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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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The Marquis of Carabas
The Marquis of Carabas
by Rafael Sabatini
The Lost Books of the Odyssey
The Lost Books of the Odyssey
by Zachary Mason
I, Judas
I, Judas
by Jess Stearn, Taylor Caldwell
The Far Side of the Sky
The Far Side of the Sky
by Daniel Kalla
The Last Debutantes
The Last Debutantes
by Georgie Blalock
All God's Children
All God's Children
by Aaron Gwyn
The Edge of Nowhere
The Edge of Nowhere
by C. H. Armstrong
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Enemy of Rome
Enemy of Rome
by Ben Kane
My Theodosia
My Theodosia
by Anya Seton
To Catch a King
To Catch a King
by Jack Higgins
The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury
by William Faulkner
The Painted Bird
The Painted Bird
by Jerzy Kosinski
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24 Epic World War II Books
A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
Black Out
Black Out
by John Lawton
Hungry Hill
Hungry Hill
by Daphne du Maurier
Frenchman's Creek
Frenchman's Creek
by Daphne du Maurier
The Queen of Palmyra
The Queen of Palmyra
by Minrose Gwin
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
The Company
The Company
by Robert Littell
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper
Night of the Fox
Night of the Fox
by Jack Higgins
The Physician
The Physician
by Noah Gordon
Citadel
Citadel
by Kate Mosse
The Glory
The Glory
by Herman Wouk
Goliath
Goliath
by Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson
The Auerbach Will
The Auerbach Will
by Stephen Birmingham
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My Ántonia
My Ántonia
by Willa Cather, Kathleen Norris
Buffalo Girls
Buffalo Girls
by Larry McMurtry
The Hearts of Horses
The Hearts of Horses
by Molly Gloss
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
The Lost Mother
The Lost Mother
by Mary McGarry Morris
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
by Bernard Evslin
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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Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
by Susan Vreeland
Very Old Bones
Very Old Bones
by William Kennedy
The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour
by Robert McCammon
A Soldier of the Great War
A Soldier of the Great War
by Mark Helprin
Trouble at the Brownstone
Trouble at the Brownstone
by Robert Goldsborough
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8 New York City Mystery Books
Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man
by Irwin Shaw
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
The Temple of My Familiar
The Temple of My Familiar
by Alice Walker
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An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
Torquemada
Torquemada
by Howard Fast
The Life She Was Given
The Life She Was Given
by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
by Mark Twain
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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.