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The Best Historical Fiction Books

While time travel will probably never happen, we’ll always have the next best thing: historical fiction novels. Through the magic of fiction (and authors’ dedication to researching endless incredible details), readers can feel as though they’ve been everywhere and every time, from Ancient Greece to colonial Asia to the American Revolution. If you’re a fiction lover who wants to learn more about the past but isn’t sure about diving into the world of history books, it’s the best of both worlds. 

Another reason to love historical fiction is that it can be crossed with any other genre. From historical mysteries to steamy historical romance to hilarious historical fiction, whatever genre you enjoy can be placed in another period.

Clearly, this is a genre that truly has something for everyone. Whether you prefer novels that bring you to times of war and terror or more whimsical stories set in the past; historical fiction that is surprisingly accurate or tales that take creative license with their settings, you'll find endless books to add to your TBR pile in the lists below.

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Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
The Secret Book of Kings
The Secret Book of Kings
by Yochi Brandes, Yardenne Greenspan
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
Homeland
Homeland
by John Jakes
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
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Comes the Dark Stranger
Comes the Dark Stranger
by Jack Higgins
The Painted Bird
The Painted Bird
by Jerzy Kosinski
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24 Epic World War II Books
Speaks the Nightbird
Speaks the Nightbird
by Robert McCammon
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A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
My Father's House
My Father's House
by Joseph O’Connor
Her First American
Her First American
by Lore Segal, Stanley Crouch
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper
The Yellow Bird Sings
The Yellow Bird Sings
by Jennifer Rosner
The Madonnas of Leningrad
The Madonnas of Leningrad
by Debra Dean
Confederates
Confederates
by Thomas Keneally
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The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
A Soldier of the Great War
A Soldier of the Great War
by Mark Helprin
North and South
North and South
by John Jakes
Peony
Peony
by Pearl S. Buck
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
Queen Margot
Queen Margot
by Alexandre Dumas
The Life She Was Given
The Life She Was Given
by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Between Earth and Sky
Between Earth and Sky
by Amanda Skenandore
The Rebels
The Rebels
by John Jakes
This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
Monkey
Monkey
by Wu Ch'eng-en, Arthur Waley
The Good Earth Trilogy
The Good Earth Trilogy
by Pearl S. Buck
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
The Other Side of the Sun
The Other Side of the Sun
by Madeleine L'Engle
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The Re-Read: A Wrinkle in Time
The Seeing Garden
The Seeing Garden
by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers
Light at Lavelle
Light at Lavelle
by Paullina Simons
North River
North River
by Pete Hamill
All God's Children
All God's Children
by Aaron Gwyn
The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Andrew Miller
The War of the End of the World
The War of the End of the World
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Helen R. Lane
The Dog Who Was There
The Dog Who Was There
by Ron Marasco
Enemy of Rome
Enemy of Rome
by Ben Kane
The Hearth and Eagle
The Hearth and Eagle
by Anya Seton
The Other Alcott
The Other Alcott
by Elise Hooper
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
by Richard Llewellyn
The Shopkeeper's Daughter
The Shopkeeper's Daughter
by Dilly Court, Lily Baxter
Frenchman's Creek
Frenchman's Creek
by Daphne Du Maurier
The Queen of Palmyra
The Queen of Palmyra
by Minrose Gwin
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
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Historical fiction is a genre where a fictional plot is set in a real historical setting or uses real historical characters. While there can be a mix of real and fictional events in the plot, historical fiction focuses on its fictional plot-points. 

The goal of historical fiction is to transport readers to another time. To do that, you’ll need to make the details of your story believable, even though it’s fiction. You want to focus on time period significance, historical accuracy, and detailed descriptions of characters and settings. 

Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth is often considered the first historical fiction novel.