Political Intrigue

[WarlikeMenelaos]

Hey everyone, kinda looking for some advice so I hope someone out there can help.

I was writing earlier and got so excited because of the whole political intrigue that litters the pages of my novel. I had to take a time out cause everything finally came together and made sense (don't you love it when that happens?) Anyway, when I came back to work I was began wondering...are there any really good fantasy novels out there with a deep political plot working in the background?

Right now I don't know of any so have just read historical sources of the politics of Greek city-states and the Roman Republic (both have helped me no end!)

The second question I have to ask is, do you think something like that would be marketable?

Thanks!

 

[terryweide]

I think Turtledove has done things such as that with his alternative earth books. One, the title of which I can't recall, is about an alien invasion of the earth set at the time of WWII. The warring powers, American, England, Germany, Japan, Russia, etc., have to set aside their differences and attempt to work together to defeat the invaders. That might be something you could look at. Also, in regards to fantasy, Katherine Kurtz explored the idea of church politics in a fantasy world with her Deryni books.

Hope this helps, Terry

 

[Brys]

There are a few which you may want to look at which have a significant political intrigue element (note - these are not in order of quality):
1) George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire - the most overt example
2) Greg Keyes' Kingdom of Bone and Thorn
3) R Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series
4) JV Jones' Sword of Shadows (though clan level politics, which is a bit different)

Slightly different books with politics in:
5) China Mieville's New Crobuzon - more 19th century style politics than medieval or ancient politics
6) Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake - the first two books, though its focused very much on one character, but there are political themes going through them
7) Gloriana or the Unfufill'd Queen by Michael Moorcock - quite a bit of Elizabethan politics
8) Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber
9) Guy Gavriel Kay's the Lions of Al-Rassan
and to a lesser extent, 10) Steven Erikson's Malazan series

I can't think of any more at the moment.
For historical sources, wouldn't reading Plato's Republic make sense for the politics of Greek city states? The History of the Peloponessian war by Thucydides and the Histories by Herodotus would probably also be a good basis for Greek City states.
An easier way to get a quick grasp on it would be historical fiction with a bit of detail on politics in - I'd recommend Steven Pressfield's Tides of War.

As for it being marketable - well, I'd need to no more, but generally political intrigue is becoming more popular. As long as it's not Tolkienesque with intrigue, it should be marketable.
I'd like to be able to put lots of intrigue into mine, but I wouldn't know how to.

 

[WarlikeMenelaos]

Thank you both for your suggestions, seems I've got a lot more reading to do than I thought I would have!

Brys - I am already reading the Iliad by Homer, I've read Herodotus, Plato, Plutarch, Cicero and Virgil....I tell you that once you can actually get into them they are very interesting reads. The classical world was much more interesting than any other period of history in my opinion...well the ancient world as well.

The thing is my character is born into high society yet all around him are people trying to gain more power. During the war (that is in the background in my book) there is a growing division that is seeking to dispatch the King and seize control of the government...albeit very slowly. However since I hope to be able to write more books after this one I've had to make the political maneuverings very slight and subtle. It's hard work!

 

[FelineEyes]

Well, I and know this is sci-fi, but Dune is best example of political intirgue I can think of. I know there are some fantasy books I know that go like that, but I can't think of names right now.
I don't read a lot of that stuff myself, but I know lots and lots of people who do.

 

[Pyan]

Try C.J. Cherryh: the Compact Space series for interspecies politics, and the Company Wars/Cyteen novels for (mainly) human intrigue.

 

[bendoran]

even erikson has some politics involved in his malazan tale, layered, like an oinion.

excuse me im ill.

 

[WarlikeMenelaos]

Thanks again! I'm gonna be busy next time I go to Waterstones, lol.