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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 Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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
Some Tame Gazelle
Some Tame Gazelle
by Barbara Pym
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Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron
Cashelmara
Cashelmara
by Susan Howatch
Homeland
Homeland
by John Jakes
Long Range Patrol
Long Range Patrol
by Dennis Foley
The Quiet Child
The Quiet Child
by John Burley
The Girl from Fort Wicked
The Girl from Fort Wicked
by Dee Brown
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Marjorie Morningstar
Marjorie Morningstar
by Herman Wouk
The End of the Affair
The End of the Affair
by Graham Greene
Pavilion of Women
Pavilion of Women
by Pearl S. Buck
The King Must Die
The King Must Die
by Mary Renault
The Young Lions
The Young Lions
by Irwin Shaw
The Troubled Air
The Troubled Air
by Irwin Shaw
The Light Years
The Light Years
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
The Rich Are Different
The Rich Are Different
by Susan Howatch
A Glass of Blessings
A Glass of Blessings
by Barbara Pym
One Clear Call
One Clear Call
by Upton Sinclair
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
by Robert Goldsborough
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
The Good Earth
The Good Earth
by Pearl S. Buck
A Morbid Taste for Bones
A Morbid Taste for Bones
by Ellis Peters
The Power and the Glory
The Power and the Glory
by Graham Greene
Captains and the Kings
Captains and the Kings
by Taylor Caldwell
Murder in E Minor
Murder in E Minor
by Robert Goldsborough
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
A Sport and a Pastime
A Sport and a Pastime
by James Salter
Possessing the Secret of Joy
Possessing the Secret of Joy
by Alice Walker
A Tidewater Morning
A Tidewater Morning
by William Styron
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I, Judas
I, Judas
by Taylor Caldwell, Jess Stearn
The Death of Artemio Cruz
The Death of Artemio Cruz
by Carlos Fuentes, Alfred MacAdam
The War of the End of the World
The War of the End of the World
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Helen R. Lane
The Dog Who Was There
The Dog Who Was There
by Ron Marasco
A Prayer for the Dying
A Prayer for the Dying
by Stewart O'Nan
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The Slowworm's Song
The Slowworm's Song
by Andrew Miller
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
Because You're Mine
Because You're Mine
by Rea Frey
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Her First American
Her First American
by Lore Segal, Stanley Crouch
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
by Debra Magpie Earling
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
by Faith Sullivan
The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy
The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy
by Ann Moore
The Lady Hellion
The Lady Hellion
by Joanna Shupe
Queen Margot
Queen Margot
by Alexandre Dumas
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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.