I love reading about this time period and was wondering it there are any books or series that are particularly accurate. I'd rather they be set earlier in the middle ages but any recommendations are welcome.
I've already read Bernard Cornwell's Saxon stories and a lot of his other medieval stuff (any comments about the accuracy of these are welcome).
I read through the rules and didn't see anything against this although it is off topic, hope I'm not breaking any rules here.
It's not early, but a classic work of medieval historical fiction (really a medieval detective story) is Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose. I'd recommend it to anyone.
Oh! And Eco's Baudolino is great too.
The Caedfel mysteries are set in 1140's England and Wales during the Civil War between King Stephen and Empress Maud.
I really enjoyed Pillars of the Earth - set in 12th Century England, a fictional town builds a church.
How do you feel about early medieval Constantinople? The John the Lord Chamberlain series is pretty good (though I'm kind of dubious on its portrayal of Mithraism), and I think the twelfth one just came out.
The Last Duel by Eric Jager. Fascinating true story of the last sanctioned duel in France. It is written quite wonderfully, and combines information gleaned from historical record with a bit of narrative assumption. Sidenote, Jager is also a great guy, one of my favorite professors from Uni so maybe I am a bit biased.