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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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Death Comes for the Archbishop
Death Comes for the Archbishop
by Willa Cather
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
by B. Traven
Time and Time Again
Time and Time Again
by Ben Elton
The Bottoms
The Bottoms
by Joe R. Lansdale
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
Normal People
Normal People
by Sara Rooney
The Company
The Company
by Robert Littell
Parade's End
Parade's End
by Ford Madox Ford
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
The Physician
The Physician
by Noah Gordon
The Last Mountain Man
The Last Mountain Man
by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone
War and Remembrance
War and Remembrance
by Herman Wouk
Cross Her Heart
Cross Her Heart
by Sarah Pinborough
Gracie's Secret
Gracie's Secret
by Jill Childs
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The Alchemist
The Alchemist
by Paulo Coelho
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
by Ken Kesey
Refuge
Refuge
by Dot Jackson
Comanche Moon
Comanche Moon
by Larry McMurtry
Gone Girl
Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn
Daughter of Fortune
Daughter of Fortune
by Isabel Allende
Son of a Trickster
Son of a Trickster
by Eden Robinson
The Good Earth
The Good Earth
by Pearl S. Buck
The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman
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The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat
by Oliver Sacks
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity
by James Jones
In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote
Lord of the Flies
Lord of the Flies
by William Golding
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California Gold
California Gold
by John Jakes
The Book Eaters
The Book Eaters
by Sunyi Dean
The Feminine Mystique
The Feminine Mystique
by Betty Friedan
Trail of Lightning
Trail of Lightning
by Rebecca Roanhorse
Fairy Tale
Fairy Tale
by Stephen King
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die
by James Mustich
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall
by Jim Harrison
Topaz
Topaz
by Leon Uris
Through the Woods
Through the Woods
by Emily Carroll
The Corpse Washer
The Corpse Washer
by Sinan Antoon
Book of Night
Book of Night
by Holly Black
Close Up
Close Up
by Amanda Quick
A Canticle for Leibowitz
A Canticle for Leibowitz
by Walter M. Miller Jr.
Trail of Broken Wings
Trail of Broken Wings
by Sejal Badani
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1984
1984
by George Orwell
Born A Crime
Born A Crime
by Trevor Noah
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7 Real Life Adventure Stories
The Gilda Stories
The Gilda Stories
by Jewelle Gomez
It Ends with Us
It Ends with Us
by Colleen Hoover
Jackie Oh!
Jackie Oh!
by Kitty Kelley
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
Is This Anything?
Is This Anything?
by Jerry Seinfeld
Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall
by Hilary Mantel
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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.