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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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I, Saul
I, Saul
by Jerry B. Jenkins
The Edge of Nowhere
The Edge of Nowhere
by C. H. Armstrong
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The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury
by William Faulkner
Hungry Hill
Hungry Hill
by Daphne du Maurier
A Small Death In Lisbon
A Small Death In Lisbon
by Robert Wilson
The Physician
The Physician
by Noah Gordon
My Antonia
My Antonia
by Willa Cather, Kathleen Norris
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
The Winthrop Woman
The Winthrop Woman
by Anya Seton
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
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The Maid
The Maid
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When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
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
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
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This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
Jubilee
Jubilee
by Margaret Walker, Nikki Giovanni
This Proud Heart
This Proud Heart
by Pearl S. Buck
Homeland
Homeland
by John Jakes
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
by Ron Hansen
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
The End of the Affair
The End of the Affair
by Graham Greene
Pavilion of Women
Pavilion of Women
by Pearl S. Buck
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
The Quiet American
The Quiet American
by Graham Greene
The King Must Die
The King Must Die
by Mary Renault
The Good Earth
The Good Earth
by Pearl S. Buck
The Other Side of the Sun
The Other Side of the Sun
by Madeleine L'Engle
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The Re-Read: A Wrinkle in Time
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity
by James Jones
The Rich Are Different
The Rich Are Different
by Susan Howatch
World's End
World's End
by Upton Sinclair
A Morbid Taste for Bones
A Morbid Taste for Bones
by Ellis Peters
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
Bellfield Hall
Bellfield Hall
by Anna Dean
The Other Windsor Girl
The Other Windsor Girl
by Georgie Blalock
Never Call It Loving
Never Call It Loving
by Dorothy Eden
The Financier
The Financier
by Theodore Dreiser
The Bold Frontier
The Bold Frontier
by John Jakes
'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
The Dog Who Was There
The Dog Who Was There
by Ron Marasco
Spartacus, the Gladiator
Spartacus, the Gladiator
by Ben Kane
A Prayer for the Dying
A Prayer for the Dying
by Stewart O'Nan
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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.