Recommendations based on The October Horseby Colleen McCullough

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Grass Crown

    by Colleen McCullough
    Historical fiction about the rise and fall of Julius Caesar, as seen from various perspectives.

    Although these two powerful Eastern rulers would eventually declare war on Rome and slaughter thousands of Roman citizens, the plot of the novel centres on the Social War of 91 to 88 BC, a civil war ... (Wikipedia)

  2. The First Man in Rome

    by Colleen McCullough
    The rise of Gaius Marius and Lucius Cornelius Sulla in the Roman Republic, leading to the downfall of the aristocracy.

    The main plot of the novel is generally concerned with the rise of Marius, his marriage to Julia, his success in replacing Metellus as general in charge of the Numidian theatre of war, his defeat of ... (Wikipedia)

  3. I, Claudius

    by Robert Graves
    An epic tale of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, told through the eyes of a dynasty's forgotten leader.

    Into the 'autobiography' of Clau-Clau-Claudius, the pitiful stammerer who was destined to become Emperor in spite of himself, Graves packs the everlasting intrigues, the depravity, the bloody purges ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Memoirs of Cleopatra

    by Margaret George
    A historical narrative of Egypt's last queen, recounting her fascinating life story.

    The story follows Cleopatra VII , from her early life under the rule of her father Ptolemy XII Auletes , to her eventual suicide. When Cleopatra is a young girl, Ptolemy is overthrown by his two ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina

    by Robert Graves
    A historical account of the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius and his controversial wife Messalina.

    With the same brilliance that characterized his classic I, Claudius , Robert Graves continues the tumultuous life of the Roman who became emperor in spite of himself and his handicaps. Claudius the ... (Goodreads)

  6. Sarah

    by Orson Scott Card
    A young girl with a special gift struggles to find her place in the world while navigating family secrets and societal expectations.

    Sarai was a child of ten years, wise for her age but not yet a woman, when she first met Abram. He appeared before her in her father's house, filthy from the desert, tired and thirsty. But as the ... (Goodreads)

  7. Here Be Dragons

    by Sharon Kay Penman
    Epic story of love, war and betrayal set against the backdrop of 13th century England.

    Here Be Dragons is the first of Penman's trilogy about the medieval princes of Gwynedd and the monarchs of England. , England's King John uses his out-of-wedlock daughter Joanna as a negotiating tool ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Icon

    by Frederick Forsyth
    A Russian icon, stolen from a church, is smuggled into the US and sold to a collector. But it holds a secret that could change the course of history.

    Set between July 1999 and January 2000, the story revolves around Russian presidential candidate Igor Komarov, head of the right-wing Union of Patriotic Forces (UPF). A highly popular and charismatic ... (Wikipedia)

  9. The Hunt for Red October

    by Tom Clancy
    A thrilling adventure of a submarine captain's race against the clock in a thrilling game of cat and mouse.

    During the Cold War ,(the story must be set in 1982, according to the days assigned to the dates in the novel, e.g. Dec. 17 was a Friday only in 1982,1976 and 1971 ) Marko Ramius, a Soviet Navy ... (Wikipedia)

  10. The Three Musketeers

    by Alexandre Dumas
    An adventurous tale of friendship, courage, and battle in 17th century France.

    In 1625 France, d'Artagnan leaves his family in Gascony and travels to Paris to join the Musketeers of the Guard . At a house in Meung-sur-Loire , an older man derides d'Artagnan's horse. Insulted, ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Khan: Empire of Silver

    by Conn Iggulden
    Epic saga of Mongolian rulers and the struggles of war, power, and family.

    The Great Khan is dead. His vast empire hangs in the balance, an empire he forged with raw courage, guile, tactical brilliance, unswerving dedication to his people, and the force of his own ... (Goodreads)

  12. The Silver Pigs

    by Lindsey Davis
    In ancient Rome, private investigator Marcus Didius Falco is hired to find a missing silver shipment. A thrilling mystery ensues.

    This first novel in the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series introduces the main characters as well as establishes relationships that continue and grow throughout the series. Falco stumbles upon a ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Palace of Treason

    by Jason Matthews
    CIA agent Dominika Egorova navigates the dangerous world of Russian espionage, risking everything to uncover a high-level mole.

    From the bestselling, Edgar Award–winning author of the “terrifically good” (The New York Times) Red Sparrow, a compulsively readable new novel about star-crossed Russian agent Dominika Egorova and ... (Goodreads)

  14. Winter of the World

    by Ken Follett
    Epic saga of war, family, and love during the tumultuous times of the 20th century.

    The story follows characters from Germany , Britain , the United States and the Soviet Union , who become linked by events leading to World War II , and continues through the war and its immediate ... (Wikipedia)

  15. The Fourth Protocol

    by Frederick Forsyth
    A thrilling espionage story set in the Cold War, and a race against time to prevent a nuclear disaster.

