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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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A Child's History of England
A Child's History of England
by Charles Dickens
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
Terra Nostra
Terra Nostra
by Carlos Fuentes, Milan Kundera
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
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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
My Theodosia
My Theodosia
by Anya Seton
A Prayer for the Dying
A Prayer for the Dying
by Stewart O'Nan
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The Lightkeeper's Daughters
The Lightkeeper's Daughters
by Jean E. Pendziwol
My Father's House
My Father's House
by Joseph O’Connor
The Good German
The Good German
by Joseph Kanon
Baudolino
Baudolino
by Umberto Eco
The Florios of Sicily
The Florios of Sicily
by Stefania Auci
Cloudstreet
Cloudstreet
by Tim Winton
Looking Back
Looking Back
by Josephine Cox
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall
by Jim Harrison
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
Z
Z
by Therese Anne Fowler
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
The Outsider
The Outsider
by Howard Fast
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 Last of the Wine
The Last of the Wine
by Mary Renault
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
A Burnt-Out Case
A Burnt-Out Case
by Graham Greene
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The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder
by Donald McCaig
All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
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
The Wind Is Not a River
The Wind Is Not a River
by Brian Payton
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Vile Bodies
Vile Bodies
by Evelyn Waugh
Speaks the Nightbird
Speaks the Nightbird
by Robert McCammon
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The Conductors
The Conductors
by Nicole Glover
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
by Richard Llewellyn
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
Marjorie Morningstar
Marjorie Morningstar
by Herman Wouk
The Foreign Student
The Foreign Student
by Susan Choi
The Colour of Milk
The Colour of Milk
by Nell Leyshon
Refuge
Refuge
by Dot Jackson
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Mary, Mrs. A. Lincoln
Mary, Mrs. A. Lincoln
by Janis Cooke Newman
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The Temple of My Familiar
The Temple of My Familiar
by Alice Walker
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
by Susan Vreeland
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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.