Best Medieval Books | Summaries & Audio

Medieval Book Summaries

Fire & Blood

by George R.R. Martin

Seven kingdoms, three dragons, one family: the rise and ruin of the dragon dynasty.

4.05

100k+

Fantasy

Dragons

High Fantasy

Immersive

Fire & Blood

Seven kingdoms, three dragons, one family: the rise and ruin of the dragon dynasty.

by George R.R. Martin 2018 706 pages

4.05

100k+ ratings

Fantasy

Dragons

High Fantasy

Between Two Fires

by Christopher Buehlman • 2012

A knight, a girl, and a priest cross plague-ravaged France toward Avignon, where a devil rules.

4.21

65k+

Horror

Fantasy

Historical Fiction

Immersive

Between Two Fires

A knight, a girl, and a priest cross plague-ravaged France toward Avignon, where a devil rules.

by Christopher Buehlman 2012 432 pages

4.21

65k+ ratings

Horror

Fantasy

Historical Fiction

The Making of Martin Luther

by Richard Rex • 2017

A misremembered sentence and a desperate hunger for certainty: the Reformation's hidden engine.

3.94

History

Religion

Christianity

Immersive

The Making of Martin Luther

A misremembered sentence and a desperate hunger for certainty: the Reformation's hidden engine.

by Richard Rex 2017 296 pages

3.94

64 ratings

History

Religion

Christianity

Medieval India

by Satish Chandra • 1997

The Mughal Empire: built by cannons, held by tolerance, broken by orthodoxy. Two centuries, one arc.

3.97

351

History

India

Asia

Medieval India

The Mughal Empire: built by cannons, held by tolerance, broken by orthodoxy. Two centuries, one arc.

by Satish Chandra 1997 550 pages

3.97

351 ratings

History

India

Asia

Defenders of the West

by Raymond Ibrahim • 2022

For a thousand years, Islam pushed into Europe. Eight forgotten warriors pushed back and won.

4.65

1k+

History

Christianity

Religion

Defenders of the West

For a thousand years, Islam pushed into Europe. Eight forgotten warriors pushed back and won.

by Raymond Ibrahim 2022 352 pages

4.65

1k+ ratings

History

Christianity

Religion

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens

by Jack Weatherford • 2010

Genghis Khan's daughters held the Silk Road. The sons buried them; a widow rebuilt the empire.

3.93

4k+

History

Biography

Women

The Secret History of the Mongol Queens

Genghis Khan's daughters held the Silk Road. The sons buried them; a widow rebuilt the empire.

by Jack Weatherford 2010 352 pages

3.93

4k+ ratings

History

Biography

Women

The Ruins of Gorlan

by John Flanagan • 2004

Rejected for knighthood, a boy joins the Rangers and faces a mission to stop monstrous assassins.

4.26

100k+

Fantasy

Young Adult

Middle Grade

The Ruins of Gorlan

Rejected for knighthood, a boy joins the Rangers and faces a mission to stop monstrous assassins.

by John Flanagan 2004 249 pages

4.26

100k+ ratings

Fantasy

Young Adult

Middle Grade

Blood Song

by Anthony Ryan • 2011

A warrior monk follows a secret inner song through war to a brother's betrayal.

4.41

92k+

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

Blood Song

A warrior monk follows a secret inner song through war to a brother's betrayal.

by Anthony Ryan 2011 591 pages

4.41

92k+ ratings

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

Prince of Thorns

by Mark Lawrence • 2011

A young prince returns from the wasteland with killers, aiming for his father's crown.

3.83

100k+

Fantasy

Dark Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

Prince of Thorns

A young prince returns from the wasteland with killers, aiming for his father's crown.

by Mark Lawrence 2011 373 pages

3.83

100k+ ratings

Fantasy

Dark Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

Avicenna's Medicine

by Avicenna • 1025

Four humors, nine temperaments: the medieval system returning to integrative clinics today.

