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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 Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
Turncoat
Turncoat
by Aaron Elkins
The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles
by Richard McKenna
Tropic of Orange
Tropic of Orange
by Karen Tei Yamashita, Sesshu Foster
The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour
by Robert McCammon
A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True
A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True
by Brigid Pasulka
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
The Magdalen Girls
The Magdalen Girls
by V. S. Alexander
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Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man
by Irwin Shaw
GodPretty in the Tobacco Field
GodPretty in the Tobacco Field
by Kim Michele Richardson
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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The Winemaker
The Winemaker
by Noah Gordon
An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
The Far Arena
The Far Arena
by Richard Ben Sapir
The Life She Was Given
The Life She Was Given
by Ellen Marie Wiseman
The Prince and the Pauper
The Prince and the Pauper
by Mark Twain
Desperadoes
Desperadoes
by Ron Hansen
Between Earth and Sky
Between Earth and Sky
by Amanda Skenandore
The Rebels
The Rebels
by John Jakes
A World Full of Strangers
A World Full of Strangers
by Cynthia Freeman
God on the Rocks
God on the Rocks
by Jane Gardam
The Conductors
The Conductors
by Nicole Glover
The Nakano Thrift Shop
The Nakano Thrift Shop
by Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell
Vile Bodies
Vile Bodies
by Evelyn Waugh
A Hope Divided
A Hope Divided
by Alyssa Cole
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
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The Last of the Wine
The Last of the Wine
by Mary Renault
Baudolino
Baudolino
by Umberto Eco
This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
Three Novels
Three Novels
by Katherine Neville
Creek Mary's Blood
Creek Mary's Blood
by Dee Brown
Body & Soul
Body & Soul
by Frank Conroy
Miss Burma
Miss Burma
by Charmaine Craig
A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year
by Daniel Defoe
The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line
by James Jones
The Kindly Ones
The Kindly Ones
by Jonathan Littell
The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals
The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals
by Wendy Jones
Bright Flows the River
Bright Flows the River
by Taylor Caldwell
Fire from Heaven
Fire from Heaven
by Mary Renault
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Z
Z
by Therese Anne Fowler
The Man Within
The Man Within
by Graham Greene
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The Body
The Body
by Richard Ben Sapir
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Anna and the King of Siam
Anna and the King of Siam
by Margaret Landon, Margaret Ayer
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
A House Divided
A House Divided
by Pearl S. Buck
Showing 51-100 of 361 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.