Top 7 Books Selected by Readers

"Not only did Lest Darkness Fall [by L. Sprague deCamp] successfully pioneer a wedding between the science fiction techniques of time-travel and alternate history but it brought historical realism to the genre by scrupulously investigating a period of history that is slighted in most basic history classes."

"Here, history is the prop to a personal journey. The language is elegant and compelling, with fewer use of today's vernacular than in [Allan] Massie's earlier books. He also follows the sometime tradition of historical translators to substitute French for Greek terms."

Servant of the Bones is very much Anne Rice, albeit without vampires. The main character, Azriel, is a Hebrew born into a rich family and grows up in Babylon during the reign of Nabonidus.

"According to [Diane] Wolkstein, Inanna shows us the female goddess in her most complete rendition. Wolkstein's retelling of the myths is entertaining and educating and is rounded off by illustrative photography and renditions of Sumerian artwork.

I could never understand why [Britain] figured so largely in [Roman] writings and on their coins, but this book [by Raymond Selkirk] has enabled me to visualise the high level of society under the Romans and the value of Britain to the Romans and how much we lost and were set back by the Germanic invasions.

"Walter Friedrich doesn't come down one way or the other on the idea of a connection between the explosion of Thera in the mid-second millennium BCE [and Atlantis]. After summarizing several areas of study that might yield more information a possible connection, he asks '...will the words of Zeus and Poseidon remain the only answer?'"

"I think that anyone interested in either religious or social history would find this book fascinating. I found it involving and evocative. I liked all of the characters, except for those who were decidedly unlikeable, and would most enthusiastically recommend it. It's a heck of a good read." The Red Tent was written by Anita Diamant.