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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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The Turquoise
The Turquoise
by Anya Seton
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
Great Lion of God
Great Lion of God
by Taylor Caldwell
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
The Death of Artemio Cruz
The Death of Artemio Cruz
by Carlos Fuentes, Alfred MacAdam
Moon Tiger
Moon Tiger
by Penelope Lively
North River
North River
by Pete Hamill
California Gold
California Gold
by John Jakes
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The Man in the Wooden Hat
The Man in the Wooden Hat
by Jane Gardam
The War of the End of the World
The War of the End of the World
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Helen R. Lane
Fields of Blood
Fields of Blood
by Ben Kane
The Slowworm's Song
The Slowworm's Song
by Andrew Miller
Comes the Dark Stranger
Comes the Dark Stranger
by Jack Higgins
Leviathan
Leviathan
by Robert McCammon
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The Conductors
The Conductors
by Nicole Glover
All Change
All Change
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
The Loving Spirit
The Loving Spirit
by Daphne Du Maurier
My Father's House
My Father's House
by Joseph O’Connor
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
Baudolino
Baudolino
by Umberto Eco
The Florios of Sicily
The Florios of Sicily
by Stefania Auci
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
The Hope
The Hope
by Herman Wouk
The Colour of Milk
The Colour of Milk
by Nell Leyshon
The Temple of My Familiar
The Temple of My Familiar
by Alice Walker
Human Voices
Human Voices
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Mark Damazer
Tropic of Orange
Tropic of Orange
by Karen Tei Yamashita, Sesshu Foster
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall
by Jim Harrison
The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence
by Edith Wharton
A Pillar of Iron
A Pillar of Iron
by Taylor Caldwell
GodPretty in the Tobacco Field
GodPretty in the Tobacco Field
by Kim Michele Richardson
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 Light Years
The Light Years
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
The Jerusalem Diamond
The Jerusalem Diamond
by Noah Gordon
Queen Margot
Queen Margot
by Alexandre Dumas
An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
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
No Time for Tears
No Time for Tears
by Cynthia Freeman
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron
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Ceremony of the Innocent
Ceremony of the Innocent
by Taylor Caldwell
The Keepers of the House
The Keepers of the House
by Shirley Ann Grau
Paragon Walk
Paragon Walk
by Anne Perry
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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.