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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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Victoria and Albert
Victoria and Albert
by Evelyn Anthony
Riders of the Purple Sage
Riders of the Purple Sage
by Zane Grey
Peking
Peking
by Anthony Grey
The Color Purple Collection
The Color Purple Collection
by Alice Walker
The Other Windsor Girl
The Other Windsor Girl
by Georgie Blalock
Terra Nostra
Terra Nostra
by Milan Kundera, Carlos Fuentes
Time and Time Again
Time and Time Again
by Ben Elton
The Toss of a Lemon
The Toss of a Lemon
by Padma Viswanathan
City of Darkness, City of Light
City of Darkness, City of Light
by Marge Piercy
The Doll Factory
The Doll Factory
by Elizabeth Macneal
Because You're Mine
Because You're Mine
by Rea Frey
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The Keys of the Kingdom
The Keys of the Kingdom
by AJ Cronin
Chicano
Chicano
by Ruben Martinez, Richard Vasquez
Arctic Summer
Arctic Summer
by Damon Galgut
Freeman
Freeman
by Leonard Pitts
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The Far Arena
The Far Arena
by Richard Ben Sapir
Song of the River
Song of the River
by Sue Harrison
The Last Chinese Chef
The Last Chinese Chef
by Nicole Mones
Three Novels
Three Novels
by Katherine Neville
Brazil-Maru
Brazil-Maru
by Susan Straight, Karen Tei Yamashita
Last Friends
Last Friends
by Jane Gardam
Coffee Will Make You Black
Coffee Will Make You Black
by April Sinclair
Sepharad
Sepharad
by Antonio Munoz Molina, Margaret Sayers Peden
Before She Sleeps
Before She Sleeps
by Bina Shah
The Gossamer Cord
The Gossamer Cord
by Philippa Carr
The Night Mark
The Night Mark
by Tiffany Reisz
Bailey's Cafe
Bailey's Cafe
by Gloria Naylor
Britannia Mews
Britannia Mews
by Margery Sharp
The Confessions of Nat Turner
The Confessions of Nat Turner
by William Styron
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The Masters
The Masters
by C.P. Snow
Death and Mr. Pickwick
Death and Mr. Pickwick
by Stephen Jarvis
The Quilter's Homecoming
The Quilter's Homecoming
by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Foreign Student
The Foreign Student
by Susan Choi
Her First American
Her First American
by Lore Segal, Stanley Crouch
The Island of the Day Before
The Island of the Day Before
by Umberto Eco
Rich Man, Poor Man
Rich Man, Poor Man
by Irwin Shaw
Black Flower
Black Flower
by Young-ha Kim, Charles La Shure
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My Fair Princess
My Fair Princess
by Vanessa Kelly
Agrippa's Daughter
Agrippa's Daughter
by Howard Fast
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Mitch Douglas, Henry Farrell
Ragnarok
Ragnarok
by A.S. Byatt
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The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
by Robert Hough
Innocence
Innocence
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Julian Barnes
Ramrod
Ramrod
by Luke Short
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Hold Tight
Hold Tight
by Christopher Bram
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
by Evelyn Anthony
The Beginning of Spring
The Beginning of Spring
by Andrew Miller, Penelope Fitzgerald
China Court
China Court
by Rumer Godden
Showing 151-200 of 364 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.