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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.

Historical Fiction on Sale Now!

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Vile Bodies
Vile Bodies
by Evelyn Waugh
Presumption: An Entertainment
Presumption: An Entertainment
by Julia Barrett
I, Saul
I, Saul
by Jerry B. Jenkins
Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder
by Donald McCaig
Bellfield Hall
Bellfield Hall
by Anna Dean
The Other Windsor Girl
The Other Windsor Girl
by Georgie Blalock
The Seeing Garden
The Seeing Garden
by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
The Millionaire's Daughter
The Millionaire's Daughter
by Dorothy Eden
The Bold Frontier
The Bold Frontier
by John Jakes
Miss Jane
Miss Jane
by Brad Watson
Nothing Like the Sun
Nothing Like the Sun
by Anthony Burgess
Something Dangerous
Something Dangerous
by Penny Vincenzi
The Edge of Nowhere
The Edge of Nowhere
by C. H. Armstrong
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'Til the Well Runs Dry
'Til the Well Runs Dry
by Lauren Francis-Sharma
Olga
Olga
by Bernhard Schlink
The War of the End of the World
The War of the End of the World
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Helen R. Lane
When Mountains Move
When Mountains Move
by Julie Cantrell
The Silver Eagle
The Silver Eagle
by Ben Kane
The Overmountain Men
The Overmountain Men
by Cameron Judd
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Orlando
Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
The Painted Bird
The Painted Bird
by Jerzy Kosinski
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The Return
The Return
by Victoria Hislop
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Red River
Red River
by Lalita Tademy
The Custom of the Country
The Custom of the Country
by Edith Wharton
South California Purples
South California Purples
by Baron Birtcher
Castle Dor
Castle Dor
by Daphne du Maurier
Bretherton
Bretherton
by W. F. Morris
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Time of Hope
Time of Hope
by C.P. Snow
The Company
The Company
by Robert Littell
The Florios of Sicily
The Florios of Sicily
by Stefania Auci
Cloudstreet
Cloudstreet
by Tim Winton
Then We Take Berlin
Then We Take Berlin
by John Lawton
The Physician
The Physician
by Noah Gordon
And After the Fire
And After the Fire
by Lauren Belfer
The Toss of a Lemon
The Toss of a Lemon
by Padma Viswanathan
The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
by John Boyne
Mr. Timothy
Mr. Timothy
by Louis Bayard
The Seamstress
The Seamstress
by Frances De Pontes Peebles
The Red Address Book
The Red Address Book
by Sofia Lundberg, Alice Menzies
The Glory
The Glory
by Herman Wouk
Goliath
Goliath
by Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson
The Undertaking
The Undertaking
by Audrey Magee
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
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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.