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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.

Historical Fiction on Sale Now!

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The Man in the Wooden Hat
The Man in the Wooden Hat
by Jane Gardam
The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Andrew Miller
Answer as a Man
Answer as a Man
by Taylor Caldwell
Power in the Blood
Power in the Blood
by Greg Matthews
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
by Jose Saramago
The Quiet Child
The Quiet Child
by John Burley
Monkey
Monkey
by Arthur Waley, Wu Ch'eng-en
A Place Called Winter
A Place Called Winter
by Patrick Gale
All My Sins Remembered
All My Sins Remembered
by Rosie Thomas
The Other Windsor Girl
The Other Windsor Girl
by Georgie Blalock
The Seeing Garden
The Seeing Garden
by Ginny Kubitz Moyer
The Death of Artemio Cruz
The Death of Artemio Cruz
by Alfred MacAdam, Carlos Fuentes
The Anchoress
The Anchoress
by Robyn Cadwallader
The Bold Frontier
The Bold Frontier
by John Jakes
The Wounds of My Father
The Wounds of My Father
by Roccie Hill
The Statement
The Statement
by Brian Moore
The Circus in Winter
The Circus in Winter
by Cathy Day
The Sound and the Fury
The Sound and the Fury
by William Faulkner
Hungry Hill
Hungry Hill
by Daphne du Maurier
A God in Ruins
A God in Ruins
by Leon Uris
The Last Witchfinder
The Last Witchfinder
by James Morrow
The Florios of Sicily
The Florios of Sicily
by Stefania Auci
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 Long Song
The Long Song
by Andrea Levy
Goliath
Goliath
by Scott Westerfeld, Keith Thompson
The Quilter's Homecoming
The Quilter's Homecoming
by Jennifer Chiaverini
City of Darkness, City of Light
City of Darkness, City of Light
by Marge Piercy
The Doll Factory
The Doll Factory
by Elizabeth Macneal
The Foreign Student
The Foreign Student
by Susan Choi
Chicano
Chicano
by Ruben Martinez, Richard Vasquez
The Hearts of Horses
The Hearts of Horses
by Molly Gloss
Confederates
Confederates
by Thomas Keneally
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Max
Max
by Howard Fast
Her First American
Her First American
by Lore Segal, Stanley Crouch
The Song of Everlasting Sorrow
The Song of Everlasting Sorrow
by Wang Anyi, Michael Berry, Susan Chan Egan
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
The Lost Journals of Sacajewea
by Debra Magpie Earling
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
by Faith Sullivan
Small Island
Small Island
by Andrea Levy
Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
by John Cleland
The Unplowed Sky
The Unplowed Sky
by Jeanne Williams
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Freeman
Freeman
by Leonard Pitts
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The Sect of Angels
The Sect of Angels
by Stephen Sartarelli, Andrea Camilleri
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The Heirloom
The Heirloom
by Patricia Dixon
Dangerous Betrayal
Dangerous Betrayal
by Bill Blowers
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Rosy Is My Relative
Rosy Is My Relative
by Gerald Durrell
Manchu
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by Robert Elegant
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A World Full of Strangers
A World Full of Strangers
by Cynthia Freeman
God on the Rocks
God on the Rocks
by Jane Gardam
Showing 151-200 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.