The Psychology of Combat in Historical Fiction: How Authors Capture PTSD Before We Had a Name for It

By drhawkins, 15 July, 2025

That’s where books like A Beckoning Hellfire and A Rebel Among Us come in. J.D.R. Hawkins doesn’t just explore physical recovery—she writes about emotional isolation and survivor’s guilt. Characters battle their own minds, relationships falter, and the world they fought for seems alien. In the best historical fiction war stories, that aftermath is just as gripping as the battlefield.