Books like 'Sword at Sunset'
Readers who enjoyed Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy action / adventure 20th century military, war & conflict historical-fiction myths arthurian classics children
-
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 91 ratingsBarcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals from its war wounds, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julian Carax. But when he sets out to find the author's other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written... -
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 71 ratingsAn alternate cover edition can be found here and hereA great modern classic and the prelude to The Lord of the Rings. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure... -
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 83 ratingsAn alternate cover edition can be found here and hereA great modern classic and the prelude to The Lord of the Rings. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure... -
The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 72 ratings“Spectacular...an absorbing and distinguished work...The House of the Spirits...is a unique achievement, both personal witness and possible allegory of the past, present, and future of Latin America...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
-
Dead Eagles by Phil Ward
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsIn this sequel to Those Who Dare, U.S.Major John Randal, Commander of Strategic Raiding Forces is back, leading a crew of British Commandos, Royal Marines and Royal Navy raiders on bigger and bolder missions to foil Hitler's Third Reich. Off the Gold Coast colony in Africa, the Germans are operating a naval intelligence ring that gathers information about British convoys in the southern sea-lane... -
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsAt Thermopylae, a rocky mountain pass in northern Greece, the feared and admired Spartan soldiers stood three hundred strong. Theirs was a suicide mission, to hold the pass against the invading millions of the mighty Persian army.Day after bloody day they withstood the terrible onslaught, buying time for the Greeks to rally their forces...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction myths war 20th-century action-adventure adult ancient-civilization -
Excalibur by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsIn The Winter King and Enemy of God Bernard Cornwell demonstrated his astonishing ability to make the oft-told legend of King Arthur fresh and new for our time. Now, in this riveting final volume of The Warlord Chronicles, Cornwell tells the unforgettable tale of Arthur's final struggles against the Saxons and his last attempts to triumph over a ruined marriage and ravaged dreams...Categorized as:
arthurian historical-fiction medieval myths retellings war 20th-century action-adventure -
The Realms of the Gods by Tamora Pierce
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsDuring a dire battle against the fearsome Skinners, Daine and her mage teacher Numair are swept into the Divine Realms. Though happy to be alive, they are not where they want to be. They are desperately needed back home, where their old enemy, Ozorne, and his army of strange creatures are waging war against Tortall. Trapped in the mystical realms Daine discovers her mysterious parentage...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction medieval myths war 20th-century action-adventure alpha-mc -
Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe balance of King Arthur's unified kingdom is threatened by Merlin's quest for the last of Britain's 13 Treasures; by the conflict between the ancient religion and the new Christianity; and by Britain's war with the Saxons. A master storyteller continues his retelling of the Arthurian legend...Categorized as:
arthurian historical-fiction medieval myths retellings war 20th-century action-adventure -
Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce
Rated: 4.27 of 5 stars · 68 ratingsFrom Tamora Pierce, the final book in the Song of the Lioness Quartet, honored with the Margaret A. Edwards Award.Having achieved her dream of becoming the first female knight errant, Alanna of Trebond is not sure what to do next. She has triumphed in countless bloody battles, and her adventures are already legendary...Categorized as:
children classics historical-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure alpha-mc -
Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 34 ratingsThis is Simon de Montfort's story—and the story of King Henry III, as weak and changeable as Montfort was brash and unbending. It is a saga of two opposing wills that would later clash in a storm of violence and betrayal, a story straight from the pages of history that brings the world of the thirteenth century completely, provocatively, and magnificently alive... -
The Hollow Hills by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.26 of 5 stars · 27 ratingsKeeping watch over the young Arthur Pendragon, the prince and prophet Merlin Ambrosius is haunted by dreams of the magical sword Caliburn, which has been hidden for centuries. When Uther Pendragon is killed in battle, the time of destiny is at hand, and Arthur must claim the fabled sword to become the true High King of Britain...Categorized as:
arthurian classics historical-fiction literary-fiction medieval myths retellings war -
The Journeyer by Gary Jennings
Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMarco Polo was nicknamed "Marco of the millions" because his Venetian countrymen took the grandiose stories of his travels to be exaggerated, if not outright lies. As he lay dying, his priest, family, and friends offered him a last chance to confess his mendacity, and Marco, it is said, replied "I have not told the half of what I saw and did... -
