World War I Europe: WarfareNovels About Europeans and the World War I Battlefield and the War's AftermathJump to: British, Irish and Australians (true historical novels) Soldiers on Europe's Western Front fought in cramped, muddy trenches under continual threat of death. The inhuman conditions and constant fear caused many to suffer from what was then called "shell shock." This period also witnessed the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and the horrors of the Armenian genocide. Toward the end of the war, a worldwide epidemic of a virulent strain of influenza broke out, killing soldiers and civilians alike with shocking speed. This page lists novels about European and Australian soldiers and auxiliary personnel such as nurses. Settings may be on the eve of the war, during the war and in its aftermath. A few classic novels written during or after the war based on the authors' own experiences are listed. These are not true historical novels, since they were contemporary at the time they were written. British, Irish and Australians (true historical novels)Click on the title to see a listing at Powell's Books or another online source.
Pat Barker, Regeneration (1991), a novel about Siegfried Sassoon, who was sent to a mental hospital after he concluded World War I was a senseless slaughter; #1 in the Regeneration trilogy. Pat Barker, Eye in the Door (1993), about a psychiatrist who treats soldiers for shell shock; #2 in the Regeneration trilogy. Pat Barker, The Ghost Road (1995), about a psychiatrist who treats soldiers for shell shock, a soldier he treated, and the poet Wilfred Owen; #3 in the Regeneration trilogy. Pat Barker, Life Class (2008), about three London art students and the choices they make when World War I breaks out. Sebastian Barry, A Long, Long Way (2005), about an Irish soldier during World War I. Maggie Bennett, The Carpenter's Children (2009), about a young man who goes to fight in World War I despite his pacifist beliefs, while his two sisters struggle with marriage, romance, child-rearing and financial difficulties at home in England. Emma Blair, Forget-Me-Not (2001), historical romance about an actress and a journalist who becomes a pilot in the RAF. William Boyd, An Ice Cream War (1982), about British East Africa during World War I. Colin E. Demet, Iolaire and the Beasts of Holm (2009), about the wreck of the British naval vessel Iolaire on the rocks known as the Beasts of Holm off Stornoway Harbor in the Hebrides on New Year's Day 1919 with almost 300 returning servicemen aboard; not readily available in the U.S. Margaret Dickinson, Suffragette Girl (2009), about a suffragette who signs up to serve as a nurse when the First World War begins. Marc Dugain, The Officers’ Ward (2000), about a young officer disfigured by a German shell. Sebastian Faulks, Birdsong (1993); about an English soldier in World War I who rekindles his love affair with a Frenchwoman whose husband abuses her; #2 (by publication date) in a loosely connected trilogy beginning with The Girl at the Lion D'Or and ending with Charlotte Gray.
Alexander Fullerton, Sixty Minutes for St. George (1977), about a young sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy and his experiences in the 1918 raid on Zeebrugge; #2 in the Nicholas Everard series. Alexander Fullerton, Patrol to the Golden Horn (1978), about a seemingly suicidal submarine mission through the Dardanelles during the last days of the war; #3 in the Nicholas Everard series (the series continues with novels set during World War II). Alexander Fullerton, Flight to Mons (2003), a stand-alone novel about a young British pilot who goes to France on an intelligence mission.
Nicholas Griffin, Dizzy City (2007), about an English deserter trying to escape his memories of war by becoming a con man in New York. Ray Grover, March to the Sound of the Guns Susan Hill, Strange Meeting (1971), about a young British soldier and the dislocation the war causes in his life. Marjorie Jones, The Light Horseman (2006), about the effects of war on Australian men who served as soldiers. David Malouf, Fly Away Peter (1984), about two Australian soldiers. Douglas Reeman, The Last Raider Douglas Reeman, The Horizon (1993), about a young man serving in the Royal Marines during World War I; #3 in the Royal Marines Saga. Derek Robinson, The Goshawk Squadron Derek Robinson, War Story Derek Robinson, Hornet's Sting Robert Ryan, Empire of Sand (2008), about T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and his activities in the Middle East during World War I. Danny Scheinmann, Random Acts of Heroic Love (2009), about a modern man whose girlfriend dies in a bus crash in Ecuador and his grandfather, who escaped a Siberian POW camp during World War I and trekked across the frozen steppes to return to the woman he loved. Paul Watkins, In the Blue Light of African Dreams (1990), about a World War I flyer who deserts after being shot down, and dreams of becoming the first to fly nonstop across the Atlantic. Peter Yeldham, Barbed Wire and Roses British, Irish and Australians (classics)
This section lists a few classic World War I novels by authors who lived through the war. These are not true historical novels, and no attempt has been made to compile a complete list.Click on the title to see a listing at Powell's Books or another online source.
