Books like 'Pillars of Light'

Readers who enjoyed Pillars of Light by Jane Johnson also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.

historical  fantasy  military  war  medieval

  • Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett

    Checkmate by Dorothy Dunnett

    Rated: 4.72 of 5 stars
    · 28 ratings
    For the first time Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles are available in the United States in quality paperback editions.Sixth in the legendary Lymond Chronicles , Checkmate takes place in 1557, where Francis Crawford of Lymond is once again in France, leading an army against England...
    Categorized as:
    military  war  historical  fantasy  mystery  suspense  europe  france
  • Ponniyin Selvan- Whirlwinds : Part 2 by Kalki

    Ponniyin Selvan- Whirlwinds : Part 2 by Kalki

    Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars
    · 31 ratings
    Whirlwinds, the exciting second part of Kalki R Krishnamurthy's historic magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan, our hero Vallavarayan Vandhiyathevan's adventures continue as he rides into marshy quagmires, befriends a mysterious girl, becomes the object of intense suspicion by the wily Pazhuvettarayars - and meets the hero of his dreams...
    Categorized as:
    war  historical  fantasy  mystery  suspense  length-long
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  • Whirlwinds by Kalki

    Whirlwinds by Kalki

    Rated: 4.65 of 5 stars
    · 31 ratings
    Whirlwinds, the exciting second part of Kalki R Krishnamurthy's historic magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan, our hero Vallavarayan Vandhiyathevan's adventures continue as he rides into marshy quagmires, befriends a mysterious girl, becomes the object of intense suspicion by the wily Pazhuvettarayars - and meets the hero of his dreams...
    Categorized as:
    war  historical  fantasy  mystery  suspense  length-long
  • Sword of Slaughter by Kalki

    Sword of Slaughter by Kalki

    Rated: 4.66 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Ponniyin Selvan is a masterpiece that has enthralled generations of Tamil readers. Many authors have written phenomenal books in Tamil literature after Kalki Krishnamurthy, but Ponniyin Selvan remains the most popular, widely-read novel...
    Categorized as:
    war  historical  fantasy  suspense  mystery  length-long
  • Ponniyin Selvan-Part 1-Fresh Floods by Kalki

    Ponniyin Selvan-Part 1-Fresh Floods by Kalki

    Rated: 4.64 of 5 stars
    · 31 ratings
    Ponniyin Selvan is Kalki’s magnum opus based in the 10th century and presents the early life of Raajaraajan and the kings of Chozha Empire. Though written more than 60 years ago this saga is timeless, reeling the readers in its gripping plot which is interwoven with intrigue, conspiracies and romance...
  • The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

    The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett

    Rated: 4.41 of 5 stars
    · 68 ratings
    #1 New York Times BestsellerAn Amazon Best Book of 2020 The thrilling and addictive prequel to The Pillars of the Earth--set in England at the dawn of a new era: the Middle AgesJust as transporting as [The Pillars of the Earth] . . . A most welcome addition to the Kingsbridge series. --The Washington PostIt is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages...
  • The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman

    The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 38 ratings
    Here, alive from the pages of history, is the compelling tale of a Celtic society ruled by Llewelyn, Prince of Wales, on a collison course with a feudal realm of Edward I. WIth this last book in the extraordinary trilogy that began with HERE BE DRAGONS and continued in FALLS THE SHADOW, Sharon Kay Penman has written a beautiful and moving conclusion to her medieval saga...
  • Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman

    Falls the Shadow by Sharon Kay Penman

    Rated: 4.48 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 38 ratings
    Simon de Montfort was a man ahead of his time in the thirteenth century, a disinherited Frenchman who talked his way into an English earldom and marriage with a sister of the English king, Henry III. A charismatic, obstinate leader, Simon soon lost patience with the king's incompetence and inability to keep his word, and found himself the champion of the common people...
  • The Robber Knight by Robert Thier

    The Robber Knight by Robert Thier

    Rated: 4.69 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    When you are fighting for the freedom of your people, falling in love with your enemy is not a great idea. Sir Reuben, the dreaded robber knight, has long been Ayla’s deadliest enemy. She swore he would hang for his crimes. Now they are both trapped in her castle as the army of a far greater enemy approaches, and they have only one chance: stand together, or fall...
  • The Hall of Tyr by Octavia Randolph

