Fantastic and historical novels

1. John Wray: The Secret of Lost Time

In this novel by the Austro-American writer John Wray, time is relative from the start, as protagonist Waldemar Tolliver is stuck :? in a time bubble in a squalid apartment in what is now New York, exactly at 8:47 am. From this vacuum, he tells his family story in the form of a letter from his unattainable lover, Mrs. Haven. It begins in Moravia with the death of his great-grandfather, a cucumber producer and hobby physicist who seems to have taken a groundbreaking insight into the grave over time. What drives his sons in Vienna at the turn of the century and also all succeeding generations, also feverishly to research the legitimacy of time and space.
Waldemar gives his lover and us a "private tour of our little shabby curiosity cabinet," as he calls the family history. Humorous and captivating, the narrator races with us through a century full of insights into physics and human tragedies. And incidentally, you also learn things that seem unimportant at first glance - such as the life span of a brown trout.

(B: Bernhard Robben, 736 p., 27 euros, Rowohlt)

2. Sharon Guskin: Noah wants to go home

Noah is four and is terrified of water. Ever since he was born. That alone is not unusual, but since he can speak, he also tells his single mother, Janie, that he wants to go back to his "other mom." Janie? is desperate. Also because of his bad nightmares, which she can not explain. When the kindergarten wants to use the youth welfare office, because Janie has no answers for the grief of her child, she seeks help from Jerome Anderson, a psychology professor, who has not been taken seriously by his colleagues for a long time.
Anderson researches rebirth. He has documented cases of children around the world born of memories of past lives. They all have traces of old traumas on their bodies, and most of the former personalities remembered by these children have died a violent death.
The US author Sharon Guskin, who has already made a name for herself as a producer of documentary films, has made a fantastic mix of mystery and thriller with her debut novel. Because Anderson and Janie really bring Noah "home" - to the place he longs for so much. And to the people who desperately mourn there for years for a missing nine-year-old named Tommy whose corpse has not been found so far.

A breathtaking novel that also tells a criminal case without Eso kitsch - and that there are more things between heaven and earth than our school wisdom can dream.

(T: Carina Tessan, 432 S., 20 Euro, Allegria, also as an audiobook)

3. Philippa Gregory: The last wife of the king

As the sixth wife of Henry VIII you have to be damn careful. And actually the widow Kateryn Parr also loves a completely different one, Baron Thomas Seymour. But you can not give a basket to the English king, even if he sent two of Kateryn's predecessors to the scaffold. "No one writes better about the Tudors than Philippa Gregory," judged "Publishers Weekly." Alright - apart from the two-time Booker Award winner Hillary Mantel, who also can not keep her hands off this clan.

(T: Anja Schünemann, 608 p., 11 euro, Rowohlt)

4. William Goldmann: The Bride Princess

The bride in this fantasy genius of fantasy literature, of which there is now a nice new edition, could tell a lot about life being unfair. It is the story of the lovely heroine Butterblume and the stable boy Westley, whose love, threatened by knights and other circumstances, makes both fantasy friends and readers of historical novels happy. Finally, for all the ardent worshipers of the classic and those who still want to become, the beautiful first sentence: "This book is my favorite in the world ..."

(Over: Wolfgang Krege, 426 p., 12 Euro, Hobbit press Klett-Cotta)

5. Daniel Illger: Skargat - The Law of Shadows

A dark fantasy jewel was created by German author Daniel Illger with his "Skargat" saga. In the first part, evil had awakened, and the ghost hordes of the Black Hunter threatened the living and the dead. In "The Law of Shadows" continues the story of Mykar, who as a hero takes a bit of getting used to, as well as his oblique companions, with whom he wants to take the seemingly hopeless fight against horror.
It's the humor that makes this fantasy project so fascinating.Illger convinces with an ice cold knack for haunting and night figures. But he is also a master of tension. And with exactly this mixture, he recommends himself to all "Game of Thrones" fans, because while eagerly waiting for George RR Martin to finally write the end, approaches in this novel already the night of the dead and is also here scary and full of terror , And for all those who have missed the first band: You're right in the action with this band, because Illger delivers an excellent retrospective right at the beginning.