4.29

276

Medicine

History

Health

Avicenna's Medicine

Four humors, nine temperaments: the medieval system returning to integrative clinics today.

by Avicenna 1025 480 pages

4.29

276 ratings

Medicine

History

Health

World Without End

by Ken Follett • 2007

A bridge collapses. Plague strikes. A medieval town fights corrupt clergy for its future.

4.33

200k+

Historical Fiction

Historical

Medieval

World Without End

A bridge collapses. Plague strikes. A medieval town fights corrupt clergy for its future.

by Ken Follett 2007 1237 pages

4.33

200k+ ratings

Historical Fiction

Historical

Medieval

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

by Victor Hugo • 1831

A priest's obsession. A bellringer's devotion. A dancer's life. All hang in Notre-Dame's shadow.

4.02

200k+

Classics

Historical Fiction

Gothic

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

A priest's obsession. A bellringer's devotion. A dancer's life. All hang in Notre-Dame's shadow.

by Victor Hugo 1831 510 pages

4.02

200k+ ratings

Classics

Historical Fiction

Gothic

The Pillars of the Earth

by Ken Follett • 1989

A cathedral rises stone by stone while kings and bishops tear England apart around it.

4.35

800k+

Historical Fiction

Historical

Medieval

The Pillars of the Earth

A cathedral rises stone by stone while kings and bishops tear England apart around it.

by Ken Follett 1989 976 pages

4.35

800k+ ratings

Historical Fiction

Historical

Medieval

The Crusades

by Thomas Asbridge • 2010

The Crusades told from both sides: Christian and Muslim chronicles woven into one narrative.

4.23

7k+

History

Medieval

War

The Crusades

The Crusades told from both sides: Christian and Muslim chronicles woven into one narrative.

by Thomas Asbridge 2010 784 pages

4.23

7k+ ratings

History

Medieval

War

A Dance with Dragons

by George R.R. Martin • 2011

An eastern dragon queen's peace ignites war, while a frozen commander's honor sparks a mutiny.

4.34

700k+

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

A Dance with Dragons

An eastern dragon queen's peace ignites war, while a frozen commander's honor sparks a mutiny.

by George R.R. Martin 2011 1125 pages

4.34

700k+ ratings

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

A Little History of the World

by E.H. Gombrich • 1936

The whole human story, from cave paintings to the Cold War, in one short, elegant book.

4.10

32k+

History

Classics

Children's Books

A Little History of the World

The whole human story, from cave paintings to the Cold War, in one short, elegant book.

by E.H. Gombrich 1936 284 pages

4.10

32k+ ratings

History

Classics

Children's Books

The Dragonbone Chair

by Tad Williams • 1988

A dreamy scullion hunts a fabled sword across a freezing land as a fallen king's shadow rises.

3.97

78k+

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

The Dragonbone Chair

A dreamy scullion hunts a fabled sword across a freezing land as a fallen king's shadow rises.

by Tad Williams 1988 672 pages

3.97

78k+ ratings

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

The Muqaddimah

by Ibn Khaldun • 1377

A 14th-century scholar mapped the hidden laws that make every dynasty rise and crumble.

4.30

4k+

History

Philosophy

Sociology

The Muqaddimah

A 14th-century scholar mapped the hidden laws that make every dynasty rise and crumble.

by Ibn Khaldun 1377 480 pages

4.30

4k+ ratings

History

Philosophy

Sociology

Dominion

by Tom Holland • 2019

Secularism, human rights, even atheism: a historian shows why these are all products of the cross.

4.26

12k+

History

Religion

Christianity

Dominion

Secularism, human rights, even atheism: a historian shows why these are all products of the cross.

by Tom Holland 2019 624 pages

4.26

12k+ ratings

History

Religion

Christianity

A Game of Thrones

by George R.R. Martin

A northern lord serves his king, unearthing a secret the queen has killed to hide.

4.45

2.7M+

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

Immersive

A Game of Thrones

A northern lord serves his king, unearthing a secret the queen has killed to hide.

by George R.R. Martin 1996 835 pages

4.45

2.7M+ ratings

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

Baptism of Fire

by Andrzej Sapkowski • 1996

Dreams send a witcher across a kingdom at war, gathering misfit allies who become family.

