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
Subscribe
AboutAbout
DealsDeals
ArticlesArticles
GenresGenres

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...
The Magdalen Girls
The Magdalen Girls
by V. S. Alexander
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Authors Like Kristin Hannah
The Scandalous Marriage
The Scandalous Marriage
by M. C. Beaton
Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man
by Irwin Shaw
GodPretty in the Tobacco Field
GodPretty in the Tobacco Field
by Kim Michele Richardson
The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy
The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy
by Ann Moore
The Lady Hellion
The Lady Hellion
by Joanna Shupe
Desperadoes
Desperadoes
by Ron Hansen
Promised to the Crown
Promised to the Crown
by Aimie K. Runyan
The Yellow Bird Sings
The Yellow Bird Sings
by Jennifer Rosner
Red Joan
Red Joan
by Jennie Rooney
The Thin Red Line
The Thin Red Line
by James Jones
A Pillar of Iron
A Pillar of Iron
by Taylor Caldwell
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
by Kristina McMorris
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Books Like The Nightingale
This Proud Heart
This Proud Heart
by Pearl S. Buck
The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter
by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Penmarric
Penmarric
by Susan Howatch
Homeland
Homeland
by John Jakes
The King Must Die
The King Must Die
by Mary Renault
The Light Years
The Light Years
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Lost Horizon
Lost Horizon
by James Hilton
Possessing the Secret of Joy
Possessing the Secret of Joy
by Alice Walker
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
The Confessions of Nat Turner
The Confessions of Nat Turner
by William Styron
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
Who Was Nat Turner?
The Lost Books of the Odyssey
The Lost Books of the Odyssey
by Zachary Mason
The Financier
The Financier
by Theodore Dreiser
North River
North River
by Pete Hamill
Cassandra & Jane
Cassandra & Jane
by Jill Pitkeathley
The War of the End of the World
The War of the End of the World
by Mario Vargas Llosa, Helen R. Lane
The Masters
The Masters
by C.P. Snow
The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
by John Boyne
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
by Max Hennessy
The Gladiator's Master
The Gladiator's Master
by Maguerite Labbe, Fae Sutherland
Female Friends
Female Friends
by Fay Weldon
Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness
Mayumi and the Sea of Happiness
by Jennifer Tseng
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Must-Read Asian American Books
Pulp
Pulp
by Robin Talley
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Must-Read Sapphic Books
The Folly of the World
The Folly of the World
by Jesse Bullington
My Fair Princess
My Fair Princess
by Vanessa Kelly
The Settlers
The Settlers
by Meyer Levin
Cherished
Cherished
by Elizabeth Thornton
Vile Bodies
Vile Bodies
by Evelyn Waugh
Random Harvest
Random Harvest
by James Hilton
Baudolino
Baudolino
by Umberto Eco
Ragnarok
Ragnarok
by A.S. Byatt
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Best Prime Day Book Deals
The Company She Keeps
The Company She Keeps
by Mary McCarthy
Baltasar and Blimunda
Baltasar and Blimunda
by Jose Saramago
God's Men
God's Men
by Pearl S. Buck
A House Divided
A House Divided
by Pearl S. Buck
A Stranger in the Kingdom
A Stranger in the Kingdom
by Howard Frank Mosher
Showing 101-150 of 369 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.