    The Hall of Tyr by Octavia Randolph

    Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    The Hall of Tyr: Book Four of The Circle of Ceridwen SagaIt is said that every man is haunted by one mistake...The year is 881. Ten years have passed since fifteen year old Ceridwen set out from her Priory home to make her own life. She has known love and loss, triumph and heartbreak...
    Categorized as:
    medieval  historical  fantasy  vikings  length-long
  • Troy by Stephen Fry

    Troy by Stephen Fry

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 44 ratings
    The story of Troy speaks to all of us - the kidnapping of Helen, a queen celebrated for her beauty, sees the Greeks launch a thousand ships against the city of Troy, to which they will lay siege for ten whole years. It is a terrible war with casualties on all sides as well as strained relations between allies, whose consequences become tragedies...
    Categorized as:
    war  historical  fantasy  humor  ancient times
  • A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay

    A Song for Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay

    Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 41 ratings
    Based 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...
  • The Unicorn Hunt by Dorothy Dunnett

    The Unicorn Hunt by Dorothy Dunnett

    Rated: 4.42 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    With the bravura storytelling and pungent authenticity of detail she brought to her acclaimed Lymond Chronicles, Dorothy Dunnett, grande dame of the historical novel, presents The House of Niccolo series. The time is the 15th century, when intrepid merchants became the new knighthood of Europe...
    Categorized as:
    medieval  historical  fantasy  length-epic
  • The Blood Debt by Duncan M. Hamilton

    The Blood Debt by Duncan M. Hamilton

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 31 ratings
    A blade fit for a hero. An army for a tyrant. A reckoning long awaited, and a tale reaching its end. The riveting conclusion to the Wolf of the North trilogy by Duncan M...
  • The Robber Knight's Love by Robert Thier

    The Robber Knight's Love by Robert Thier

    Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars
    · 14 ratings
    Ayla has uncovered a terrible secret: the man she loves is in fact her worst enemy. As a mighty army gathers to destroy her and her people, she must ask herself: will he join them to destroy her? Must she cut him out of her heart to survive? Or is there another way—a way to forgiveness and... love? Special Edition with secret chapters revealed and insights into Sir Reuben’s mysterious past...
  • Aztec by Gary Jennings

    Aztec by Gary Jennings

    Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars
    · 35 ratings
    Aztec is the extraordinary story of the last and greatest native civilization of North America...
  • To the Sun by Octavia Randolph

    To the Sun by Octavia Randolph

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · 11 ratings
    An unpredictable journey with unforeseen consequences…On Gotland Sidroc wakes from a disturbing dream; one of his sons, Hrald or Yrling – perhaps both – are in trouble. Both are in far-off Angle-land, and beyond his reach.Eskil the Svear sails to the island, offering Sidroc a rare opportunity to gain untold riches, with equal risk to life for those joining the venture...
    Categorized as:
    medieval  fantasy  historical  length-long
  • Heir of Hope by Morgan L. Busse

    Heir of Hope by Morgan L. Busse

    Rated: 4.61 of 5 stars
    · 10 ratings
    What would you sacrifice to save mankind?The great city of Thyra has fallen and shadows spread across the land. Rowen Mar, the last Truthsayer, is taken before the Shadonae. But the Shadonae are not who she thought they were, and now they want to claim her as their own. Caleb Tala, former assassin and prince, is now a Guardian of mankind...
  • The City of Tears by Kate Mosse

    The City of Tears by Kate Mosse

    Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars
    · 29 ratings
    Following on from the Sunday Times number one bestseller, The Burning Chambers, Kate Mosse's The City of Tears is the second thrilling historical epic in The Burning Chambers series, for fans of Ken Follett and Dan Brown...
  • The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell

    The Archer's Tale by Bernard Cornwell

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 41 ratings
    From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, now available in paperback—the first book in the Grail Series--a spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family's honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail...
  • Beyond the Horizon by Ella Carey

    Beyond the Horizon by Ella Carey

    Rated: 4.29 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    Suddenly, it became hard to breathe and the sound of the engine throbbed in Eva’s head. The plane crashed and skidded. She heard the wail of sirens. The last thing she remembered was pulling her body across the tarmac an inch at a time—before her world went black.Sweetwater, Texas, 1943. Eva has always wanted to fly away...
    Categorized as:
    war  military  historical  fantasy  length-medium
  • Heretic by Bernard Cornwell