John Buchan, Greenmantle (1915), a spy thriller about four men traveling through Europe in disguise during World War I to foil a German plot; #2 in the Hannay series. John Buchan, Mr. Standfast (1919), a spy thriller about a brigadier general recalled from active duty to go undercover to find a German agent operating in Britain near the end of the First World War; #3 in the Hannay series. John Buchan, Three Hostages (1919), a spy thriller about a retired British spy who returns to duty after learning of a dangerous plot; #4 in the Hannay series. Humphrey Cobb, Paths of Glory Manning Coles, Drink to Yesterday (1940), about a British teenager who lies about his age to enlist in the army and is recruited into the secret service. C.S. Forester, The African Queen (1935), a proper British spinster and the skipper of a broken-down boat try to make their way out of Africa in the midst of war. Frederic Manning, Her Privates We (1929; also titled The Middle Parts of Fortune), a novel of gritty realism about British soldiers of working class backgrounds in World War I. Liam O’Flaherty, Return of the Brute (1929), about the trench warfare experiences of the Irish Guards; based on the author’s wartime experiences. Rebecca West, The Return of the Soldier (1918), about the family of a shell-shocked British officer who returns from the war with fond memories of a long-ago girlfriend and no memory of his wife. V.M. Yeates, Winged Victory (1934), about a young fighter pilot; based on the author's World War I experiences. The Continent (true historical novels)
Click on the title to see a listing at Powell's Books or another online source.
John Biggins, A Sailor of Austria: In Which, Without Really Intending To, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Habsburg Empire (1991), a comic novel about U-boat crews during the waning of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; #1 in the Otto Prohaska series. John Biggins, The Emperor’s Coloured Coat: In Which Otto Prohaska, Future Hero of the Habsburg Empire, Has an Unexpectedly Interesting Time While Not Quite Managing to Avert the First World War (1992), a comic novel set in the last years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; #2 in the Otto Prohaska series. John Biggins, Two-Headed Eagle: In Which Otto Prohaska Takes a Break as the Habsburg Empire's Leading U-Boat Ace and Does Something Even More Thankless (1993), a comic novel about a soldier during the last years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire; #3 in the Otto Prohaska series. John Biggins, Tomorrow the World: Tomorrow the World: In Which Cadet Otto Prohaska Carries the Habsburg Empire's Civilizing Mission to the Entirely Unreceptive Peoples of Africa (1994), a comic novel about Otto Prohaska’s early days as a soldier in the Austro-Hungarian Empire; #4 in the Otto Prohaska series. Louis de Bernieres, Birds Without Wings (2004), a literary novel about a Turkish village during World War I, the last days of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of Kemal Atatürk. Mark Helprin, A Soldier of the Great War (1991), an old man tells a young man the story of his life, interrupted by World War I, while they make a pilgrimage into the mountains outside Rome. Jack D. Hunter, The Blue Max (1966), about a ruthlessly ambitious German fighter pilot in the First World War. Sebastien Japrisot, A Very Long Engagement (1993), a young Frenchwoman, suspecting her fiancé may not have died in the war as reported, sets out to find him. Kim Newman, The Bloody Red Baron (1995), historical fantasy in which Dracula supported the German Kaiser during WWI and vampires morphed into huge bats to engage in aerial dogfights. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, August, 1914 (1971), about the disorganized and badly-led Russian invasion of Prussia and Battle of Tannenberg at the beginning of World War I, which led to the Russian Revolution. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, November, 1916 Steven Weiner, The Yellow Sailor (2001), about a group of shipwrecked German sailors wandering through war-torn Europe. The Continent (classics)
This section lists a few classic World War I novels by authors who lived through the war. These are not true historical novels, and no attempt has been made to compile a complete list.Click on the title to see a listing at Powell's Books or another online source.
