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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 Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line
by James Jones
The Kindly Ones
The Kindly Ones
by Jonathan Littell
Sepharad
Sepharad
by Antonio Munoz Molina, Margaret Sayers Peden
Dynasty of Death
Dynasty of Death
by Taylor Caldwell
Fire from Heaven
Fire from Heaven
by Mary Renault
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Z
Z
by Therese Anne Fowler
Before She Sleeps
Before She Sleeps
by Bina Shah
The Comedians
The Comedians
by Graham Greene
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Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
by Kristina McMorris
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Ramrod
Ramrod
by Luke Short
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Jubilee
Jubilee
by Margaret Walker, Nikki Giovanni
The Body
The Body
by Richard Ben Sapir
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This Proud Heart
This Proud Heart
by Pearl S. Buck
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
by Evelyn Anthony
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
The One Thing More
The One Thing More
by Anne Perry
A House Divided
A House Divided
by Pearl S. Buck
The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
A Stranger in the Kingdom
A Stranger in the Kingdom
by Howard Frank Mosher
The Return of Captain John Emmett
The Return of Captain John Emmett
by Elizabeth Speller
The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Andrew Miller
Answer as a Man
Answer as a Man
by Taylor Caldwell
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
The Night Mark
The Night Mark
by Tiffany Reisz
Penmarric
Penmarric
by Susan Howatch
Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron
A Winter's Love
A Winter's Love
by Madeleine L'Engle
The Third Life of Grange Copeland
The Third Life of Grange Copeland
by Alice Walker
Homeland
Homeland
by John Jakes
Saigon
Saigon
by Anthony Grey
The Liam Devlin Novels
The Liam Devlin Novels
by Jack Higgins
Testimony of Two Men
Testimony of Two Men
by Taylor Caldwell
See What I Have Done
See What I Have Done
by Sarah Schmidt
Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
by Ron Hansen
April Morning
April Morning
by Howard Fast
Old Filth
Old Filth
by Jane Gardam
The Hidden Flower
The Hidden Flower
by Pearl S. Buck
From Here to Eternity
From Here to Eternity
by James Jones
The Keepers of the House
The Keepers of the House
by Shirley Ann Grau
California Gold
California Gold
by John Jakes
Lost Horizon
Lost Horizon
by James Hilton
The Nutmeg Tree
The Nutmeg Tree
by Margery Sharp
The Good Earth
The Good Earth
by Pearl S. Buck
The Power and the Glory
The Power and the Glory
by Graham Greene
Disoriental
Disoriental
by Negar Djavadi, Tina Kover
Cashelmara
Cashelmara
by Susan Howatch
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Between Two Worlds
Between Two Worlds
by Upton Sinclair
Showing 101-150 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.