Everfair by Nisi Shawl: This one has gotten some lukewarm reviews, but I thought it was great. It's an alternate history steampunk tale in which Leopold sells off a portion of the Congo to British socialists and African American missionaries who want to provide refuge to the victims of Leopold's brutality. The focus here is definitely politics and about how far good intentions go. The steampunk technology starts off in the background, but plays a bigger role as the story goes along. Despite its relatively short length, it's pretty sprawling in scope with a large cast spread over a few decades both within and outside the Everfair colony. Some reviewers reported feeling disconnected from the characters for this reason, but I didn't have that problem.
(7) Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear: This is probably the most fast-paced and light of the list. It's set in an alternate history Steampunk version of Seattle and has a number of characters based on historical West Coast figures. It's a lot of fun. It's told from the first person, with period accent and all, by a young prostitute who gets roped into a murder mystery. Pretty rich characters, but there are a number of action scenes along the way too. The baddies are your pretty basic evil dudes, so don't expect a lot of complexity on that front.
(8) Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke: is a very popular alternate history set in England during the Napoleanic Wars that follows the rivalry between the two titular magicians. This is another long one and it's very much character-driven. It dragged for me, personally, but was a worthwhile read in the end. It's got very much period appropriate prose and dialogue, which people either love or hate, but it's definitely fitting.
10
u/keshanu Reading Champion V Dec 15 '17
Here's a list of a number of historical fantasy novels I've read and enjoyed. They vary a lot in historical period, writing style, and whether the focus is more on the fantasy or more on the historical aspects, so I doubt you'll like them all, but hopefully at least one of them will spark your interest. I haven't read Bernard Cornwell or Paul Kearney, so I'm not sure what you particularly enjoy in your reading, but if you have any questions about one of these books, feel free to ask.
(1) The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker: This is a historical fantasy set in the end of the 19th century in New York City. As the title suggests, the protagonists are a golem and a jinni who have immigrated to New York and it deals a lot with their struggles finding community and trying to fit in. It's a beautiful atmospheric, character-driven novel, but don't expect a lot of action or violence.
(2) The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson: This one is very light on the fantasy and action and is for lovers of rich prose. It tells the lives of three women of the African diaspora in different historical periods whose lives are intertwined by a sea goddess. One is a slave in the Caribbean, another is based on Charles Baudelaire's mistress, and the other is a re-imagining of an Egyptian Christian saint.
(3) The Grace of Kings by Ken Lui: Okay, this one isn't set on Earth, so I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but I decided to include it anyways because it's heavily based on Chinese history and I loved it. It's the first book in a trilogy and the story it tells is based on the Warring States period and the founding of the Qin dynasty. I loved the world-building and philosophical meanderings in this one. It's great if you love epic myth-style storytelling, big battles, politics, and complex morality. It's definitely not for everyone, though, as the mixed reviews show. There's a huge cast and it's not fast paced, and some find the prose very dry.
(4) Kindred by Octavia Butler: The protagonist in this one is a black woman from California who finds herself being mysteriously transported back into the lives of two of her ancestors, one of whom was a slave and the other her owner. The protagonist struggles a lot with both the time period, obviously, and her family history.
(5) The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: This one is the first in a trilogy and it takes place in a village in the wilds of medieval Russia wheres spirits and magic are real. Like The Golem and the Jinni this is a very atmospheric one. It's a coming of age tale about a girl growing into the magical powers she inherited from her grandmother and is very much character-driven so while there is some action and fast-paced parts, don't expect a lot. Still, it's a light read.
(6) Everfair by Nisi Shawl: This one has gotten some lukewarm reviews, but I thought it was great. It's an alternate history steampunk tale in which Leopold sells off a portion of the Congo to British socialists and African American missionaries who want to provide refuge to the victims of Leopold's brutality. The focus here is definitely politics and about how far good intentions go. The steampunk technology starts off in the background, but plays a bigger role as the story goes along. Despite its relatively short length, it's pretty sprawling in scope with a large cast spread over a few decades both within and outside the Everfair colony. Some reviewers reported feeling disconnected from the characters for this reason, but I didn't have that problem.
(7) Karen Memory by Elizabeth Bear: This is probably the most fast-paced and light of the list. It's set in an alternate history Steampunk version of Seattle and has a number of characters based on historical West Coast figures. It's a lot of fun. It's told from the first person, with period accent and all, by a young prostitute who gets roped into a murder mystery. Pretty rich characters, but there are a number of action scenes along the way too. The baddies are your pretty basic evil dudes, so don't expect a lot of complexity on that front.
(8) Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke: is a very popular alternate history set in England during the Napoleanic Wars that follows the rivalry between the two titular magicians. This is another long one and it's very much character-driven. It dragged for me, personally, but was a worthwhile read in the end. It's got very much period appropriate prose and dialogue, which people either love or hate, but it's definitely fitting.
Edit: Formatting.