Books like The long ships
The long ships by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson reads as epic, adventurous. These 12 books share its genome — matched by how they actually read, not just their shelf label.
What The long ships is like to read
An episodic Viking saga told with wry good humor and boundless narrative gusto — one damn adventure after another, from galley bench to royal hall to the rivers of the east. Best for: readers who want a warm, funny, sweeping historical adventure in the old saga tradition.
The Last Kingdom
Bernard Cornwell · 2004
A bloody, propulsive plunge into ninth-century England, following a boy caught between the Danes who raised him and the Saxons he was born to.
Eaters of the Dead
Michael Crichton · 1976
A documented account of an Arab courtier's harrowing expedition into the Norse north, blending historical realism with folkloric horror as the band confronts a legendary, terrifying adversary.
River god
Wilbur Smith · 1993
A sweeping historical epic that resurrects ancient Egypt through civil war, invasion, and palace intrigue — battle-heavy, blood-soaked, and driven by the fates of a small circle around a failing pharaoh.
Hornblower in the West Indies
C. S. Forester · 1958
Same historical feel
Horus Rising
Dan Abnett · 2006
A grand-scale military-SF opener that lingers in the idealism of the Great Crusade before the fall — battle set-pieces braided with legionary camaraderie and the first hairline cracks of doubt.
The Red Knight
Miles Cameron · 2012
A gritty, richly detailed medieval-military fantasy where mercenary life, siege tactics, and monstrous threats from the Wild take center stage over romance or whimsy.
Honoured Enemy
Raymond E. Feist · 2001
A grounded, character-focused survival tale set within Feist's larger Riftwar universe, where opposing soldiers forced into proximity must navigate mutual suspicion, duty, and emergent respect amid danger.
The Hundred Days
Patrick O'Brian · 1998
A tightly plotted Napoleonic-era campaign that reunites Aubrey and Maturin in active service amid political flux, maintaining O'Brian's signature blend of immersive naval detail and high-stakes strategy.
The First Man in Rome
Colleen McCullough · 1990
A dense, sweeping chronicle of late-Republican Rome that follows Marius and Sulla through decades of political maneuver, warfare, and personal rivalry.
Action Front
Boyd Cable · 1916
Same historical feel
The King Must Die
Mary Renault · 1952
A mythic coming-of-age retold with grounded historical texture — Theseus's slavery, bull-dancing ordeal, and daring escape carry adventure weight without losing the sense of ancient ritual and destiny.
Golden Fleece and the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles, The
Padraic Colum · 1921
A plain-spoken, earnest retelling of Jason and the Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece, filled with heroes, monsters, and mythic trials in the tradition of ancient epic.
About The long ships — what the genome says
Is The long ships a complete story or a cliffhanger?
The main arc resolves, with wider series threads left open.
Who is The long ships for?
readers who want a warm, funny, sweeping historical adventure in the old saga tradition
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