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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
I, Saul
I, Saul
by Jerry B. Jenkins
The Woman Who Wouldn't
The Woman Who Wouldn't
by Gene Wilder
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers
Moon Tiger
Moon Tiger
by Penelope Lively
North River
North River
by Pete Hamill
All God's Children
All God's Children
by Aaron Gwyn
Kitchen Chinese
Kitchen Chinese
by Ann Mah
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The Angry Wife
The Angry Wife
by Pearl S. Buck
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The Hearth and Eagle
The Hearth and Eagle
by Anya Seton
Comes the Dark Stranger
Comes the Dark Stranger
by Jack Higgins
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
by Richard Llewellyn
Frenchman's Creek
Frenchman's Creek
by Daphne Du Maurier
The Devil in the Marshalsea
The Devil in the Marshalsea
by Antonia Hodgson
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper
Night of the Fox
Night of the Fox
by Jack Higgins
Beneficence
Beneficence
by Meredith Hall
The Hope
The Hope
by Herman Wouk
North and South
North and South
by John Jakes
The North and South Trilogy
The North and South Trilogy
by John Jakes
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
The Light Years
The Light Years
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Some Tame Gazelle
Some Tame Gazelle
by Barbara Pym
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
A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year
by Daniel Defoe
The Keepers of the House
The Keepers of the House
by Shirley Ann Grau
The Eagle Has Landed
The Eagle Has Landed
by Jack Higgins
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The Cater Street Hangman
The Cater Street Hangman
by Anne Perry
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
The Liam Devlin Novels
The Liam Devlin Novels
by Jack Higgins
Testimony of Two Men
Testimony of Two Men
by Taylor Caldwell
Dragon's Teeth
Dragon's Teeth
by Upton Sinclair
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
The Turnbulls
The Turnbulls
by Taylor Caldwell
The Custom of the Country
The Custom of the Country
by Edith Wharton
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The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Andrew Miller
The Dog Who Was There
The Dog Who Was There
by Ron Marasco
The Silver Eagle
The Silver Eagle
by Ben Kane
The Slowworm's Song
The Slowworm's Song
by Andrew Miller
The Other Alcott
The Other Alcott
by Elise Hooper
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
by Robert Hough
The Painted Bird
The Painted Bird
by Jerzy Kosinski
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Speaks the Nightbird
Speaks the Nightbird
by Robert McCammon
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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.