4.26

100k+

Fantasy

High Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

Baptism of Fire

Dreams send a witcher across a kingdom at war, gathering misfit allies who become family.

by Andrzej Sapkowski 1996 400 pages

4.26

100k+ ratings

Fantasy

High Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

Before They Are Hanged

by Joe Abercrombie • 2007

One wizard, four misfits, a dead empire, and a relic that could crack the world again.

4.36

200k+

Fantasy

Dark Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

Before They Are Hanged

One wizard, four misfits, a dead empire, and a relic that could crack the world again.

by Joe Abercrombie 2007 441 pages

4.36

200k+ ratings

Fantasy

Dark Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

by Jack Weatherford • 2004

Genghis Khan's horde didn't just raze cities; it stitched Eurasia into a single connected world.

4.07

85k+

History

Biography

Asia

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

Genghis Khan's horde didn't just raze cities; it stitched Eurasia into a single connected world.

by Jack Weatherford 2004 352 pages

4.07

85k+ ratings

History

Biography

Asia

Royal Assassin

by Robin Hobb • 1996

A royal assassin hides a forbidden wolf bond as a soul-stealing plague threatens the kingdom.

4.29

200k+

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

Royal Assassin

A royal assassin hides a forbidden wolf bond as a soul-stealing plague threatens the kingdom.

by Robin Hobb 1996 675 pages

4.29

200k+ ratings

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

Alamut

by Vladimir Bartol • 1938

To build an army of perfect assassins, a Persian master creates a counterfeit paradise.

4.32

13k+

Historical Fiction

Classics

Philosophy

Alamut

To build an army of perfect assassins, a Persian master creates a counterfeit paradise.

by Vladimir Bartol 1938 510 pages

4.32

13k+ ratings

Historical Fiction

Classics

Philosophy

The White Queen

by Philippa Gregory • 2009

A widow marries a king in secret and must outmaneuver England's most powerful lords to survive.

3.96

100k+

Historical Fiction

Historical

Romance

The White Queen

A widow marries a king in secret and must outmaneuver England's most powerful lords to survive.

by Philippa Gregory 2009 415 pages

3.96

100k+ ratings

Historical Fiction

Historical

Romance

Legend

by David Gemmell • 1994

When slavers take his wife, a legendary axeman's hunt leads to a city under siege.

4.26

36k+

Fantasy

High Fantasy

Adventure

Legend

When slavers take his wife, a legendary axeman's hunt leads to a city under siege.

by David Gemmell 1994 362 pages

4.26

36k+ ratings

Fantasy

High Fantasy

Adventure

To Green Angel Tower

by Tad Williams • 1993

A scullion, a princess, and three swords stand between the Storm King and the world's destruction.

4.22

57k+

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

To Green Angel Tower

A scullion, a princess, and three swords stand between the Storm King and the world's destruction.

by Tad Williams 1993 1083 pages

4.22

57k+ ratings

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

Masnavi I Ma'navi

by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi • 1273

How a 13th-century Sufi's love stories dissolve what the intellect cannot touch.

4.45

4k+

Poetry

Religion

Islam

Masnavi I Ma'navi

How a 13th-century Sufi's love stories dissolve what the intellect cannot touch.

by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi 1273 483 pages

4.45

4k+ ratings

Poetry

Religion

Islam

Eager to Love

by Richard Rohr • 2014

A spiritual path that runs toward failure, poverty, and weakness. Francis of Assisi opened it.

4.38

1k+

Spirituality

Religion

Christianity

Eager to Love

A spiritual path that runs toward failure, poverty, and weakness. Francis of Assisi opened it.

by Richard Rohr 2014 320 pages

4.38

1k+ ratings

Spirituality

Religion

Christianity

The Bride

by Julie Garwood • 1989

She marries a Scottish laird with a dark reputation. She's English, stubborn, and hunting a killer.

