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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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Captains and the Kings
Captains and the Kings
by Taylor Caldwell
Queenmaker
Queenmaker
by India Edghill
All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
The Last Debutantes
The Last Debutantes
by Georgie Blalock
The Millionaire's Daughter
The Millionaire's Daughter
by Dorothy Eden
Big Girls Don't Cry
Big Girls Don't Cry
by Fay Weldon
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers
The Bold Frontier
The Bold Frontier
by John Jakes
North River
North River
by Pete Hamill
The Wake of Forgiveness
The Wake of Forgiveness
by Bruce Machart
The Edge of Nowhere
The Edge of Nowhere
by C. H. Armstrong
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The Way to Paradise
The Way to Paradise
by Mario Vargas Llosa
The Dog Who Was There
The Dog Who Was There
by Ron Marasco
Spartacus: Rebellion
Spartacus: Rebellion
by Ben Kane
The Slowworm's Song
The Slowworm's Song
by Andrew Miller
To Catch a King
To Catch a King
by Jack Higgins
Forbidden Places
Forbidden Places
by Penny Vincenzi
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Speaks the Nightbird
Speaks the Nightbird
by Robert McCammon
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The Return
The Return
by Victoria Hislop
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All Change
All Change
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
The Loving Spirit
The Loving Spirit
by Daphne du Maurier
The Devil in the Marshalsea
The Devil in the Marshalsea
by Antonia Hodgson
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
The Eternal Wonder
The Eternal Wonder
by Pearl S. Buck
Night of the Fox
Night of the Fox
by Jack Higgins
Arthur Rex
Arthur Rex
by Thomas Berger
The Physician
The Physician
by Noah Gordon
And After the Fire
And After the Fire
by Lauren Belfer
The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope
The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope
by Rhonda Riley
The Seamstress
The Seamstress
by Frances De Pontes Peebles
Beneficence
Beneficence
by Meredith Hall
The Hope
The Hope
by Herman Wouk
Goliath
Goliath
by Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
The Boat Runner
The Boat Runner
by Devin Murphy
My Ántonia
My Ántonia
by Willa Cather, Kathleen Norris
Zeke and Ned
Zeke and Ned
by Diana Ossana, Larry McMurtry
The Hearts of Horses
The Hearts of Horses
by Molly Gloss
The Fatal Crown
The Fatal Crown
by Ellen Jones
There Is Confusion
There Is Confusion
by Jessie Redmon Fauset
The Robber Bridegroom
The Robber Bridegroom
by Eudora Welty
Heart Mountain
Heart Mountain
by Gretel Ehrlich
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Female Friends
Female Friends
by Fay Weldon
Songs in Ordinary Time
Songs in Ordinary Time
by Mary McGarry Morris
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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.