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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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A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year
by Daniel Defoe
Moon Tiger
Moon Tiger
by Penelope Lively
The Quiet American
The Quiet American
by Graham Greene
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The Custom of the Country
The Custom of the Country
by Edith Wharton
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Frenchman's Creek
Frenchman's Creek
by Daphne Du Maurier
The Devil in the Marshalsea
The Devil in the Marshalsea
by Antonia Hodgson
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
The Good German
The Good German
by Joseph Kanon
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
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The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
by John Boyne
Beneficence
Beneficence
by Meredith Hall
Marjorie Morningstar
Marjorie Morningstar
by Herman Wouk
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Confederates
Confederates
by Thomas Keneally
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For All Eternity
For All Eternity
by Heather Cullman
The Italian House
The Italian House
by Teresa Crane
Peony
Peony
by Pearl S. Buck
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
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
Afterlands
Afterlands
by Steven Heighton
The Keepers of the House
The Keepers of the House
by Shirley Ann Grau
Beyond the Pale
Beyond the Pale
by Elana Dykewomon
The Cater Street Hangman
The Cater Street Hangman
by Anne Perry
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
The Flowering Thorn
The Flowering Thorn
by Margery Sharp
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
The Seeing Garden
The Seeing Garden
by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
Terra Nostra
Terra Nostra
by Carlos Fuentes, Milan Kundera
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Andrew Miller
Red River
Red River
by Lalita Tademy
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
by Richard Llewellyn
Imperial Woman
Imperial Woman
by Pearl S. Buck
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
by Imogen Hermes Gowar
Refuge
Refuge
by Dot Jackson
Crooked Heart
Crooked Heart
by Lissa Evans
A Soldier of the Great War
A Soldier of the Great War
by Mark Helprin
A Pillar of Iron
A Pillar of Iron
by Taylor Caldwell
The Winemaker
The Winemaker
by Noah Gordon
Queen Margot
Queen Margot
by Alexandre Dumas
An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
Jubilee
Jubilee
by Margaret Walker, Nikki Giovanni
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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.