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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 Winthrop Woman
The Winthrop Woman
by Anya Seton
A Soldier of the Great War
A Soldier of the Great War
by Mark Helprin
An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
The Dancer from Atlantis
The Dancer from Atlantis
by Poul Anderson
The Rebels
The Rebels
by John Jakes
The Conductors
The Conductors
by Nicole Glover
The Last of the Wine
The Last of the Wine
by Mary Renault
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
by Philippa Carr
Z
Z
by Therese Anne Fowler
The Heart of the Matter
The Heart of the Matter
by Graham Greene
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The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
The One Thing More
The One Thing More
by Anne Perry
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
Cashelmara
Cashelmara
by Susan Howatch
The Girl from Fort Wicked
The Girl from Fort Wicked
by Dee Brown
Marjorie Morningstar
Marjorie Morningstar
by Herman Wouk
California Gold
California Gold
by John Jakes
The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence
by Edith Wharton
Seventh Heaven
Seventh Heaven
by Alice Hoffman
A Morbid Taste for Bones
A Morbid Taste for Bones
by Ellis Peters
The Group
The Group
by Mary McCarthy
A Sport and a Pastime
A Sport and a Pastime
by James Salter
Captains and the Kings
Captains and the Kings
by Taylor Caldwell
I, Saul
I, Saul
by Jerry B. Jenkins
Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder
by Donald McCaig
All the Beautiful Sinners
All the Beautiful Sinners
by Stephen Graham Jones
Something to Remember You By
Something to Remember You By
by Gene Wilder
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers
Something Dangerous
Something Dangerous
by Penny Vincenzi
The Dog Who Was There
The Dog Who Was There
by Ron Marasco
Forbidden Places
Forbidden Places
by Penny Vincenzi
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24 Epic World War II Books
Speaks the Nightbird
Speaks the Nightbird
by Robert McCammon
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The Return
The Return
by Victoria Hislop
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A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
The Eternal Wonder
The Eternal Wonder
by Pearl S. Buck
And After the Fire
And After the Fire
by Lauren Belfer
The Seamstress
The Seamstress
by Frances De Pontes Peebles
The Red Address Book
The Red Address Book
by Sofia Lundberg, Alice Menzies
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
Zeke and Ned
Zeke and Ned
by Diana Ossana, Larry McMurtry
The Drop of the Dice
The Drop of the Dice
by Philippa Carr
The Lost Mother
The Lost Mother
by Mary McGarry Morris
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
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Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
by Susan Vreeland
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles
by Richard McKenna
The Shadow Lines
The Shadow Lines
by Amitav Ghosh
Tropic of Orange
Tropic of Orange
by Karen Tei Yamashita, Sesshu Foster
The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour
by Robert McCammon
Ship of Fools
Ship of Fools
by Katherine Anne Porter
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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.