    On New Year's Eve 1986, professional thief James Rawlings breaks into the apartment of a senior civil servant and inadvertently discovers stolen top secret documents. Despite being a notorious and ... (Wikipedia)

  16. The Seventh Scroll

    by Wilbur Smith
    An Egyptian adventure leading to the lost tomb of Pharaoh Mamose.

    This book is set in the present and follows the adventurer Nicholas Quenton-Harper and his love interest, Dr. Royan Al Simma, as they uncover the tomb of Tanus. Duraid Al Simma and his wife Royan ... (Wikipedia)

  17. World Without End

    by Ken Follett
    Epic tale of love and war, tracing the lives of two families over centuries.

    The novel begins in the fictional city of Kingsbridge, England in the year 1327 . Four children - Merthin, Caris, Gwenda, and Merthin's brother Ralph - head into the woods on All Hallows Day . ... (Wikipedia)

  18. The Sunne in Splendour

    by Sharon Kay Penman
    Historical fiction about the life of King Richard III, from his childhood to his death on the battlefield.

    The story begins in 1459 with Richard as a young boy, and ends in 1485 with his defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field . When their father is killed, Richard's older brother Edward leads the House of ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Fall of Giants

    by Ken Follett
    Epic historical fiction recounting the tumultuous events of World War I and its aftermath.

    The novel begins with the thirteen-year-old Billy Williams, nicknamed 'Billy With Jesus', going to work his first day in the coal mine underneath the fictional Welsh town of Aberowen in 1911. Three ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Bourne Identity

    by Robert Ludlum
    An amnesiac assassin must uncover his past and true identity in a deadly search for the truth.

    The preface of the novel consists of two real-life newspaper articles from 1975 about terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, known as " Carlos the Jackal ." The story opens with gunfire on a boat in the ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Sarum: The Novel of England

    by Edward Rutherfurd
    Epic saga tracing the history of an English landscape from prehistoric times to the present day.

    Sarum: The Novel of England - a novel that traces the entire turbulent course of English history. This rich tapestry weaves a compelling saga of five families—the Wilsons, the Masons, the family of ... (Goodreads)

  22. Aztec

    by Gary Jennings
    Epic historical fiction, following a boy's journey to manhood in the Aztec Empire.

    Aztec is the extraordinary story of the last and greatest native civilization of North America. Told in the words of one of the most robust and memorable characters in modern fiction, Mixtli-Dark ... (Goodreads)

  23. Genghis: Birth of an Empire

    by Conn Iggulden
    Epic tale of a determined man's rise to power, uniting many nomadic tribes into a powerful Mongol nation.

    He was born Temujin, the son of a khan, raised in a clan of hunters migrating across the rugged steppe. Temujin's young life was shaped by a series of brutal acts: the betrayal of his father by a ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Thorn Birds

    by Colleen McCullough
    A powerful tale of forbidden love, set in rural Australia in the early 20th century.

    The story begins in New Zealand on 8 December 1915, the fourth birthday of Meghann "Meggie" Cleary who is the only daughter of Padriac ("Paddy"), an Irish farm labourer, and Fiona ("Fee"), his wife. ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Lords of the North

    by Bernard Cornwell
    A thrilling historical fiction of warriors, love and battles in 9th century England.

    878 – 881: Uhtred of Bebbanburg makes his way back to his native Northumbria seeking revenge against his uncle Ælfric and childhood enemies Sven the One-Eyed and Kjartan the Cruel. He travels by ship ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Source

    by James A. Michener
    A historical novel spanning 12,000 years, exploring the history of Israel through the eyes of various characters and their descendants.

    In the grand storytelling style that is his signature, James Michener sweeps us back through time to the very beginnings of the Jewish faith, thousands of years ago. Through the predecessors of four ... (Goodreads)

  27. Kane & Abel

    by Jeffrey Archer
    Two rival men, from different backgrounds, fight for success and power in a cutthroat world.

    The book tells the stories of two men born worlds apart. They have nothing in common except the same date of birth (18 April 1906 in the book, and 1901 in the miniseries based on it) and a zeal to ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Green Mars

    by Kim Stanley Robinson
    Colonization of Mars, as humans seek to terraform and inhabit the red planet.

    Red Mars starts in 2026 with the first colonial voyage to Mars aboard the Ares , the largest interplanetary spacecraft ever built and home to a crew who are to be the first hundred Martian colonists. ... (Wikipedia)

  29. The Brothers Karamazov

    by Fyodor Dostoevsky
    A philosophical exploration of morality, faith, and family dynamics among a group of brothers.

    The Brothers Karamazov is a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and an exploration of erotic rivalry in a series of triangular love affairs involving the “wicked and sentimental” Fyodor Pavlovich ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Winter Palace

    by Eva Stachniak
    A historical fiction novel that explores the life of Catherine the Great and her rise to power in 18th century Russia.

    NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY, The Wall Street Journal • The Washington Post, From award-winning author Eva Stachniak comes this passionate novel that illuminates, as only fiction can, ... (Barnes & Noble)