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(Unless otherwise stated, these suggestions are all my own, and they are in no particular order. I would be glad to add your recommendations to this list.)
Barbara Wood, The Prophetess. In December 1999, a woman archaeologist finds some ancient scrolls which contain a powerful secret. This is very much the same type of book as The Eight or The Magic Circle. I also recommend Barbara Wood's newest book, Perfect Harmony. Like
The Eight, it moves back and forth between two time periods, and, as in The Magic Circle, family relations are not what they seem. By the way, Barbara Wood is not Katherine Neville writing under a pseudonym!
Ann Benson, The Plague Tales. This book is similar in structure to The Eight; it alternates between two different time periods. (In this case, the fourteenth century and a near-police state in the early twenty-first century.)
Arturo P�rez-Reverte, The Flanders Panel. Like
The Eight, this book features a chess-based mystery, combining a contemporary storyline with a historical element. It is more difficult to read than The Eight, and I must admit I was disappointed by the ending. Also, the heroine was too much of a "male fantasy" figure, in my opinion. Read a
review of this book (Borders Staff Review, April 22, 1996).
Judith Merkle Riley, A Vision of Light and In Pursuit of the Green Lion. Riley is one of my favorite authors. These books, which take place in the Middle Ages, have a lot about alchemy in them (especially the second book) and include a fantasy element. She has also written two other books, which, I'm sorry to say, I haven't read yet. (But I'm going to!)
Paula Volsky, Illusion. This is basically the French Revolution set on a fantasy world. I had a hard time getting into this book at first, but once I did I couldn't put it down. The heroine has a cousin who reminds me of Valentine. (I didn't think the heroine was much like Mireille, though, except for her courage.) Read a review of this book by Karl Henriksson, from Fantasy Finder.
Elizabeth
Peters. This author has three mystery series, as well as
several non-series books; her detectives are Amelia Peabody, Vicky Bliss, and Jacqueline Kirby. All of these books feature strong, intelligent heroines, and the books take place in various exotic settings, especially Egypt. The Amelia Peabody
series is my favorite, but I love all of them. And take a look at another Elizabeth Peters site.
Laurie R. King. Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell series. This is
another of my favorite series. The number 8 plays an important role in the first book, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, and the third book, A Letter of Mary, features a historical puzzle. Interestingly, Katherine Neville says she also likes Laurie King, but she has read only the first book of the Kate Martinelli series. I started the Kate Martinelli series over the holidays, and I highly recommend these books, too. Fans of A Calculated Risk might especially enjoy the San Francisco setting. Also, Laurie King's new book, A Darker Place, has a lot about alchemy, "power points" on the earth, etc. It is wonderful, and I highly recommend it for fans of The Eight and The Magic Circle.
Ian Watson, Queenmagic, Kingmagic. This is another chess-based fantasy, with two worlds in a war which follows the rules of chess. I thought it was not nearly as good as The Eight, although I did enjoy it.
William Kotzwinkle, The Game of Thirty. Someone recommended this to me as something people who liked The Eight would like, but it was much too violent for my tastes. If you're not bothered by violence (or by the male detective's attitude towards women), you might like it.
Lawrence Norfolk, Lempri�re's Dictionary. My father recommended this one, and I finally read it. It contains an intellectual puzzle which is somewhat similar to The Eight, but it is more difficult to read. It's a strange book, but I liked it in spite of this.
Robert Goddard. Recommended by Sarah Nesbeitt (snesbeitt@bridgew.edu), who says, "Most of Goddard's books have to do with secrets from the past that are unearthed by the protagonist in a search for truth." I finally read one of Goddard's books, In Pale Battalions, and I highly recommend it. It has a very complex plot, full of twists and
turns, with more than one time level.
Donald Harington. Recommended by Erin Podolsky (oppsie@umich.edu), who says that Some Other Place. The Right Place is the best book to start with.
Floyd Kemske, The Third Lion: A Novel About Talleyrand. I just finished reading this book, and I highly recommend it to readers of The Eight. It gives us a completely different interpretation of Catherine Grand's character. Unfortunately, it skips over the years of the French Revolution; it goes right from Talleyrand's meeting with Voltaire in 1778 (which is also given a very different interpretation) to the Directoire period in 1797, and only briefly mentions the fact that Talleyrand had been in England and America during the years of the Terror. But, since this is a short novel, it can't cover everything.
Ellen Godfrey. Murder Behind Locked Doors. A murder mystery set in the world of business and computers. I think fans of The Eight and A Calculated Risk would enjoy it. The author, a member of the DOROTHYL listserv, is also a fan of Katherine Neville.
Sarah Smith. The Vanished Child and The Knowledge of Water. These books combine mystery, suspense, and romance; the first is set in 1906 Boston and the second in 1910 Paris; they are the first two in a planned trilogy. Sarah Smith, by the way, is helping Katherine Neville with her Web site.
Carole Nelson Douglas. Irene Adler series. This is a series about the only woman who ever "outsmarted" Sherlock Holmes; it features puzzle-type mysteries set in the late 19th century, with many historical figures.
Susanne Alleyn. A Far Better Rest. Excellent retelling of A Tale of Two Cities. Katherine Neville wrote a blurb for the book. Also includes historical figures from the French Revolution, including Robespierre, Marat, and Charlotte Corday.
Connie Willis. Author of Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog.
Suzanne Frank. Reflections in the Nile. Recommended by Athena Carter, who says it's a time-travel, mystery-adventure that goes back to ancient Egypt. It's the first of a trilogy; the other two books are set in other places such as Atlantis. The titles of the other two are Shadows on the Aegean and Sunrise on the Mediterranean.
Giorgio De Santillana, Hamlet's Mill, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, and Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier, The Morning of the Magicians, all recommended by Michelangelo Giorgi, who says that Katherine Neville has recommended these titles. I also enjoyed The Great Game very much.
Also, Katherine Neville told me that some of her favorite authors were:
Robertson
Davies
Alexandre Dumas
Sparkle Hayter I like Sparkle Hayter's books, too. She writes humorous mystery novels, which are very enjoyable.
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