(608 p., 18 Euro, Hobbit press Klett-Cotta)

6. Cornelia Funke: Reckless. Steinernes meat

Click here to read the sample

"Reckless Steinernes Fleisch" is the first part of a four-volume novel series that has its literary roots in Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm's fairy tales. The story of the daring brothers Jacob and Will Reckless has appeared simultaneously in more than two million countries in eight countries. For the first time, Funke co-wrote with a co-author, Harry Potter producer Lionel Wigram. The fantasy novel leads into an adventurous, scary world that lies behind a mysterious mirror. Jacob Reckless has access to this world and wants to keep it a secret from his younger brother Will. But one day Will follows his brother and is attacked by a Goyl, a being of petrified flesh. Then Will slowly becomes Jade, and in a race against time Jacob tries to save him.

(352 p., 19.95 euros, Dressler Verlag)

And on the next few pages, you'll see which novels have made it into the ChroniquesDuVasteMonde book charts.

7. Hilary Coat: Wolves

Click here to read the sample

Hilary Mantel - the new "Queen of History" The English author Hilary Mantel has hesitated for 20 years to start her historical novel "Wolves". Then she needed another five years to research and write. The result - an award-winning masterpiece.

Your kingdom: Hilary Mantel knows what interests readers: The Tudors' royal dynasty, which has recently become very popular through the eponymous TV series. Her hero, however, is Thomas Cromwell: influential adviser to the king, unscrupulous schemer and extensively educated Renaissance man. "He can make a deal, dress a hawk, draw a card, stop a fight, set up a house, and buy a jury."

Your language: Hilary Mantel writes precisely, without frills and always finds surprisingly poetic images: "A touch of sunlight lies above the river, pale as the pulp of a lemon."

Your claim: "I had to arouse the interest of historians, amuse the jaded palates of established literary criticism and, above all, capture the imagination of the broader readership."

Your reward: Man-Booker Prize 2009. A sensation! For she has outrun two literary super-stars with her historical novel: J. M. Coetzee and A. S. Byatt. And what was she most looking forward to? "Well, if people ask me what they like to ask writers, 'Should I know you?', Then I can say 'Yes!' That's an answer I've wanted to give for so long. "

(Over: Christiane Trabant, 780 p., 22.95 euros, Dumont)

8. Justin Cronin: The transition

Click here to read the sample

We owe this Hammer novel on the bronze podium of our book charts to an eight-year-old girl named Iris. She said one day to her father Justin Cronin, who had come to literary honors with two novels (including the PEN / Hemingway Award), that his books were "probably boring". While jogging, they agreed that he should now write something about a little girl who saves the world. The result: "The Transition" with his heroine Amy, who is at the beginning of 6 and sometime then a thousand years old. In between, teeming with vampires, no one really wants to adore, but that's the only pleasant thing about these killer mutants. An end-time thriller that is already legendary for gigantic deals on the international book market. The movie rights went to Ridley Scott ("Alien", "Blade Runner") in a heated auction - if there's no cash raise for Iris in there!

(T: Rainer Schmidt, 1021 p., 22.95 euros, Goldmann)

The audio book "The Transition" is also available on our download platform on the Internet.

9. Matt Haig: The Radleys

Click here to read the sample

Finally, we know what really bothers us about Stephenie Meyer's bruises: not chastity and kitsch, but the completely wasted description of a abstinent vampire family in everyday life. How do we tell the kids? With which sun protection factor do we lubricate it? And how's it going in bed when the day is too much power. These are the questions that really make Undead alive. And that's the clever, funny and yet exciting vampire novel we have been waiting for the whole trough trend over dogged. The most beautiful redemption, since there are garlic, holy water and silver piles.

(Over: Friederike Levin, 432 p., 19.95 euros, Kiepenheuer & Witsch)

10. Isabel Allende: The island under the sea

Click here to read the sample

BESTSELLER-CHECK

The story: Zarité is bought as a child by the family Valmorain and experiences on their sugar cane plantation in the Caribbean rape, terror and the first slave uprisings.

The author: Isabel Allende, 68, Chilenin, likes to mix history and magic into wonderful bestsellers like The Ghost House. Most recently, she tried adventures for teenagers ("The City of the Wild Gods") and for God knows wen ("Zorro"). This is fortunately over.

You have to go through: choppy hands, rolling heads, betrayal.

That's what you get: Goose bumps and cinema in the head.

Price-performance ratio: 24,90 Euro for a weekend with great feelings and permanent entry to your own film - almost unbeatable.

Perfect for: all those who were hoping for a new "haunted house".