Jean Giono, To the Slaughterhouse (1931), about the effect of World War I on a village in Provence. Jaroslav Hasek, The Good Soldier Svejk (1923), a satirical antiwar novel. Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front (1929), a classic antiwar novel about a young German soldier Erich Maria Remarque, The Road Back (1931), about three German soldiers and their difficulties returning to civilian life after the war; sequel to All Quiet on the Western Front. Jules Romain, Verdun (1937), a novel about the Battle of Verdun based on the author's World War I experiences. Franz Werfel, The Forty Days of Musa Dagh (1934), about the resistance of the people in the Musa Dagh area during the Armenian Genocide. Mysteries: WWI and its Aftermath
Philippe Claudel, By A Slow River (2006), a French detective tries to solve cold cases from twenty years before when World War I was raging. Ben Elton, The First Casualty (2005), a literary novel about a police inspector imprisoned for refusing the draft, and then released and sent to the midst of the war in France to investigate a murder.
Anne Perry, Shoulder the Sky (2004), a British army chaplain on the front lines in 1915 investigates a murder; #2 in the World War One mystery series. Anne Perry, Angels in the Gloom (2005), about a wounded army chaplain on leave in 1916; #3 in the World War One mystery series. Anne Perry, At Some Disputed Barricade (2006), a British army chaplain on the front lines in 1917 investigates a murder; #4 in the World War One series. Anne Perry, We Shall Not Sleep (2007), about a British army chaplain in 1918, the last year of the war; #5 in the World War One mystery series.
Charles Todd, A Test of Wills (1996), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell-shock assigned to investigate a case of murder in which the prime suspect is a friend of the Prince of Wales; #1 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, Wings of Fire (1998), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell-shock who goes to Cornwall to investigate three deaths in the same family; #2 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, Search the Dark (1999), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell-shock who must find out who murdered a woman and where her three missing children are; #3 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, Legacy of the Dead (2000), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell shock who investigates the case of a missing woman in Durham, Scotland; #4 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, Watchers of Time (2001), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell shock who investigates the murder of a priest; #5 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, A Fearsome Doubt (2002), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell shock who investigates an old case of serial murder; #6 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, A Cold Treachery (2005), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell shock who investigates a family's murder and tries to rescue a missing child, the only survivor; #7 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, A Long Shadow (2006), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell shock who is being stalked by an unknown person leaving machine gun cartridges as his calling card; #8 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, A False Mirror (2007), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell shock who must find a killer in a small town on the southern coast of England; #9 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, A Pale Horse (2008), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell shock who investigates a case of murder in an abbey ruin in Yorkshire; #10 in the Inspector Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, A Matter of Justice (2009), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell shock who investigates a murder with roots that stretch back to a barbaric crime during the Boer War; #11 in the Ian Rutledge mystery series. Charles Todd, The Red Door (2010), about a Scotland Yard inspector suffering from shell shock who investigates the murder of a woman who painted her front door red in anticipation of her husband's return from the war; #12 in the Ian Rutledge mystery series.
Jacqueline Winspear, Birds of a Feather (2004), in 1930 London, a female investigator takes a case with roots in the First World War; #2 in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series. Jacqueline Winspear, Pardonable Lies (2005), about a female investigator who takes a case with roots in the First World War; #3 in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series. Jacqueline Winspear, Messenger of Truth (2006), in 1931 London, a female investigator takes a case with roots in the First World War; #4 in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series. Jacqueline Winspear, An Incomplete Revenge (2008), a female investigator takes a case with roots in the First World War; #5 in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series. Jacqueline Winspear, Among the Mad (2009), on Christmas Eve 1931, a woman investigator witnesses a suicide on a London street which may be linked to a series of threatening letters to the Prime Minister; #6 in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series. Review Top of Page
|
One of the most brutal wars in recent history, World War I resulted from a chain of events following the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914. Aircraft were used in warfare for the first time. 
(1997), about a young man who progresses from air mechanic to pilot in the RAF during the First World War.
(2008), about five New Zealand soldiers during the campaigns of Gallipoli and the Western front.
(1963), about the captain of a World War I German commerce raider, a ship whose goal is to harass enemy merchant ships and disrupt commerce.
(1971), a tragi-comic novel about a British flight squadron in 1918; #1 in the Royal Flying Corps trilogy.
(2008), about an Australian soldier who survives Gallipoli, and then mysteriously disappears, leaving behind a diary that helps guide his grandson in a quest to learn the truth about his fate.
(1935), about a man who refuses an order to fire on his fellow soldiers during a battle.