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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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Baudolino
Baudolino
by Umberto Eco
And After the Fire
And After the Fire
by Lauren Belfer
The Madonnas of Leningrad
The Madonnas of Leningrad
by Debra Dean
The Robber Bridegroom
The Robber Bridegroom
by Eudora Welty
Typical American
Typical American
by Gish Jen
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10 Must-Read Asian American Books
The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles
by Richard McKenna
Tropic of Orange
Tropic of Orange
by Karen Tei Yamashita, Sesshu Foster
Trouble at the Brownstone
Trouble at the Brownstone
by Robert Goldsborough
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8 New York City Mystery Books
The Magdalen Girls
The Magdalen Girls
by V. S. Alexander
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10 Authors Like Kristin Hannah
Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man
by Irwin Shaw
Peony
Peony
by Pearl S. Buck
The Lady Hellion
The Lady Hellion
by Joanna Shupe
The Light Years
The Light Years
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
The Cole Trilogy
The Cole Trilogy
by Noah Gordon
Some Tame Gazelle
Some Tame Gazelle
by Barbara Pym
April Morning
April Morning
by Howard Fast
A World Full of Strangers
A World Full of Strangers
by Cynthia Freeman
The Eagles Gather
The Eagles Gather
by Taylor Caldwell
World's End
World's End
by Upton Sinclair
The Guermantes Way
The Guermantes Way
by Marcel Proust
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
by Barry Lopez
Baltasar and Blimunda
Baltasar and Blimunda
by Jose Saramago
Jubilee
Jubilee
by Margaret Walker, Nikki Giovanni
Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron
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11 Books Behind Great War Movies
The Rich Are Different
The Rich Are Different
by Susan Howatch
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
by Kristina McMorris
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10 Books Like The Nightingale
This Proud Heart
This Proud Heart
by Pearl S. Buck
The Girl from Fort Wicked
The Girl from Fort Wicked
by Dee Brown
The Cazalet Chronicles
The Cazalet Chronicles
by Elizabeth Jane Howard
Songs in Ordinary Time
Songs in Ordinary Time
by Mary McGarry Morris
Possessing the Secret of Joy
Possessing the Secret of Joy
by Alice Walker
Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree
Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree
by Tariq Ali
The Flowering Thorn
The Flowering Thorn
by Margery Sharp
Miss Austen
Miss Austen
by Gill Hornby
The Death of Artemio Cruz
The Death of Artemio Cruz
by Carlos Fuentes, Alfred MacAdam
'Til the Well Runs Dry
'Til the Well Runs Dry
by Lauren Francis-Sharma
Arthur Rex
Arthur Rex
by Thomas Berger
The Toss of a Lemon
The Toss of a Lemon
by Padma Viswanathan
Mr. Timothy
Mr. Timothy
by Louis Bayard
The Doll Factory
The Doll Factory
by Elizabeth Macneal
The Boat Runner
The Boat Runner
by Devin Murphy
The Wolf's Hour
The Wolf's Hour
by Robert McCammon
Cathedral
Cathedral
by Ben Hopkins
The Passionate Prude
The Passionate Prude
by Elizabeth Thornton
Through the Arc of the Rain Forest
Through the Arc of the Rain Forest
by Percival Everett, Karen Tei Yamashita
Three Novels
Three Novels
by Katherine Neville
Brazil-Maru
Brazil-Maru
by Susan Straight, Karen Tei Yamashita
Hyde
Hyde
by Daniel Levine
Sepharad
Sepharad
by Antonio Munoz Molina, Margaret Sayers Peden
Showing 101-150 of 336 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.