(B: Svenja Becker, 553 p., 24.90 euros, Suhrkamp)

11. Félix J. Palma: The map of time

Click here to read the sample

Can you travel back in time? And if so, can she change? Or is there a parallel world? Can you travel to the future and write letters to yourself from there? Everything works. At least the figures from Félix J. Palma's debut novel "The Map of Time" are believed. Until they realize that they have been caught up in a gigantic giddiness that is not entirely uninvolved by the pioneer of science fiction, HG Wells ("The Time Machine"). All just fantasies - until a mysterious librarian appears. The Spaniard Palmas has written a nifty book that plays in Victorian London in the days of Jack the Ripper and commutes so fiercely between historical novel and science fiction that you do not trust your own calendar in the end. A party for all time travel fans. And if you want to read "The Time Machine" again right away: Go ahead, maybe things are different now ...

(Over: Willi Zurbrüggen 720 p., 24.95 euros, Kindler)

12. Ildefonso Falcones: The pillars of faith

Click here to read the sample

Falcones first novel "The Cathedral of the Sea" appeared in more than 30 countries and had a total circulation of more than two million. Now he has refilled: a novel about a gloomy chapter of Spanish history - the last uprising of the Moors against their Christian oppressors. Falcones' hero is Hernando or Ibn Hamid. For he is a child of both worlds, the Christian as well as the Muslim. Generated by a rape: the father a priest, the mother a Maurin. Inspired by the desire to reconcile both religions, Hernando must defend his life from both Muslim and Christian fanatics alike. Sometimes Falcones's language sounds wooden, but the good research on the final expulsion of Muslims from the Iberian peninsula and the many twists more than make up for it.

(Over: Stefanie Karg, 928 p., 24.99 euros, C. Bertelsmann)

13. José Saramago: The elephant's journey

Click here to read the sample

In June, the gifted Portuguese narrator José Saramago died. This novel is his farewell gift. "If Gilda Lopes Encanaçao had not been a Portuguese lecturer at the University of Salzburg," he writes in the epilogue, "and I have not been invited to give a lecture there, I would not have invited Gilda to dinner at The Elephant Restaurant if there were not this book. " Because there Saramago learns of the true story of an Indian elephant, which is brought in the year 1551, together with zookeeper from Lisbon across the Alps to Vienna, as a wedding gift for the Austrian Archduke Maximilian. Saramago describes this bizarre journey with much irony, stylistically brilliant, and relishes once again with relish with his favorite opponents: Church, nobility and military. You can not get to know Saramago better - and keep it in mind.

(B: Marianne Gareis, 240 p., 19.90 euros, Hoffmann and Campe)

14. Ulrike Schweikert: The Splendor of Honor

Click here to read the sample

"Oh, I imagine it wonderful to come home and be expected by my housewife - my Elisabeth." That sounds like an insurance agent in the 1950s. But it is said by a knight at the beginning of the 15th century. Apart from such linguistic outliers, Ulrike Schweikert presents a rock-solid historical novel with her new book. When Elisabeth's father, the Würzburg prince-bishop, is deposed for waste, a power struggle for succession ensues. Ironically, Elisabeth's fiancée Albrecht has great prospects for the office and becomes the antagonist of her father, who does not want to abandon his privileges. While the opposing armies deliver bloody skirmishes, Elisabeth is also torn into a whirlwind of life-threatening intrigues. And then it benefits her that she is capable of much more than a housewife who is just waiting for the return of her husband.

(480 p., 19.99 euros, Blanvalet)

15. Clare Clark: The French bride

Click here to read the sample

In 1704, Elisabeth Savaret and 22 other young, destitute women land in the French colony of Louisiana. There they are to be married to men they have never seen before. At first, Elisabeth seems to be lucky.She unexpectedly falls in love with the charming soldier Jean-Claude Babelon, the man who chose her. But Babelon is often on the road for weeks to forge alliances with the Native Americans against the English and to secure France's territorial claims. This is how Elisabeth learns late that she is in danger; because behind the friendly facade her husband hides a dark and brutal side. Clare Clark has once again succeeded in creating a novel with suction effect. So vividly does she describe her characters, the rough settler life and the malaria-infested, foul-smelly swampy landscapes of Louisiana, that one prefers to hold her nose while reading and to grab mosquito spray.