4.22

70k+

Historical Romance

Romance

Historical Fiction

The Bride

She marries a Scottish laird with a dark reputation. She's English, stubborn, and hunting a killer.

by Julie Garwood 1989 352 pages

4.22

70k+ ratings

Historical Romance

Romance

Historical Fiction

Viking Age Iceland

by Jesse L. Byock • 2001

No king, no army, no taxes: the machinery that held Viking Iceland together for three centuries.

4.09

500+

History

Medieval

European

Viking Age Iceland

No king, no army, no taxes: the machinery that held Viking Iceland together for three centuries.

by Jesse L. Byock 2001 448 pages

4.09

500+ ratings

History

Medieval

European

Genghis Khan

by John Man • 2004

16 million men share his chromosome. His empire reshaped Eurasia. His grave has never been found.

3.72

1k+

History

Biography

Asia

Genghis Khan

16 million men share his chromosome. His empire reshaped Eurasia. His grave has never been found.

by John Man 2004 400 pages

3.72

1k+ ratings

History

Biography

Asia

The Adventures of Robin Hood

by Roger Lancelyn Green • 1956

A nobleman outlawed at his wedding gathers rebels in Sherwood to fight a tyrant prince's rule.

4.07

14k+

Classics

Historical Fiction

Adventure

The Adventures of Robin Hood

A nobleman outlawed at his wedding gathers rebels in Sherwood to fight a tyrant prince's rule.

by Roger Lancelyn Green 1956 320 pages

4.07

14k+ ratings

Classics

Historical Fiction

Adventure

The Starving Saints

by Caitlin Starling

A starving castle. Four saints with impossible bounty. The feast consumes its faithful from within.

3.58

22k+

Horror

Fantasy

Dark

Immersive

The Starving Saints

A starving castle. Four saints with impossible bounty. The feast consumes its faithful from within.

by Caitlin Starling 2025 352 pages

3.58

22k+ ratings

Horror

Fantasy

Dark

The Masnavi

by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi • 1270

The soul is an exile; love is the homecoming. The 13th-century Sufi poem that maps the way.

4.41

1k+

Poetry

Religion

Spirituality

The Masnavi

The soul is an exile; love is the homecoming. The 13th-century Sufi poem that maps the way.

by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi 1270 304 pages

4.41

1k+ ratings

Poetry

Religion

Spirituality

The Baburnama

by Zahir ud-Din Muhammad Babur • 1531

A Central Asian king conquered the land he hated and wrote it all down.

3.95

500+

History

Memoir

Autobiography

The Baburnama

A Central Asian king conquered the land he hated and wrote it all down.

by Zahir ud-Din Muhammad Babur 1531 608 pages

3.95

500+ ratings

History

Memoir

Autobiography

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

by Burton Raffel • 1375

Sir Gawain beheads a green knight who rides away holding his head. One year later, the axe returns.

3.76

78k+

Classics

Poetry

Fantasy

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Sir Gawain beheads a green knight who rides away holding his head. One year later, the axe returns.

by Burton Raffel 1375 144 pages

3.76

78k+ ratings

Classics

Poetry

Fantasy

The World of Ice & Fire

by George R.R. Martin • 2014

A maester chronicles the rise and ruin of dragonlords, lost empires, and the kings who burned.

4.25

41k+

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

The World of Ice & Fire

A maester chronicles the rise and ruin of dragonlords, lost empires, and the kings who burned.

by George R.R. Martin 2014 326 pages

4.25

41k+ ratings

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

A History of the Crusades, Volume 1

by Steven Runciman • 1951

Byzantine weakness, noble greed, and mass piety collided to forge a fragile Crusader kingdom.

4.29

1k+

History

Medieval

Middle East

A History of the Crusades, Volume 1

Byzantine weakness, noble greed, and mass piety collided to forge a fragile Crusader kingdom.

by Steven Runciman 1951 394 pages

4.29

1k+ ratings

History

Medieval

Middle East

The Two Towers

by J.R.R. Tolkien • 1954

Frodo and Sam trust Gollum to reach Mordor. Aragorn defends a kingdom against a corrupted wizard.

