We Value Your Privacy

This site uses cookies to improve user experience. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies.

I UNDERSTAND
LEARN MORE

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.

Historical Fiction on Sale Now!

Loading...
Hillbilly Elegy
Hillbilly Elegy
by J.D. Vance
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Best Books You Read in 2017
Diana: Her True Story – in Her Own Words
Diana: Her True Story – in Her Own Words
by Andrew Morton
The Amityville Horror
The Amityville Horror
by Jay Anson
Long Range Patrol
Long Range Patrol
by Dennis Foley
The Liars' Club
The Liars' Club
by Mary Karr
Into the Darkest Corner
Into the Darkest Corner
by Elizabeth Haynes
Callander Square
Callander Square
by Anne Perry
Portrait of a Marriage
Portrait of a Marriage
by Pearl S. Buck
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
Ender's Game
Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card
His Majesty's Dragon
His Majesty's Dragon
by Naomi Novik
Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Ideal Marriage Reading List
Tunnel in the Sky
Tunnel in the Sky
by Robert A. Heinlein
The Cater Street Hangman
The Cater Street Hangman
by Anne Perry
The Quiet American
The Quiet American
by Graham Greene
Night of the Fox
Night of the Fox
by Jack Higgins
The Passion
The Passion
by Jeanette Winterson
The Temple of My Familiar
The Temple of My Familiar
by Alice Walker
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
by Debra Magpie Earling
The Island of the Day Before
The Island of the Day Before
by Umberto Eco
The Winthrop Woman
The Winthrop Woman
by Anya Seton
The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Andrew Miller
The Scandalous Marriage
The Scandalous Marriage
by M. C. Beaton
The Ivory Carver Trilogy
The Ivory Carver Trilogy
by Sue Harrison
Iola Leroy
Iola Leroy
by Frances E. W. Harper
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Books Like The Color Purple
An Extraordinary Union
An Extraordinary Union
by Alyssa Cole
Betty Zane
Betty Zane
by Zane Grey
The Last of the Wine
The Last of the Wine
by Mary Renault
Body & Soul
Body & Soul
by Frank Conroy
The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line
by James Jones
A House Divided
A House Divided
by Pearl S. Buck
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
9 Must-Reads for Fans of Poldark
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
The Other Side of the Sun
The Other Side of the Sun
by Madeleine L'Engle
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Re-Read: A Wrinkle in Time
A Soldier of the Great War
A Soldier of the Great War
by Mark Helprin
The Light and the Dark
The Light and the Dark
by C.P. Snow
How Green Was My Valley
How Green Was My Valley
by Richard Llewellyn
And After the Fire
And After the Fire
by Lauren Belfer
To Capture What We Cannot Keep
To Capture What We Cannot Keep
by Beatrice Colin
The Young Lions
The Young Lions
by Irwin Shaw
Old Baggage
Old Baggage
by Lissa Evans
Jubilee
Jubilee
by Margaret Walker, Nikki Giovanni
The Gladiator's Master
The Gladiator's Master
by Fae Sutherland, Maguerite Labbe
More Than Riches
More Than Riches
by Josephine Cox
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
by Bernard Evslin
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
The Autobiography of an Ex–Colored Man
The Autobiography of an Ex–Colored Man
by James Weldon Johnson
The Midwife's Touch
The Midwife's Touch
by Sue Harrison
Turncoat
Turncoat
by Aaron Elkins
Showing 101-150 of 1059 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.