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 American Heiress
The American Heiress
by Dorothy Eden
The Mandelbaum Gate
The Mandelbaum Gate
by Muriel Spark
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
Celebrating Author Muriel Spark
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
by Jose Saramago
A Gathering of Spies
A Gathering of Spies
by John Altman
The Camomile Lawn
The Camomile Lawn
by Mary Wesley
The Troubled Air
The Troubled Air
by Irwin Shaw
Peking
Peking
by Anthony Grey
Monkey
Monkey
by Wu Ch'eng-en, Arthur Waley
The Flowering Thorn
The Flowering Thorn
by Margery Sharp
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
by Debra Magpie Earling
The Way to Paradise
The Way to Paradise
by Mario Vargas Llosa
An Act of Love
An Act of Love
by Carol Drinkwater
Vile Bodies
Vile Bodies
by Evelyn Waugh
Her First American
Her First American
by Lore Segal, Stanley Crouch
The Quilter's Homecoming
The Quilter's Homecoming
by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Revelation of Louisa May
The Revelation of Louisa May
by Michaela MacColl
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Good Books for Teen Girls
Cane
Cane
by Jean Toomer
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
by Susan Vreeland
Freeman
Freeman
by Leonard Pitts Jr.
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Books to Read for Juneteenth
The Book of Kells
The Book of Kells
by R. A. MacAvoy
Heresy
Heresy
by Melissa Lenhardt
My Fair Princess
My Fair Princess
by Vanessa Kelly
A Winter's Love
A Winter's Love
by Madeleine L'Engle
Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
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
Actress
Actress
by Anne Enright
The Anchoress
The Anchoress
by Robyn Cadwallader
A Prayer for the Dying
A Prayer for the Dying
by Stewart O'Nan
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Dark Books Like Blood Meridian
The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury
by William Faulkner
The Glorious Ones
The Glorious Ones
by Francine Prose
A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
by B. Traven
Time of Hope
Time of Hope
by C.P. Snow
Deliverance From Evil
Deliverance From Evil
by Frances Hill
The Auerbach Will
The Auerbach Will
by Stephen Birmingham
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Best Stephen Birmingham Books
The Foreign Student
The Foreign Student
by Susan Choi
Ragnarok
Ragnarok
by A.S. Byatt
A Scoundrel's Surrender
A Scoundrel's Surrender
by Jenna Petersen
The Gate of Angels
The Gate of Angels
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Philip Hensher
Manchu
Manchu
by Robert Elegant
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
7 Family Sagas to Get Lost In
Greek Gods and Heroes
Greek Gods and Heroes
by Robert Graves
Quest
Quest
by Richard Ben Sapir
Possessing the Secret of Joy
Possessing the Secret of Joy
by Alice Walker
A Stranger in the Kingdom
A Stranger in the Kingdom
by Howard Frank Mosher
The War Against Miss Winter
The War Against Miss Winter
by Kathryn Miller Haines
Between Friends
Between Friends
by Amos Oz, Sondra Silverston
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
Remembering Amos Oz, 1939-2018
Frances and Bernard
Frances and Bernard
by Carlene Bauer
The Color Purple Collection
The Color Purple Collection
by Alice Walker
How Many Miles to Babylon?
How Many Miles to Babylon?
by Jennifer Johnston
Mr. Timothy
Mr. Timothy
by Louis Bayard
Showing 151-200 of 327 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.