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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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Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
by Bernard Evslin
Euphoria
Euphoria
by Lily King
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
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The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles
by Richard McKenna
Tropic of Orange
Tropic of Orange
by Karen Tei Yamashita, Sesshu Foster
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
by Faith Sullivan
The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour
by Robert McCammon
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
Trouble at the Brownstone
Trouble at the Brownstone
by Robert Goldsborough
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The Magdalen Girls
The Magdalen Girls
by V. S. Alexander
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GodPretty in the Tobacco Field
GodPretty in the Tobacco Field
by Kim Michele Richardson
The Hammer and the Cross
The Hammer and the Cross
by Harry Harrison
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
by Ella Quinn
The Salt Roads
The Salt Roads
by Nalo Hopkinson
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The Lady Hellion
The Lady Hellion
by Joanna Shupe
Gentleman's Agreement
Gentleman's Agreement
by Laura Z. Hobson
The Cole Trilogy
The Cole Trilogy
by Noah Gordon
Queen Margot
Queen Margot
by Alexandre Dumas
Moses
Moses
by Howard Fast
The Life She Was Given
The Life She Was Given
by Ellen Marie Wiseman
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
Betty Zane
Betty Zane
by Zane Grey
The Conductors
The Conductors
by Nicole Glover
Velvet is the Night
Velvet is the Night
by Elizabeth Thornton
The Nakano Thrift Shop
The Nakano Thrift Shop
by Allison Markin Powell, Hiromi Kawakami
A Hope Divided
A Hope Divided
by Alyssa Cole
I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
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The Persian Boy
The Persian Boy
by Mary Renault
The Gate of Angels
The Gate of Angels
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Philip Hensher
Baudolino
Baudolino
by Umberto Eco
Not Fade Away
Not Fade Away
by Jim Dodge
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
by Philippa Carr
Night in Shanghai
Night in Shanghai
by Nicole Mones
This Side of Murder
This Side of Murder
by Anna Lee Huber
Promised to the Crown
Promised to the Crown
by Aimie K. Runyan
Body & Soul
Body & Soul
by Frank Conroy
Murder in E Minor
Murder in E Minor
by Robert Goldsborough
Miss Burma
Miss Burma
by Charmaine Craig
The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line
by James Jones
Great Lion of God
Great Lion of God
by Taylor Caldwell
God's Men
God's Men
by Pearl S. Buck
Fire from Heaven
Fire from Heaven
by Mary Renault
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by Therese Anne Fowler
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
by Kristina McMorris
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Anna and the King of Siam
Anna and the King of Siam
by Margaret Landon, Margaret Ayer
The One Thing More
The One Thing More
by Anne Perry
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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.