    Heretic by Bernard Cornwell

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    With Calais in English hands, hostilities are suspended, but Thomas' quest to find the Holy Grail continues. His cousin Guy of Vexille still pursues him with deadly purpose, convinced that there is a link between Thomas and what he covets...
  • The Dawn by Diana Knightley

    The Dawn by Diana Knightley

    Rated: 4.83 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Magnus has built an empire. He is a king in 1292. He is a king in the 24th century. And there are centuries between that must be guarded. He and his family are living in the past, attempting to keep the historical record and the timeline orderly, and the succession of kings straight, but now they have a new villain, Asgall, who is coming to power...
    Categorized as:
    medieval  historical  fantasy  length-long
  • Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières

    Birds Without Wings by Louis de Bernières

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    In his first novel since Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernières creates a world, populates it with characters as real as our best friends, and launches it into the maelstrom of twentieth-century history. The setting is a small village in southwestern Anatolia in the waning years of the Ottoman Empire. Everyone there speaks Turkish, though they write it in Greek letters...
  • The Burden of a Scottish Chieftain by Keira Montclair

    The Burden of a Scottish Chieftain by Keira Montclair

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    A haunted chieftain. A lass without hope.What happens when their lives cross paths?Lennox MacVey, chieftain of Clan MacVey, is haunted by memories of being kidnapped as a child by a man named Egan. Now seven and twenty years old, the nightmares of the event are becoming clearer, beckoning him to right the wrongs committed against him.For Meg, life has become unbearable...
  • The Burden of a Scottish Chieftain by Keira Montclair

    The Burden of a Scottish Chieftain by Keira Montclair

    Rated: 4.63 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    A haunted chieftain. A lass without hope.What happens when their lives cross paths?Lennox MacVey, chieftain of Clan MacVey, is haunted by memories of being kidnapped as a child by a man named Egan. Now seven and twenty years old, the nightmares of the event are becoming clearer, beckoning him to right the wrongs committed against him.For Meg, life has become unbearable...
  • 빛과 그림자 by Ryu Hyang

    빛과 그림자 by Ryu Hyang

    Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 2 of 5
    Behind closed doors [?] · 32 ratings
    주인의 명령에 신분을 속이고 결혼하게 된 하녀, 에드나. 일라이 공작을 싫어하는 자작의 딸 대신 결혼하게 됐지만 그에게 정체가 탄로 나는 건 시간문제였다...
  • A Court of Betrayal by Anne O'Brien

    A Court of Betrayal by Anne O'Brien

    Rated: 4.56 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR...The Welsh Marches, 1301Strong-willed heiress Joan de Geneville is married to Richard Mortimer, Earl of March, at just fifteen years old.Soon Joan finds herself swept up in a world of treacherous court politics and dangerous secrets as her husband deposes Edward II and rules England alongside Queen Isabella...
  • The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Penguin Classics) by Snorri Sturluson

    The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Penguin Classics) by Snorri Sturluson

    Rated: 4.16 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    The Prose Norse Mythology (Classics), compiled by the Icelandic scholar Snorri Sturluson in the 13th century, is a fundamental work for understanding the rich world of Norse mythology and Viking lore. This text is a comprehensive collection of stories about the gods, heroes, and creatures of Norse mythology, including tales of Odin, Thor, Loki, Freyja, and the creation of the world itself...
  • Golden Stage by 苍梧宾白 [Cang Wu Bin Bai], 苍梧宾白

    Golden Stage by 苍梧宾白 [Cang Wu Bin Bai], 苍梧宾白

    Rated: 4.23 of 5 stars
    · 20 ratings
    The notorious imperial court lackey and the meritorious military general were well-known for their mutual dislike, a pair of arch-enemies set in stone. Who could have foreseen the unexpected change in the winds of heaven: the general injured on the battlefield, both legs disabled, and even forced by the emperor to marry his nemesis...
  • 黄金台 [Huángjīn Tái] by Cang Wu Bin Bai, 苍梧宾白

    黄金台 [Huángjīn Tái] by Cang Wu Bin Bai, 苍梧宾白

    Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars
    · 21 ratings
    The notorious imperial court lackey and the meritorious military general were well-known for their mutual dislike, a pair of arch-enemies set in stone. Who could have foreseen the unexpected change in the winds of heaven: the general injured on the battlefield, both legs disabled, and even forced by the emperor to marry his nemesis...
  • The Sands of Ammon by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

