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...
A Sport and a Pastime
A Sport and a Pastime
by James Salter
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
Archie Meets Nero Wolfe
by Robert Goldsborough
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Oil and Marble
Oil and Marble
by Stephanie Storey
Seventh Heaven
Seventh Heaven
by Alice Hoffman
Our Man in Havana
Our Man in Havana
by Graham Greene
A Morbid Taste for Bones
A Morbid Taste for Bones
by Ellis Peters
Captains and the Kings
Captains and the Kings
by Taylor Caldwell
Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder
by Donald McCaig
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers
Red River
Red River
by Lalita Tademy
Trouble at the Brownstone
Trouble at the Brownstone
by Robert Goldsborough
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 New York City Mystery Books
Freeman
Freeman
by Leonard Pitts
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
8 Books to Read for Juneteenth
The Group
The Group
by Mary McCarthy
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
The Long Song
The Long Song
by Andrea Levy
Goliath
Goliath
by Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson
Her First American
Her First American
by Lore Segal, Stanley Crouch
The Sand Pebbles
The Sand Pebbles
by Richard McKenna
The Lady Hellion
The Lady Hellion
by Joanna Shupe
The Eagles Gather
The Eagles Gather
by Taylor Caldwell
The Conductors
The Conductors
by Nicole Glover
Murder in E Minor
Murder in E Minor
by Robert Goldsborough
The King Must Die
The King Must Die
by Mary Renault
Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree
Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree
by Tariq Ali
Monkey
Monkey
by Arthur Waley, Wu Ch'eng-en
Britannia Mews
Britannia Mews
by Margery Sharp
The Rich Are Different
The Rich Are Different
by Susan Howatch
The Color Purple Collection
The Color Purple Collection
by Alice Walker
The Confessions of Nat Turner
The Confessions of Nat Turner
by William Styron
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
Who Was Nat Turner?
Frances and Bernard
Frances and Bernard
by Carlene Bauer
The Bold Frontier
The Bold Frontier
by John Jakes
Something Dangerous
Something Dangerous
by Penny Vincenzi
The Overmountain Men
The Overmountain Men
by Cameron Judd
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
10 Dark Books Like Blood Meridian
The Florios of Sicily
The Florios of Sicily
by Stefania Auci
The Thief of Time
The Thief of Time
by John Boyne
The Madonnas of Leningrad
The Madonnas of Leningrad
by Debra Dean
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
The Sea Shall Not Have Them
by Max Hennessy
The Drop of the Dice
The Drop of the Dice
by Philippa Carr
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
by Susan Vreeland
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
by Faith Sullivan
The Last Chinese Chef
The Last Chinese Chef
by Nicole Mones
Last Friends
Last Friends
by Jane Gardam
Midnight Train to Prague
Midnight Train to Prague
by Carol Windley
City of God
City of God
by Cecelia Holland
A Meal in Winter
A Meal in Winter
by Hubert Mingarelli
Ragnarok
Ragnarok
by A.S. Byatt
BUY
SEE MORE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Best Prime Day Book Deals
Anna and the King of Siam
Anna and the King of Siam
by Margaret Ayer, Margaret Landon
The Man in the Wooden Hat
The Man in the Wooden Hat
by Jane Gardam
Showing 151-200 of 371 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.