If you are a fan of Spanish historical novels, you will know that we have many very good authors… who do not always appear on the best-seller list, but who have a unique talent and the perfect pulse to portray past moments. This is the case of the four writers that we bring you below, true veterans of the genre and who this year have published new material to continue captivating locals and strangers.
They are perfect books for the summer, because they are engaging, they are addictive and they all have more than 600 pages: you take them to the beach, your hammock in the mountains or the pool and you forget everything… They just start to sound in your head intrigues, battles, pacts and historical events that you will remember forever. From the Visigoth era to Saladin, passing through King Ferdinand or the valuable Crown of Aragon, four unrepeatable stories to enjoy an identical summer.
‘The regent king’ (José Calvo Poyato)
HarperCollins The King Regent
José Calvo Poyato from Córdoba is a doctor in Modern History, a specialist in the transition from the Austrians to the Bourbons, but as an author of period novels he has dealt with different periods: the First Republic, the expansion of the empire with Magellan and Elcano… and also early 16th century, as ‘The Regent King’ (HarperCollins). A perfect novel to discover why the author is one of the Spanish references of the genre, focusing on the regency of Ferdinand the Catholic. The time between Isabel’s death and his was a time of intrigue, betrayal, disloyalty and struggles with Portugal to control the sea routes. Given the support of the nobility for his son-in-law Philip of Habsburg, he reacts by marrying the Frenchwoman Germana de Foix.
Pages: 608
‘The heiress of the sea’ (Juan Francisco Ferrándiz)
Grijalbo The heiress of the sea
And let’s go with another notable author of Spanish historical novels, Juan Francisco Ferrándiz, who has taken almost ten years to give us another of his entertaining and exciting stories, after ‘The Dark Hours’ (2012) and ‘The Flame of Wisdom’ (2015 ). It’s time to explore his addictive prose with ‘The heiress of the sea’ (Grijalbo), which introduces us to Marina Montaner, descendant of a long line of Valencian merchants. It is 1348, a turbulent time for the Crown of Aragon, the plague reaches Barcelona from its port, where the protagonist arrives fleeing from the henchmen of King Peter IV the Ceremonious, who are pursuing her for an affront that she did not commit. A fast-paced work about a heroine of her time, who will not hesitate to sail the sea to save her family.
Pages: 608
‘The shadow of dreams’ (Gonzalo Giner)
Planet The shadow of dreams
The author of ‘The Healer of Horses’, Gonzalo Giner, returns with a novel that takes place between the 12th, 20th and 21st centuries and revolves around the legendary figure of Saladin. Adventures, action, suspense and lots of entertainment in ‘The shadow of dreams’ (Planet), a gripping novel starring Sarah, a sophisticated art thief. After her last robbery, a valuable Manet, she is contacted by the Emir Khalid bin Ayub, a passionate horse lover who, conquered by her talent, asks for her help to carry out an incredibly ambitious and risky objective. After digging in Syria, he wants to revive Shujae, the legendary mare of history’s greatest Muslim hero, Saladin.
Pages: 656
‘Alaric: the agony of the empire’ (Blas Alascio)
Grijalbo Alarico. The agony of the empire
Blas Alascio complete with ‘Alaric: the agony of the empire’ (Grijalbo) the biology about this king of the Visigoths that began last year with Alaric. The king of the Goths, published in the same publishing house. In this volume, Alaric is already king of the Visigoths and a renowned soldier, respected among his people and feared by his enemies. The young monarch, educated by Roman mentors, but at the same time heir to the Gothic tradition, placed himself under the orders of Emperor Theodosius in the battle of Thessaloniki. After the bloody victory, Alaric must separate from his fiancée Valeria, who disapproves of his cruelty. However, he will not be the only one who will pay the consequences of the fierce combat: Theodosius will have to face excommunication, as well as palace intrigues.
Pages: 704