    The Sands of Ammon by Valerio Massimo Manfredi

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 30 ratings
    THE BESTSELLING EPIC OF THE GLORY AND THE GRANDEUR INTRIGUES AND PASSIONS OF ANCIENT GREECE...AND THE WARRIOR KING WHOSE CONQUESTS BUILT AN ETERNAL LEGEND.ALEXANDER Volume THE SANDS OF AMMONA thousand years after Agamemnon fought the Trojan War. Alexander, the king of Macedonia and descendant of Achilles, follows in the footsteps of Greek legend...
    Categorized as:
    war  historical  contemporary  fantasy  length-long
  • Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle by Jennifer Ivy Walker

    Winter Solstice in the Crystal Castle by Jennifer Ivy Walker

    Rated: 4.80 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Gabrielle is a flame haired, fire hearted French princess who dreams of becoming a Valkyrie warrior queen like her Viking ancestors from Normandy. Sent to Paris to learn the proper etiquette for a future French queen, she is called home to le Château de Beaufort for a forced marriage to a man she loathes when her father the king’s precarious health takes a sudden turn for the worse...
    Categorized as:
    medieval  historical  fantasy  length-short
  • She Walks in Majesty by MaryLu Tyndall

    She Walks in Majesty by MaryLu Tyndall

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    Danger around every corner. Intrigues in everyone’s past. And a romance that’s swoon worthy. She Walks in Majesty is all that and more, with a plot that twists and turns and truths that are hard-hitting...
  • The Plight of a Scottish Lass by Keira Montclair

    The Plight of a Scottish Lass by Keira Montclair

    Rated: 4.67 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    In his quest for vengeance, a Scottish chieftain finds something unexpected. Love.Thane MacQuarie, chieftain of Clan MacQuarie, has his sights set on taking over Duart Castle and exacting vengeance on the mother who abandoned him. But when he witnesses a cruel man leave his wife, Tamsin Garvie, to drown on a rock in the sea, Thane can’t ignore the plight of the red-haired beauty...
  • On Mother Brown's Doorstep by Mary Jane Staples

    On Mother Brown's Doorstep by Mary Jane Staples

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The big event of the Walworth year was to be the wedding of Sammy Adams, King of Camberwell, to Miss Susie Brown. Everyone was looking forward to it, and Susie was particularly overjoyed when her soldier brother suddenly turned up on leave from service in India in time for the approaching 'knees-up'...
  • Heir to the Crown by Ron C. Nieto

    Heir to the Crown by Ron C. Nieto

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    The raiding season might be over, but the court is a new threat on its own …A victorious Oren, newly minted Lord Commander of the Mountain Guard, returns to the capital to receive the King’s accolades and to ask for the one thing he wants as his prize—the right to marry the woman he loves.But the court is a dangerous place, and nothing is as Oren expects when he arrives at his childhood home...
  • Lord of Shadows by Tanya Anne Crosby

    Lord of Shadows by Tanya Anne Crosby

    Rated: 4.44 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    The epic finale of the Daughters of Avalon! Medieval romance with a sprinkling of fantasy.Rhiannon's destiny is fated from the moment of her birth. She and her dewine sisters must defeat an ancient evil, or Britain itself will go the way of Avalon...
  • The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge, Donna Gillespie

    The Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge, Donna Gillespie

    Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars
    · 24 ratings
    Spanning three generations, this historical novel tells the tale of Boudicca, the most famous warrior of ancient Britain, and Caradoc, the son of a Celtic king, who sets out to unite the people of the Raven and lead them against Rome. Caradoc's objective is not easily accomplished as the Roman army advances into Britain, raping Celtic women and burning villages to the ground...
  • The Shadowed Land by Signe Pike

    The Shadowed Land by Signe Pike

    Rated: 4.31 of 5 stars
    · 13 ratings
    King Arthur and his contemporaries are boldly reimagined in this “mystical, epic, and captivating” (Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author) series that resurrects the real historical figures who inspired one of our most enduring legends...
    Categorized as:
    medieval  fantasy  historical  length-medium
  • Vagabond by Bernard Cornwell