(B: Bernhard Jendricke, 480 p., 19.95 euros, Hoffmann and Campe)

16. John Boyne: The house for special use

Click here to read the sample

London 1981: Georgi Yatschmenev was once the bodyguard of the last tsar. Now, more than half a century later, he lives with his wife Soya in England. While she bravely faces death, suffering from cancer, Georgi recalls her shared past: it's a story about soy. For her courage and determination. And her big, tragic secret. A story of the Russian Revolution, of the murder of the Tsar's family in the so-called House of Special Purpose, of flight and expulsion and of the fate of the last Tsar's daughter Anastasia. Oh no, not another Anastasia? Do not be afraid, just as John Boyne ("The Boy in Striped Pajamas") creates his new novel about honor and decency in the face of violence, it becomes a very touching, very melancholy, but also very comforting historical novel. And what connects Soy and Georgi with Anastasia - you better read yourself.

(B: Fritz Schneider, 560 p., 24.90 euros, Ark)

17. Ulf Geyersbach: Machandels gift

Click here to read the sample

There is in the recent literature the tradition of the bizarre nerd with the one, extraordinary talent. In Patrick Süskind's novel "The Perfume", the unscrupulous Jean-Baptiste Grenouille has the absolute sense of smell. Robert Schneider invented the mountain farmer's son Johannes Elias Alder, a misunderstood musical genius with absolute pitch. And now Ignaz Machandel, a humpbacked little one with the ability to memorize thousands of flavors and cook with his creations, the French of the 18th century to the mind. This idea is very reminiscent of its predecessors. And yet Geyersbach's novel is more than mere copy. His language ripples with him, indulging in flavors of baked rose petals, mint-infused, hot chocolate and a splash of lime-topped artichoke cream. You just want to do three things: reading, reading and eating.

(240 p., 19.90 euros, Ark)

18. Patricia Clough: Emin Pasha, Lord of Equatoria

Click here to read the sample

In the 19th century, he is celebrated as a hero; for Karl May he is a great role model; Today only colonial historians know him. The life story of this petite and extremely short-sighted man is much more adventurous than all Karl May's novels together: In 1840 Eduard Schnitzer was born the son of Jewish parents in Opole in Silesia. After completing his medical studies, the young man, as a harbor physician, ends up in the Ottoman Empire. He converts to Islam, becomes a captain, later a sultan's agent, and becomes a senior government official. Emin Pasha, as he calls himself, is said to have mastered the 20 languages; He works as a geographer, botanist and ethnologist. And the African province, which he governs as a Turkish governor, is larger than the entire German Empire. Patricia Clough, ex-Germany correspondent of the Times and biographer of Helmut Kohl, has brought a forgotten piece of German history to life with her non-fiction book - and set a memorial to an exceptional man.

(336 pp., 22,99 Euro, DVA, from 27.9.

19: Terry Pratchett: The Club of Invisible Scholars

Click here to read the sample

About three years ago, when Pratchett announced that he was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, the supporters of the popular fantasy author were very upset: out of compassion and self-interest. What would become of his great "Discworld" series? At least that's why they do not have to worry for the time being. Because just the 37th (!) Band appeared in Germany. Pratchett's Discworld is a magical place with witches, wizards, undead support groups, and all the genre and English humor. His latest novel is a successful mix of Harry Potter and Monty Python: To make a lush cash donation, the sorcerers at the Invisible University must set up a football team. There are three problems: 1. Football, as practiced on the Discworld, is more like a mix of rugby, mudslinging and kickboxing. 2. The scholars should compete against the toughest guys in the city. And 3. they must not use magic. How they pull themselves out of the affair and what a little goblin named Mr.Nutt has something to do with it, says Terry Pratchett magically.

(B: Gerald Jung, 512 S., 17.99 Euro, Manhattan, book and audiobook are on sale from 27.9.)

The audiobook "The Club of Invisible Scholars" will also be available on our download platform on the Internet from October.

20. Ken Follett: Fall of the Titans

Click here to read the sample

BESTSELLER-CHECK

The story: Imagine, "Pearl Harbor" producer Jerry Bruckheimer would make Tolstoy's "War and Peace" fit for the twentieth century and for the screen - with airplanes, tanks, and lots of explosions. In addition: a cocktail of love, passion and sex.

The actors: an English Earl spying on the eve of World War I in Russia; a Welsh housemaid who seeks true love across classroom boundaries; a Russian nobleman with a dark past; a German military attaché with disastrous inclination as well as the English King, the last Czar, the American President and the German Kaiser. The main role, however, definitely plays the 20th century itself.

The author: Since "The Pillars of the Earth" Follett, 61, is considered the master of the historical novel. But his career started with top thrillers like The Needle.

