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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 Looming Tower
The Looming Tower
by Lawrence Wright
Eloise At the Plaza
Eloise At the Plaza
by Kay Thompson
Alexander Hamilton
Alexander Hamilton
by Ron Chernow
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Jumanji
Jumanji
by Chris van Allsburg
The Fire Next Time
The Fire Next Time
by James Baldwin
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards
by Lilian Jackson Braun
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis
A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones
by George R.R. Martin
Stuart Little
Stuart Little
by E.B. White
Before I Let You Go
Before I Let You Go
by Kelly Rimmer
The Business of Fancydancing
The Business of Fancydancing
by Sherman Alexie
James and the Giant Peach
James and the Giant Peach
by Roald Dahl
The Wives
The Wives
by Tarryn Fisher
Dating by the Book
Dating by the Book
by Mary Ann Marlowe
The Couple Next Door
The Couple Next Door
by Shari Lapena
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Excellent Women
Excellent Women
by Barbara Pym
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10 Delightful Barbara Pym Books
Everything I Never Told You
Everything I Never Told You
by Celeste Ng
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
by Sherman Alexie
Skin Folk
Skin Folk
by Nalo Hopkinson
The Face in the Frost
The Face in the Frost
by John Bellairs
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place
by Terry Tempest Williams
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
by Alvin Schwartz
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Lord of the Rings
Lord of the Rings
by J.R.R. Tolkien
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Daughters of the Lake
Daughters of the Lake
by Wendy Webb
The Devil in the White City
The Devil in the White City
by Erik Larson
Gender Queer
Gender Queer
by Maia Kobabe
The Postman Always Rings Twice
The Postman Always Rings Twice
by James M. Cain
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To Win a Prince
To Win a Prince
by Toni Shiloh
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Warm Bodies
Warm Bodies
by Isaac Marion
The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon
by Dashiell Hammett
The Hole
The Hole
by Hye-young Pyun
The Promise
The Promise
by Damon Galgut
The Decagon House Murders
The Decagon House Murders
by Yukito Ayatsuji, translated by Ho-Ling Wong
And Then There Were None
And Then There Were None
by Agatha Christie
I'm Telling the Truth But I'm Lying
I'm Telling the Truth But I'm Lying
by Bassey Ikpi
The Shining
The Shining
by Stephen King
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The Way of Shadows
The Way of Shadows
by Brent Weeks
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
by Edgar Allan Poe
Catcher in the Rye
Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
Double Indemnity
Double Indemnity
by James M. Cain
The Riverwoman's Dragon
The Riverwoman's Dragon
by Candace Robb
Serial Killers: 101 Questions True Crime Fans Ask
Serial Killers: 101 Questions True Crime Fans Ask
by Joni Johnston, Psy.D.
Purple Hibiscus
Purple Hibiscus
by Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie
The Big Sleep
The Big Sleep
by Raymond Chandler
I Am Malala
I Am Malala
by Malala Yousafzai
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms
by N.K. Jemisin
Blindness
Blindness
by José Saramago
My Losing Season
My Losing Season
by Pat Conroy
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The Friend
The Friend
by Joakim Zander
Showing 451-500 of 1059 results

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.