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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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Barren Ground
Barren Ground
by Ellen Glasgow
The Lightkeeper
The Lightkeeper
by Susan Wiggs
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Olga
Olga
by Bernhard Schlink
A Prayer for the Dying
A Prayer for the Dying
by Stewart O'Nan
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Orlando
Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
To Catch a King
To Catch a King
by Jack Higgins
Black Bottom Saints
Black Bottom Saints
by Alice Randall
The Lightkeeper's Daughters
The Lightkeeper's Daughters
by Jean E. Pendziwol
The Physician
The Physician
by Noah Gordon
My Ántonia
My Ántonia
by Willa Cather, Kathleen Norris
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Calico Captive
Calico Captive
by Elizabeth George Speare
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
Trouble at the Brownstone
Trouble at the Brownstone
by Robert Goldsborough
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8 New York City Mystery Books
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
The Temple of My Familiar
The Temple of My Familiar
by Alice Walker
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Gentleman's Agreement
Gentleman's Agreement
by Laura Z. Hobson
Cathedral
Cathedral
by Ben Hopkins
The Cole Trilogy
The Cole Trilogy
by Noah Gordon
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
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
Dragonwyck
Dragonwyck
by Anya Seton
The Nakano Thrift Shop
The Nakano Thrift Shop
by Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell
The Last Chinese Chef
The Last Chinese Chef
by Nicole Mones
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
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This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
Fire from Heaven
Fire from Heaven
by Mary Renault
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Glory and the Lightning
Glory and the Lightning
by Taylor Caldwell
Long Range Patrol
Long Range Patrol
by Dennis Foley
The Liam Devlin Novels
The Liam Devlin Novels
by Jack Higgins
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
The End of the Affair
The End of the Affair
by Graham Greene
East Wind: West Wind
East Wind: West Wind
by Pearl S. Buck
The Young Lions
The Young Lions
by Irwin Shaw
The Good Earth
The Good Earth
by Pearl S. Buck
Wide Is the Gate
Wide Is the Gate
by Upton Sinclair
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
The Quiet American
The Quiet American
by Graham Greene
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
The Color Purple Collection
The Color Purple Collection
by Alice Walker
The Silver Eagle
The Silver Eagle
by Ben Kane
Frenchman's Creek
Frenchman's Creek
by Daphne du Maurier
The Sea House
The Sea House
by Elisabeth Gifford
The Company
The Company
by Robert Littell
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
Inside, Outside
Inside, Outside
by Herman Wouk
Showing 1-50 of 369 results

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.