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Medieval Fiction

Spanning the centuries between the fall of Rome and the flowering of the Renaissance, the Middle Ages were a time of religious devotion, powerful aristocrats, soaring architecture, serfdom, fear and pestilence. The novels listed here bring the richness and magic of the medieval period to life.
	The Plague Tales by Ann Benson	Told in alternating chapters, this novel parallels a horrific future and the tumultuous medieval past as physicians in different centuries battle the Bubonic Plague. The tale continues with the 1999 sequel, The Burning Road.
	The Archer’s Tale by Bernard Cornwell	This first book in the Thomas of Hookton series introduces an archer’s search for the Holy Grail during the time of plague. Follow up with Vagabond and Heretic.
	Wolf Hunt by Gillian Bradshaw	Abducted by a knight with designs on her family’s lands, a young Norman Lady falls for her captor only to see him betrayed by another. This well-researched tale is rich with fairytale overtones.


The Decameron	by Giovanni Boccaccio	A group of 10 young people take refuge from plague-ridden, 12th century Florence in a countryside estate. Each spends one of 10 days telling a tale to pass the time. This account of medieval life is a classic work of literature.
Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague	by Geraldine Brooks	A young widow discovers hidden reserves of strength when plague strikes her village.
The Treasure of Montségur: A Novel of The Cathars	by Sophy Burnham	The story of a young Cathar woman’s struggle to find safety, solace and love in the age of the Inquisition.
Avignon	by Marianne Calmann	A Jewish doctor, sent to treat the ailing Antipope, becomes ill himself. Left among strangers in the Christian quarter of town, he suffers from amnesia.
The Blood Countess: A Novel	by Andrei Codrescu	A novelized account of the infamous Countess Elizabeth of Bathory, a medieval serial murderess who bathed in virgins’ blood.
Mirabilis	by Susann Cokal	Set in 14th century France. A wet nurse, serving in an aristocrat’s household during a British siege, saves her townsfolk and raises suspicions of witchcraft in 14th century France.
A Trembling Upon Rome: A Work of Fiction	by Richard Condon	A crooked 15th century Antipope applies his knowledge of piracy toward filling the Avignon Papacy’s coffers.
Deus Lo Volt! : Chronicle of the Crusades	by Evan S. Connell	This fictionalized memoir of an actual 12th century knight authentically chronicles the history of the Crusades.
The Good Men: A Novel of Heresy	by Charmaine Craig	A 14th century Cathar cleric struggles with celibacy, theology and a degenerative hip disease.
Timeline	by Michael Crichton	A group of contemporary students travel back in time to rescue their professor from the violence of the Hundred Years War.
Baudolino	by Umberto Eco	A Western European man visiting Constantinople finds himself in the midst of chaos as crusaders pillage the Orthodox capital. Another excellent literary feat from the author of The Name of the Rose (a critically acclaimed medieval mystery set in an Italian monastery).
The Pillars of the Earth	by Ken Follet	An itinerant stonemason and a monk best unethical powers-that-be in their struggle to build a magnificent cathedral.
The Angel and the Sword	by Cecelia Holland	A princess flees Spain for France and poses as a sword-wielding warrior.
The Inquisitor	by Catherine Jinks	An inquisitor investigates his superior’s untimely demise and uncovers corruption within the Church.
The Book of Eleanor	by Pamela Kaufman	This detailed, first-person novel recounts the 12th century life and times of Eleanor of Aquitaine, wife of Henry II.
Bodmin 1349: An Epic Novel of Christians and Jews in the Plague Years	by Roberta Kalechofsky	A Christian man enters a monastery after discovering that his wife is Jewish. Kalechofsky’s novel explores the intersecting lives of serfs, clerics and Jews in the time of the Black Plague.
The Burning Times: A Novel of Medieval France	by Jeanne Kalogridis	Accused of heresy, a medieval midwife becomes the object of her inquisitor’s sympathy. Is she guilty of goddess worship or a candidate for sainthood?
The Temple and the Crown	by Katherine Kurtz	Evil alchemists manipulate knights into pillaging sacred relics.
The Jester	by James Patterson	An innkeeper returns from the crusades to discover his wife has been abducted. Donning a jester’s costume, he infiltrates her captors’ castle.
A Vision of Light	by Judith Merkle Riley	A 14th century Englishwoman’s memoirs detail her healing abilities and the resultant charges of witchcraft.
Devil’s Bargain	by Judith Tarr	True historical figures and fantastical sorcery merge in this tale of Richard the Lionhearted and the 3rd Crusade.
Morality Play	by Barry Unsworth	A disenchanted priest flees the clergy and joins a group of traveling actors in 14th century England. Breaking with tradition, they enact contemporary (rather than biblical) scenes, risking punishment from the Church.
Blood Roses: A Novel of Saint-Germain	by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro	This 11th book in the Saint-Germain series finds the seductive vampire protagonist living in a plague-ridden 14th century French village.

MEDIEVAL MYSTERY SERIES
Hugh Corbett Mysteries		by P.C. Doherty
Sister Frevisse Mysteries		by Margaret Frazer
Brother Cadfael Mysteries and Inspector George Felse Mysteries		by Ellis Peters
Owen Archer Mysteries		by Candace Robb
Chronicles of Matthew Bartholomew		by Susanna Gregory
Medieval West Country Mysteries		by Michael Jecks