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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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Son of God
Son of God
by Roma Downey, Mark Burnett
Laughing Boy
Laughing Boy
by Oliver La Farge
The Death of Artemio Cruz
The Death of Artemio Cruz
by Alfred MacAdam, Carlos Fuentes
North River
North River
by Pete Hamill
Kitchen Chinese
Kitchen Chinese
by Ann Mah
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The Duke's Secret Heir
The Duke's Secret Heir
by Sarah Mallory
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Black Out
Black Out
by John Lawton
Frenchman's Creek
Frenchman's Creek
by Daphne du Maurier
Night of the Fox
Night of the Fox
by Jack Higgins
The Taxidermist's Daughter
The Taxidermist's Daughter
by Kate Mosse
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
The Winthrop Woman
The Winthrop Woman
by Anya Seton
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
Legends of the Fall
Legends of the Fall
by Jim Harrison
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
The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain
This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
The Quiet American
The Quiet American
by Graham Greene
Between Earth and Sky
Between Earth and Sky
by Amanda Skenandore
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
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The Bull from the Sea
The Bull from the Sea
by Mary Renault
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
The Good Earth
The Good Earth
by Pearl S. Buck
The Red and the Green
The Red and the Green
by Iris Murdoch
The Prague Sonata
The Prague Sonata
by Bradford Morrow
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24 Epic World War II Books
The Company
The Company
by Robert Littell
Body & Soul
Body & Soul
by Frank Conroy
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
Captains and the Kings
Captains and the Kings
by Taylor Caldwell
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Homeland
Homeland
by John Jakes
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 King Must Die
The King Must Die
by Mary Renault
Seventh Heaven
Seventh Heaven
by Alice Hoffman
A Morbid Taste for Bones
A Morbid Taste for Bones
by Ellis Peters
The Group
The Group
by Mary McCarthy
Actress
Actress
by Anne Enright
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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To Catch a King
To Catch a King
by Jack Higgins
A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
Black Bottom Saints
Black Bottom Saints
by Alice Randall
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
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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.