You have to go through: With 1022 pages, this novel is almost as thick as a common Bible edition - with both wills. And this is just the first volume of a planned trilogy!

That's what you get: Captivating conversation thanks to Ken Follett's thriller experience.

Price-performance ratio: It's a tome, okay, but 28 euros is a lot. At least you can download the e-book for 19.99 euros.

Perfect for: all who have a comfortable sofa and like to sink deep and long in a story.

(T: Rainer Schumacher / Dietmar Schmidt, 1022 p., 28 Euro, Luebbe. From 28. 9. in the trade)

21. Jonathan Stroud: Bartimaeus. The ring of Solomon

Click here to read the sample

HARRY POTTERS INHERENT

Who is conjuring? Bartimaeus, 5000 years. Looks forward to a quiet life as a demonic djinn, but is constantly invoked into the world by human wizards who force him to perform magical tasks for them. Can transform into any life form, but only when absolutely necessary. Do not miss an opportunity to knock out outrageous slogans.

What is happening? After accompanying his last master, 14-year-old sorcerer's apprentice Nathaniel, through a modern trilogy, the demon in Volume 4 tells us a story from his glorious past, serving King Solomon in ancient Jerusalem.

The Potter factor: Older than Dumbledore, but not so venerable. Bartimaeus is such a wonderfully outrageous protagonist that he also consoles over the somewhat thin plot.

(Over: Katharina Orgass / Gerald Jung, 448 pp., 18.99 euros, cbj from 10 years, from 9/10 in the trade)

The audio book "Bartimaeus, The Ring of Solomon" is also available on our download platform on the Internet.

22. Sergey Lukianenko: Trix Solier. Sorcerer's apprentice full of mischief and nobility

Click here to read the sample

HARRY POTTERS INHERENT

Who is conjuring? Trix Solier, 14 years. Looks forward to a quiet life as a co-duke, until the other co-duke drives him into exile. Trix thinks of revenge, goes to the illustrious and slightly fatigued magician Radion sorrel apprentice and develops from naseweisen sissy to a real hero.

What is happening? With the help of a number of faithful companions, Trix not only rescues his co-duchy, but also beautiful Princess Tiana. And while he's at it, the whole kingdom wants to be saved from destruction.

The Potter factor: Gifted like Harry, but not so nerdy. The ironic undertone of the book also makes Trix worth reading for great sorcerer apprentices.

(B: Christiane Pöhlmann 584 p., 17.95 euros, Beltz & Gelberg, from 12 years)

23. David Lozano Garbala: Puerta Oscura. dead travel

Click here to read the sample

THE HEREAFTER

The hero: Pascal is shy, unhappy in love with Michelle and anything but a winner. A normal teenage life, then.

The way to the hereafter: Through a secret gate. What Pascal does not suspect: Thus, even a creature from the underworld finds its way into the world of the living. And suddenly Pascal has to fight not only for his beloved Michelle, but for the future of all humanity.

For whom? People of all ages who want to know what comes after death.

(B: Susanna Mende, 607 p., 19.95 euros, Loewe)

24. Lauren Oliver: If you die, all your life will pass you by, they say

Click here to read the sample

THE HEREAFTER

The hero: Samantha is popular, pretty and a friend of the hippest boy in school. What they are interested in are parties, their image and their first time. A normal teenage life, then.

The way to the hereafter: After a car accident, she is trapped in a time warp and wakes up again and again on the morning of her death. At first she still believes that she can turn everything away and save her life. Until she understands what it's really about.

For whom? People of all ages who want to know what comes after death.

(Over: Katharina Diestelmeier, 448 p., 19.90 euros, Carlsen)

25. Konrad Hansen: The men from the sea

Click here to read the sample

"Once upon a time ..." This is the beginning of fairy tales and stories that tell of the past. A magic and mantra for entry into the realm of fantasy. Anyone who gets there will feel the wonder when words create other worlds. And the power of a good narrator. One such is this historical novel. Björn Hasenscharte is his name, blessed with the life-saving gift of entertaining stories. A novel that has "only" finished in 20th place in our book charts because it is a rediscovery. Since 1992, no better Viking saga has been written. A wild Sittengemälde, for all "Wickie" fans who have grown up.

(576 p., 14.99 euros, Hoffmann and Campe)

The Coming Race Full Audiobook by Edward BULWER-LYTTON by Action & Adventure Fiction (May 2024).