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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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Moon Tiger
Moon Tiger
by Penelope Lively
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
The Quiet American
The Quiet American
by Graham Greene
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Enemy of Rome
Enemy of Rome
by Ben Kane
The Painted Bird
The Painted Bird
by Jerzy Kosinski
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Leviathan
Leviathan
by Robert McCammon
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How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
by Richard Llewellyn
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Death Comes for the Archbishop
by Willa Cather
Castle Dor
Castle Dor
by Daphne Du Maurier
My Father's House
My Father's House
by Joseph O’Connor
A Small Death In Lisbon
A Small Death In Lisbon
by Robert Wilson
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
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
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Marjorie Morningstar
Marjorie Morningstar
by Herman Wouk
The Long Song
The Long Song
by Andrea Levy
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
The Light Years
The Light Years
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Cathedral
Cathedral
by Ben Hopkins
A Few Right Thinking Men
A Few Right Thinking Men
by Sulari Gentill
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
This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
The Condor Passes
The Condor Passes
by Shirley Ann Grau
The Keepers of the House
The Keepers of the House
by Shirley Ann Grau
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
The Night Mark
The Night Mark
by Tiffany Reisz
Testimony of Two Men
Testimony of Two Men
by Taylor Caldwell
Monkey
Monkey
by Wu Ch'eng-en, Arthur Waley
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
The Camomile Lawn
The Camomile Lawn
by Mary Wesley
Songs in Ordinary Time
Songs in Ordinary Time
by Mary McGarry Morris
Terra Nostra
Terra Nostra
by Carlos Fuentes, Milan Kundera
The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Andrew Miller
The Slowworm's Song
The Slowworm's Song
by Andrew Miller
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
Night of the Fox
Night of the Fox
by Jack Higgins
The Canterbury Papers
The Canterbury Papers
by Judith Koll Healey
Long Summer Day
Long Summer Day
by R. F. Delderfield
How We Disappeared
How We Disappeared
by Jing-Jing Lee
Chicano
Chicano
by Richard Vasquez, Ruben Martinez
The Temple of My Familiar
The Temple of My Familiar
by Alice Walker
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
by Bernard Evslin
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall
by Jim Harrison
North and South
North and South
by John Jakes
An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
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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.