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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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Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
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Gordo
Gordo
by Jaime Cortez
The Refugees
The Refugees
by Viet Thanh Nguyen
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Tropic of Orange
Tropic of Orange
by Karen Tei Yamashita, Sesshu Foster
The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour
by Robert McCammon
To Name Those Lost
To Name Those Lost
by Rohan Wilson
A Soldier of the Great War
A Soldier of the Great War
by Mark Helprin
Ship of Fools
Ship of Fools
by Katherine Anne Porter
The Magdalen Girls
The Magdalen Girls
by V. S. Alexander
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The Scandalous Marriage
The Scandalous Marriage
by M. C. Beaton
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
The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy
The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy
by Ann Moore
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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Black Flower
Black Flower
by Young-ha Kim, Charles La Shure
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Pillar of the Sky
Pillar of the Sky
by Cecelia Holland
Gentleman's Agreement
Gentleman's Agreement
by Laura Z. Hobson
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
Citizen Tom Paine
Citizen Tom Paine
by Howard Fast
The Dancer from Atlantis
The Dancer from Atlantis
by Poul Anderson
The Life She Was Given
The Life She Was Given
by Ellen Marie Wiseman
Manchu
Manchu
by Robert Elegant
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Desperadoes
Desperadoes
by Ron Hansen
Between Earth and Sky
Between Earth and Sky
by Amanda Skenandore
Dragonwyck
Dragonwyck
by Anya Seton
The Folly of the World
The Folly of the World
by Jesse Bullington
My Fair Princess
My Fair Princess
by Vanessa Kelly
The Rebels
The Rebels
by John Jakes
A World Full of Strangers
A World Full of Strangers
by Cynthia Freeman
Refuge
Refuge
by Dot Jackson
The Passionate Prude
The Passionate Prude
by Elizabeth Thornton
The Nakano Thrift Shop
The Nakano Thrift Shop
by Hiromi Kawakami, Allison Markin Powell
Random Harvest
Random Harvest
by James Hilton
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
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
by Barry Lopez
Our Lady of Babylon
Our Lady of Babylon
by John Rechy
Through the Arc of the Rain Forest
Through the Arc of the Rain Forest
by Karen Tei Yamashita, Percival Everett
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
by Philippa Carr
This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
Promised to the Crown
Promised to the Crown
by Aimie K. Runyan
Brazil-Maru
Brazil-Maru
by Susan Straight, Karen Tei Yamashita
Coffee Will Make You Black
Coffee Will Make You Black
by April Sinclair
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
by Robert Hough
Showing 51-100 of 371 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.