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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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All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
I, Judas
I, Judas
by Taylor Caldwell, Jess Stearn
Actress
Actress
by Anne Enright
North River
North River
by Pete Hamill
The Wake of Forgiveness
The Wake of Forgiveness
by Bruce Machart
Something Dangerous
Something Dangerous
by Penny Vincenzi
Together Tea
Together Tea
by Marjan Kamali
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'Til the Well Runs Dry
'Til the Well Runs Dry
by Lauren Francis-Sharma
The War of the End of the World
The War of the End of the World
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Helen R. Lane
Enemy of Rome
Enemy of Rome
by Ben Kane
The Turquoise
The Turquoise
by Anya Seton
The Other Alcott
The Other Alcott
by Elise Hooper
Orlando
Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
The Circus in Winter
The Circus in Winter
by Cathy Day
The Dark Side of the Island
The Dark Side of the Island
by Jack Higgins
The Glorious Ones
The Glorious Ones
by Francine Prose
The Prague Sonata
The Prague Sonata
by Bradford Morrow
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Speaks the Nightbird
Speaks the Nightbird
by Robert McCammon
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A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
Red River
Red River
by Lalita Tademy
The Custom of the Country
The Custom of the Country
by Edith Wharton
Hungry Hill
Hungry Hill
by Daphne Du Maurier
A Question of Trust
A Question of Trust
by Penny Vincenzi
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
The Company
The Company
by Robert Littell
Wintering
Wintering
by Kate Moses
Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
Now We Shall Be Entirely Free
by Andrew Miller
Night of the Fox
Night of the Fox
by Jack Higgins
Arthur Rex
Arthur Rex
by Thomas Berger
The Physician
The Physician
by Noah Gordon
The King's Witch
The King's Witch
by Tracy Borman
The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
by John Boyne
The Madonnas of Leningrad
The Madonnas of Leningrad
by Debra Dean
The Red Address Book
The Red Address Book
by Sofia Lundberg, Alice Menzies
Goliath
Goliath
by Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson
The Auerbach Will
The Auerbach Will
by Stephen Birmingham
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The Quilter's Homecoming
The Quilter's Homecoming
by Jennifer Chiaverini
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
The Keys of the Kingdom
The Keys of the Kingdom
by AJ Cronin
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
by Max Hennessy
My Antonia
My Antonia
by Willa Cather, Kathleen Norris
Buffalo Girls
Buffalo Girls
by Larry McMurtry
The Hearts of Horses
The Hearts of Horses
by Molly Gloss
The Robber Bridegroom
The Robber Bridegroom
by Eudora Welty
Confederates
Confederates
by Thomas Keneally
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Crooked Heart
Crooked Heart
by Lissa Evans
Heart Mountain
Heart Mountain
by Gretel Ehrlich
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
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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.