4.50

1.1M+

Fantasy

Classics

High Fantasy

The Two Towers

Frodo and Sam trust Gollum to reach Mordor. Aragorn defends a kingdom against a corrupted wizard.

by J.R.R. Tolkien 1954 448 pages

4.50

1.1M+ ratings

Fantasy

Classics

High Fantasy

A Feast for Crows

by George R.R. Martin • 2005

A paranoid queen. An assassin in training. A knight hunting ghosts through the wreckage of war.

4.17

700k+

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

A Feast for Crows

A paranoid queen. An assassin in training. A knight hunting ghosts through the wreckage of war.

by George R.R. Martin 2005 1060 pages

4.17

700k+ ratings

Fantasy

Epic Fantasy

High Fantasy

El hombre que calculaba

by Malba Tahan • 1938

A calculating prodigy arrives in medieval Baghdad and solves puzzles of camels, bread, and love.

4.10

6k+

Mathematics

Classics

Historical Fiction

El hombre que calculaba

A calculating prodigy arrives in medieval Baghdad and solves puzzles of camels, bread, and love.

by Malba Tahan 1938 227 pages

4.10

6k+ ratings

Mathematics

Classics

Historical Fiction

Children of Ash and Elm

by Neil Price • 2020

A four-part soul, a cosmos alive with spirits: the Viking Age makes sense only from the inside.

4.14

9k+

History

Medieval

Anthropology

Children of Ash and Elm

A four-part soul, a cosmos alive with spirits: the Viking Age makes sense only from the inside.

by Neil Price 2020 656 pages

4.14

9k+ ratings

History

Medieval

Anthropology

Brunelleschi's Dome

by Ross King • 1999

A goldsmith promised to build the world's largest dome without scaffolding. No one believed him.

3.91

28k+

History

Art

Italy

Brunelleschi's Dome

A goldsmith promised to build the world's largest dome without scaffolding. No one believed him.

by Ross King 1999 192 pages

3.91

28k+ ratings

History

Art

Italy

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

by George R.R. Martin • 2015

A hedge knight and his squire, a prince disguised, enter a wedding tourney that masks a rebellion.

4.27

100k+

Fantasy

High Fantasy

Adventure

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

A hedge knight and his squire, a prince disguised, enter a wedding tourney that masks a rebellion.

by George R.R. Martin 2015 355 pages

4.27

100k+ ratings

Fantasy

High Fantasy

Adventure

St. Thomas Aquinas

by G.K. Chesterton • 1923

A friar's proof: the senses are holy, common sense leads to truth, Aristotle walks with saints.

4.01

11k+

Philosophy

Theology

Biography

St. Thomas Aquinas

A friar's proof: the senses are holy, common sense leads to truth, Aristotle walks with saints.

by G.K. Chesterton 1923 143 pages

4.01

11k+ ratings

Philosophy

Theology

Biography

The Last Jew

by Noah Gordon • 1999

When the Inquisition makes him an orphan, a Jewish boy in medieval Spain hides his faith to survive.

4.16

10k+

Historical Fiction

Historical

Jewish

The Last Jew

When the Inquisition makes him an orphan, a Jewish boy in medieval Spain hides his faith to survive.

by Noah Gordon 1999 348 pages

4.16

10k+ ratings

Historical Fiction

Historical

Jewish

How the Irish Saved Civilization

by Thomas Cahill • 1995

After Rome's fall, Irish monks became the unlikely saviors of classical literature.

3.81

47k+

History

Medieval

Ireland

How the Irish Saved Civilization

After Rome's fall, Irish monks became the unlikely saviors of classical literature.

by Thomas Cahill 1995 256 pages

3.81

47k+ ratings

History

Medieval

Ireland

Alanna

by Tamora Pierce • 1983

Disguised as a boy, a girl trains for knighthood while hiding her magic and her identity.

4.27

100k+

Fantasy

Young Adult

Adventure

Alanna

Disguised as a boy, a girl trains for knighthood while hiding her magic and her identity.

by Tamora Pierce 1983 274 pages

4.27

100k+ ratings

Fantasy

Young Adult

Adventure

1 2 3 4 Next

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M