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThe ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings... -
-
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 52 ratingsThis is the story of Corlath, golden-eyed king of the Free Hillfolk, son of the sons of the Lady Aerin.And this is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who became Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, that no woman had wielded since the Lady Aerin herself bore it into battle... -
Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsThirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England's ruthless, power-hungry King John. Then Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce with England by marrying the English king's beloved, illegitimate daughter, Joanna. Reluctant to wed her father's bitter enemy, Joanna slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband who dreams of uniting Wales...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
The High King by Lloyd Alexander
Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsWhen the sword of Dyrnwyn, the most powerful weapon inthe kingdom of Prydain, falls into the hands of Arawn-Death-Lord, Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, and Prince Gwydion raise an army to march against Arawn's terrible cohorts. After a winter expedition filled with danger, Taran's army arrives at Mount Dragon, Arawn's stronghold... -
A Prince Without a Kingdom by Timothée de Fombelle
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThis was the only treasure that Vango was after: the secret of his life.Vango has been in danger for as long as he can remember. He has spent his life running along rooftops, fleeing to mysterious islands, and abandoning those he loves in order to protect them from the demons of his past. But Vango will not run for much longer...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction war 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure book coming-of-age -
A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsBased on the troubadour culture that rose in Provence during the High Middle Ages, this panoramic, absorbing novel beautifully creates an alternate version of the medieval world...Categorized as:
historical-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure adult alternate-history audiobook -
The Last Enchantment by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsArthur Pendragon is King! Unchallenged on the battlefield, he melds the country together in a time of promise. But sinister powers plot to destroy Camelot, and when the witch-queen Morgause -- Arthur's own half sister -- ensnares him in an incestuous liaison, a fatal web of love, betrayal, and bloody vengeance is woven...Categorized as:
arthurian classics historical-fiction literary-fiction medieval myths retellings war -
Aztec by Gary Jennings
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 25 ratingsAztec is the extraordinary story of the last and greatest native civilization of North America...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction myths war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsFifth century Britain is a country of chaos and division after the Roman withdrawal. This is the world of young Merlin, the illegitimate child of a South Wales princess who will not reveal to her son his father's true identity. Yet Merlin is an extraordinary child, aware at the earliest age that he possesses a great natural gift - the Sight... -
River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt by Wilbur Smith
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 28 ratingsTanus is the fair-haired young lion of a warrior whom the gods have decreed will lead Egypt's army in a bold attempt to reunite the Kingdom's shattered halves...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction myths war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsFour extraordinary stories featuring characters from the bestselling OUTLANDER series. In Lord John and the Plague of Zombies Lord John Grey is posted to Jamaica to assist the Governor as he faces a most unusual kind of uprising among the colony's slave population...Categorized as:
historical-fiction lgbtq war 20th-century action-adventure adult anthologies audiobook -
-
To Green Angel Tower by Tad Williams
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 49 ratingsAs the evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King prepare for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries and King Elias is drawn ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell spun world, the loyal allies of Prince Josua desperately struggle to rally their forces at the Stone of Farewell... -
The Royal Succession by Maurice Druon
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsHistorical series about 14th century France, the novels take place during the reigns of the last five Direct Capetian kings and the first two Valois kings, from Philip the Fair to John II. The plot revolves around the attempts of Robert of Artois to reclaim the county of Artois from his aunt Mahaut...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 46 ratingsUther, the High King, has died, leaving the infant Mordred as his only heir. His uncle, the loyal and gifted warlord Arthur, now rules as caretaker for a country which has fallen into chaos - threats emerge from within the British kingdoms while vicious Saxon armies stand ready to invade...Categorized as:
arthurian historical-fiction medieval myths retellings war 20th-century action-adventure -
The Ballad of the White Horse by G.K. Chesterton
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe Ballad of the White Horse is one of the last great epic poems in the English language. On the one hand it describes King Alfred's battle against the Danes in 878. On the other hand it is a timeless allegory about the ongoing battle between Christianity and the forces of nihilistic heathenism...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure adult animals -
World at War, 1944 by Mary Pope Osborne
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsThe first Magic Tree House(R) Super Edition--and Jack and Annie's most dangerous mission ever in the scariest time the world has ever known--World War II...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book children-books -
Enchanters' End Game by David Eddings
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 62 ratingsTHE DRIVE OF PROPHECYThe quest was over. The Orb of Aldur was restored. And once again, with the crowning of Garion, there was a descendant of Riva Iron-grip to rule as Overlord of the West.But the Prophecy was unfulfilled. In the east, the evil God Torak was about to awaken and seek dominion. Somehow, Garion had to face the God, to kill or be killed... -
The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 40 ratingsBarcelona, 1957. It is Christmas, and Daniel Sempere and his wife Bea have much to celebrate. They have a beautiful new baby son named Julian, and their close friend Fermín Romero de Torres is about to be wed. But their joy is eclipsed when a mysterious stranger visits the Sempere bookshop and threatens to divulge a terrible secret that has been buried for two decades in the city's dark past... -
Triomf van de Verschroeide Aarde by Thea Beckman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsMatthis is met z'n zestien jaar niet zo'n geweldig soldaat; maar als heraut en secretaris van de ongeletterde held van Bretagne, Bertrand du Guesclin, staat hij zijn mannetje. Veel durf, maar ook veel humor komt boven bij dit moedige verzet van de Bretons tegen de Engelse overheersing. Dan moet Matthis naar Parijs om geld te halen voor het verzet in Bretagne...Categorized as:
historical-fiction children war fiction children-books historical young-adult action-adventure -
Magician: Apprentice by Raymond E. Feist
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 64 ratingsAn alternate cover edition of this ISBN can be found here.To the forest on the shore of the Kingdom of the Isles, the orphan Pug came to study with the master magician Kulgan. His courage won him a place at court and the heart of a lovely Princess, but he was ill at ease with normal wizardry... -
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 66 ratingsA quest to recover a legendary lost weapon by bumbling young apprentice monk, mouse Matthias. Redwall Abbey, tranquil home to a community of peace-loving mice, is threatened by Cluny the Scourge savage bilge rat warlord and his battle-hardened horde. But the Redwall mice and their loyal woodland friends combine their courage and strength...Categorized as:
children classics historical-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure animals -
-
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 39 ratingsIn Berlin in 1941 during humanity's darkest hour, three unforgettable young women must act with courage and love to survive, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Dovekeepers and The Marriage of Opposites Alice Hoffman. In Berlin, at the time when the world changed, Hanni Kohn knows she must send her twelve-year-old daughter away to save her from the Nazi regime...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction myths war 20th-century action-adventure audiobook book -
The She-Wolf by Maurice Druon
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratings‘This was the original game of thrones’ George R.R. MartinCharles IV is now king of France and his sister is Edward II of England’s Queen. Having been imprisoned by Edward as leader of the rebellious English barons, Roger Mortimer escapes to France, where he joins the war against the English Aquitaine...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure adult -
A Single Swallow by Zhang Ling
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsThe eagerly awaited English translation of award-winning author Zhang Ling’s epic and intimate novel about the devastation of war, forgiveness, redemption, and the enduring power of love.On the day of the historic 1945 Jewel Voice Broadcast—in which Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender to the Allied forces, bringing an end to World War II—three men, flush with jubilation, made a pact...Categorized as:
historical-fiction literary-fiction war 20th-century 21st-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
Legend by David Gemmell
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 41 ratingsDruss, Captain of the Axe, was the stuff of legends. But even as the stories grew in the telling, Druss himself grew older. He turned his back on his own legend and retreated to a mountain lair to await his old enemy, death. Meanwhile, barbarian hordes were on the march. Nothing could stand in their way. Druss reluctantly agreed to come out of retirement...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure adult assassins -
Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 59 ratingsA magnificent epic set against a history of seven thousand years of the struggles of Gods and Kings and men - of strange lands and events - of fate and a prophecy that must be fulfilled!THE BELGARIADIt had all begun with the theft of the Orb that had so long protected the West from the evil God Torak. Before that, Garion had been a simple farm boy... -
Martin the Warrior by Brian Jacques
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsFinally, the long awaited tale of Martin, the Warrior mouse of RedwallAs a child, Martin was brought to the stronghold of Badrang the Tyrant, forced into enslavement behind its massive walls. But he was strong. He was brave... -
Lady of the Lake by Andrzej Sapkowski
Rated: 4.14 of 5 stars · 48 ratingsThe Witcher returns in this action-packed sequel to The Tower of Swallows, in the New York Times bestselling series that inspired The Witcher video games. After walking through the portal in the Tower of Swallows while narrowly escaping death, Ciri finds herself in a completely different world... an Elven world. She is trapped with no way out... -
The Deer and the Cauldron: The First Book by Jin Yong
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOn the Dragon Throne of China sits the young Manchu Emperor Kang Xi. Back in 1644, his great-uncle Dorgon broke through the Great Wall from Manchuria in the north-east and took the Imperial capital, Peking. Now twenty years later, the Manchus are quelling the last sparks of Chinese resistance, hounding down members of the underground movement known as the Triad Secret Society...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure adult ancient-china -
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
Rated: 4.07 of 5 stars · 53 ratingsProbably García Márquez finest and most famous work. One Hundred Years of Solitude tells the story of the rise and fall, birth and death of a mythical town of Macondo through the history of the Buendia family. Inventive, amusing, magnetic, sad, alive with unforgettable men and women, and with a truth and understanding that strike the soul...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction literary-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
The Poisoned Crown by Maurice Druon
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA crown is a poisonous thing...After having his first wife murdered and his mistress exiled, the weak and impotent King Louis X of France becomes besotted with the lovely and pious Princess Clemence of Hungary.Having made her his new queen, and believing the succession assured, Louis foolishly embarks upon an ill-fated war against Flanders.The kingdom needs an Iron King...Categorized as:
classics historical-fiction medieval war 20th-century action-adventure adult audiobook -
-
Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsIn the midst of conflict and unrest the Prince of Hed solves the puzzle of his future when he learns to harp the wind, discovers who the shape changers are, and understands his own relationship to Deth, harpist of the wizard Ohm... -
Island of Ghosts by Gillian Bradshaw
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsAriantes is a Sarmatian, a barbarian warrior-prince, uprooted from his home and customs and thrust into the honorless lands of the Romans. The victims of a wartime pact struck with the emperor Marcus Aurelius to ensure the future of Sarmatia, Ariantes and his troop of accomplished horsemen are sent to Hadrian's Wall...Categorized as:
historical-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure adult ancient-civilization book christian -
Winnie's Great War by Lindsay Mattick, Josh Greenhut
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA wartime adventure unfolds through the eyes of the world’s most beloved Bear. The story of the real bear that inspired Winnie-the-Pooh has been capturing readers’ imaginations since the publication of the Caldecott Medal award-winning picture book, Finding Winnie.But there was so much left to be told – not just about Winnie, but about the great world events she witnessed...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction war 20th-century action-adventure animals anthropomorphism audiobook -
Seven Summer Nights by Harper Fox
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsIt’s 1946, and the dust of World War Two has just begun to settle. When famous archaeologist Rufus Denby returns to London, his life and reputation are as devastated as the city around him.He’s used to the most glamorous of excavations, but can’t turn down the offer of a job in rural Sussex. It’s a refuge, and the only means left to him of scraping a living... -
The Midnight Guardians by Ross Montgomery
Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhen Col's childhood imaginary friends come to life, he discovers a world where myths and legends are real. Accompanied by his guardians - a six-foot tiger, a badger in a waistcoat and a miniature knight - Col must race to Blitz-bombed London to save his sister.But there are darker forces at work, even than the Nazi bombings...Categorized as:
children historical-fiction myths retellings war 20th-century action-adventure animals -
Sorceress of Darshiva by David Eddings
Rated: 4.08 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsThe Endless Quest...Troubles and delays continued to mount as Garion, Belgarath, Polgara, and the company pursued Zandramas across the known world. Possessed by the Dark Destiny, she had stolen Garion's infant son for a ritual that would destroy all that men valued. She was always one step ahead, taunting and spying on them, flying over in the form of a great dragon...
Or - use our amazing romance book finder to get recommendations based on your favorite content tropes and themes. Mix and match at will.