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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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Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary
Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary
by Anita Anand
Firefly Lane
Firefly Lane
by Kristin Hannah
Waverley
Waverley
by Sir Walter Scott
Charming Billy
Charming Billy
by Alice McDermott
Tara Road
Tara Road
by Maeve Binchy
The Love Object
The Love Object
by Edna O'Brien
Fates and Furies
Fates and Furies
by Lauren Groff
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
The Book of the Unnamed Midwife
by Meg Elison
White Teeth
White Teeth
by Zadie Smith
Where'd You Go Bernadette
Where'd You Go Bernadette
by Maria Semple
Blue Nights
Blue Nights
by Joan Didion
Romancing Miss Brontë
Romancing Miss Brontë
by Juliet Gael
My Life on the Road
My Life on the Road
by Gloria Steinem
The Air He Breathes
The Air He Breathes
by Brittainy C. Cherry
The Seat Filler
The Seat Filler
by Sariah Wilson
The Body Keeps the Score
The Body Keeps the Score
by Bessel van der Kolk
The Ninth House
The Ninth House
by Leigh Bardugo
Hemingway’s Boat
Hemingway’s Boat
by Paul Hendrickson
All the Wrong Moves
All the Wrong Moves
by Sasha Chapin
A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
The Sunday Girl
The Sunday Girl
by Pip Dysdale
Unlikely Animals
Unlikely Animals
by Annie Hartnett
The Power of the Dog
The Power of the Dog
by Thomas Savage
We That Are Young
We That Are Young
by Preti Taneja
Paper Girls
Paper Girls
by Brian K. Vaughan & Cliff Chiang
Subterranean
Subterranean
by James Rollins
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
The Starless Sea
The Starless Sea
by Erin Morgenstern
The Boleyn King
The Boleyn King
by Laura Andersen
The Plotters
The Plotters
by Un-Su Kim
I Was Told There'd Be Cake
I Was Told There'd Be Cake
by Sloane Crosley
The Not So Subtle Art of Being a Fat Girl
The Not So Subtle Art of Being a Fat Girl
by Tess Holliday
The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs
by Thomas Harris
To the Last Man
To the Last Man
by Jeff Shaara
Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre
by Stephen King
No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering
No Baggage: A Minimalist Tale of Love and Wandering
by Clara Bensen
11/22/63
11/22/63
by Stephen King
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War Against the Mafia
War Against the Mafia
by Don Pendleton
On Writing
On Writing
by Stephen King
The Intelligent Investor
The Intelligent Investor
by Benjamin Graham
Wandering Through Life
Wandering Through Life
by Donna Leon
Spin
Spin
by Lamar Giles
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Too Stupid to Fail
Too Stupid to Fail
by Dr. Stephen Crawford
The Dinner Guest
The Dinner Guest
by BP Walter
In the Unlikely Event
In the Unlikely Event
by Judy Blume
The Black Flamingo
The Black Flamingo
by Dean Atta
Just Listen
Just Listen
by Sarah Dessen
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Linea Nigra
Linea Nigra
by Jazmina Barrera
State of Terror
State of Terror
by Louise Penny and Hillary Clinton
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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.