    Vagabond by Bernard Cornwell

    Rated: 4.10 of 5 stars
    · 36 ratings
    From New York Times bestselling author Bernard Cornwell, the sequel to The Archer's Tale—the spellbinding tale of a young man, a fearless archer, who sets out wanting to avenge his family's honor and winds up on a quest for the Holy Grail.In 1347, a year of conflict and unrest, Thomas of Hookton returns to England to pursue the Holy Grail...
  • The Circle of Ceridwen by Octavia Randolph

    The Circle of Ceridwen by Octavia Randolph

    Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars
    · 23 ratings
    Young women with courage. Swords with names. Vikings with tattoos. Danger. Passion. Survival. Warfare. Sheep. And Other Good Things... The year 871, when England was Angle-Land. Of seven Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, five have fallen to the invading Vikings. Across this war-torn landscape travels fifteen year old Ceridwen, now thrust into the lives of the conquerors...
  • The Golden Wolf by Linnea Hartsuyker

    The Golden Wolf by Linnea Hartsuyker

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · 17 ratings
    The fates of Ragnvald and his sister Svanhild unfold to their stunning conclusion in this riveting final volume in The Golden Wolf Saga, a trilogy that conjures the ancient world with the gripping detail, thrilling action, and vivid historical elements of Game of Thrones and Outlander...
  • The Honor of Duty by A. R. Rend

    The Honor of Duty by A. R. Rend

    Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars
    · Steam rating: 3 of 5
    Open door [?] · 16 ratings
    Phillip had spent his life living by his mother’s code of honor. One she had instilled in not just him but her household staff, her soldiers under her command as a general, and all his siblings.One that called to the familial bonds and the importance of putting those above all else. Second only to the land and the crown.If he was being honest with himself, Phillip valued that code of honor...
  • Scent of a Wolf by Alex Lidell

    Scent of a Wolf by Alex Lidell

    Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars
    · 9 ratings
    Lera isn’t a hero. The world doesn’t know that. Lera needs to keep her head down—not an easy feat when a giant gray wolf with a fondness for her dorm room starts roaming the Academy...
  • She Walks in Power by MaryLu Tyndall

    She Walks in Power by MaryLu Tyndall

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    From Award-Winning Author, MaryLu Tyndall, comes an exciting Medieval Romance surrounding the Spear of Destiny! Alexia D'Clere didn't ask to be Protector of the Spear, but after her dying mother gave her the tiny metal object and made her promise to keep it safe, she had no choice...
  • The Wall by Adrian Goldsworthy

    The Wall by Adrian Goldsworthy

    Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars
    · 8 ratings
    Britannia, AD 117: Roman centurion Flavius Ferox is trying to live a quiet life of dignified leisure, overseeing his wife's estate and doing his best to resist the urge to murder an annoying neighbour – until someone else does it for him...
  • Breanna's Surrender by Jayne Castel

    Breanna's Surrender by Jayne Castel

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A woman dedicated to the cause, a man who has given up hope—and the fake marriage that brings them together. Passion and patriotism collide in Medieval Scotland.Breanna will stop at nothing to defend Scotland from the English—even if that means she has to work with a jaded mercenary, a man whose loyalty can only be bought with silver. Cameron Stewart has learned that loyalty doesn’t pay...
  • Peerless: Wu Shuang (Novel) Vol. 2 (Peerless: Wu Shuang (Novel) #2) by Meng Xi Shi

    Peerless: Wu Shuang (Novel) Vol. 2 (Peerless: Wu Shuang (Novel) #2) by Meng Xi Shi

    Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars
    · 6 ratings
    A HAUNTING IN THE DESERTRival investigators Cui Buqu and Feng Xiao embark on a diplomatic journey westward, hoping to build a key alliance that will stand against the power-hungry Eastern Khaganate...
    Categorized as:
    military  historical  queer  fantasy  m-m  length-medium
  • Poison Genius Consort by 芥沫 (Jie Mo)

    Poison Genius Consort by 芥沫 (Jie Mo)

    Rated: 4.60 of 5 stars
    · 5 ratings
    Easily cowed and bullied, she was the useless, ugly woman with no talent in medical skills. Supported by millions, he was Tianning’s most respected duke with the power to move all under Heaven. On their wedding day the bridal sedan was carried to the front doors, but the Duke of Qin’s gates were shut tight.They told her, ‘Come back tomorrow...
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