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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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Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
by John Cleland
Moon Tiger
Moon Tiger
by Penelope Lively
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
Strange Fruit
Strange Fruit
by Lillian Smith
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The Custom of the Country
The Custom of the Country
by Edith Wharton
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Death Comes for the Archbishop
Death Comes for the Archbishop
by Willa Cather
Frenchman's Creek
Frenchman's Creek
by Daphne Du Maurier
My Father's House
My Father's House
by Joseph O’Connor
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper
Beneficence
Beneficence
by Meredith Hall
The Long Song
The Long Song
by Andrea Levy
My Antonia
My Antonia
by Willa Cather, Kathleen Norris
Refuge
Refuge
by Dot Jackson
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
A Pillar of Iron
A Pillar of Iron
by Taylor Caldwell
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
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
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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Penmarric
Penmarric
by Susan Howatch
Old Filth
Old Filth
by Jane Gardam
The Keepers of the House
The Keepers of the House
by Shirley Ann Grau
The Hell Bent Kid
The Hell Bent Kid
by Charles O. Locke
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Rutland Place
Rutland Place
by Anne Perry
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
1968
1968
by Joe Haldeman
Testimony of Two Men
Testimony of Two Men
by Taylor Caldwell
Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Andrew Miller
Speaks the Nightbird
Speaks the Nightbird
by Robert McCammon
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A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
The Florios of Sicily
The Florios of Sicily
by Stefania Auci
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
Citadel
Citadel
by Kate Mosse
Marjorie Morningstar
Marjorie Morningstar
by Herman Wouk
The Island of the Day Before
The Island of the Day Before
by Umberto Eco
The Maid
The Maid
by Kimberly Cutter
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The Scandalous Marriage
The Scandalous Marriage
by M. C. Beaton
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
An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
The Rebels
The Rebels
by John Jakes
The Nakano Thrift Shop
The Nakano Thrift Shop
by Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell
The King Must Die
The King Must Die
by Mary Renault
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
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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.