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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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Very Old Bones
Very Old Bones
by William Kennedy
Tropic of Orange
Tropic of Orange
by Karen Tei Yamashita, Sesshu Foster
The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence
by Edith Wharton
The Hammer and the Cross
The Hammer and the Cross
by Harry Harrison
The Ivory Carver Trilogy
The Ivory Carver Trilogy
by Sue Harrison
Z
Z
by Therese Anne Fowler
The Lady Hellion
The Lady Hellion
by Joanna Shupe
Black Flower
Black Flower
by Young-ha Kim, Charles La Shure
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Some Tame Gazelle
Some Tame Gazelle
by Barbara Pym
A Few Right Thinking Men
A Few Right Thinking Men
by Sulari Gentill
The Book of Kells
The Book of Kells
by R. A. MacAvoy
Desperadoes
Desperadoes
by Ron Hansen
The Rebels
The Rebels
by John Jakes
No Time for Tears
No Time for Tears
by Cynthia Freeman
World's End
World's End
by Upton Sinclair
Tender the Storm
Tender the Storm
by Elizabeth Thornton
A Hope Divided
A Hope Divided
by Alyssa Cole
The Eight
The Eight
by Katherine Neville
Baltasar and Blimunda
Baltasar and Blimunda
by Jose Saramago
Harry Gold
Harry Gold
by Millicent Dillon
Pacific Interlude
Pacific Interlude
by Sloan Wilson
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Sophie's Choice
Sophie's Choice
by William Styron
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The Condor Passes
The Condor Passes
by Shirley Ann Grau
Hyde
Hyde
by Daniel Levine
Penmarric
Penmarric
by Susan Howatch
An Ordinary Woman
An Ordinary Woman
by Cecelia Holland
The Kindly Ones
The Kindly Ones
by Jonathan Littell
The Keepers of the House
The Keepers of the House
by Shirley Ann Grau
The Mapmaker's Daughter
The Mapmaker's Daughter
by Katherine Nouri Hughes
Ramrod
Ramrod
by Luke Short
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The Body
The Body
by Richard Ben Sapir
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The Cater Street Hangman
The Cater Street Hangman
by Anne Perry
Vienna Waltz
Vienna Waltz
by Teresa Grant
The Return of Captain John Emmett
The Return of Captain John Emmett
by Elizabeth Speller
The American Heiress
The American Heiress
by Dorothy Eden
The Bastard
The Bastard
by John Jakes
The Night Mark
The Night Mark
by Tiffany Reisz
The Mandelbaum Gate
The Mandelbaum Gate
by Muriel Spark
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Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
The Girl from Fort Wicked
The Girl from Fort Wicked
by Dee Brown
The Avenue Goes to War
The Avenue Goes to War
by R. F. Delderfield
First Papers
First Papers
by Laura Z. Hobson
Tobacco Road
Tobacco Road
by Erskine Caldwell
Songs in Ordinary Time
Songs in Ordinary Time
by Mary McGarry Morris
A Child's History of England
A Child's History of England
by Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
City of Darkness, City of Light
City of Darkness, City of Light
by Marge Piercy
The Anchoress
The Anchoress
by Robyn Cadwallader
Cassandra & Jane
Cassandra & Jane
by Jill Pitkeathley
'Til the Well Runs Dry
'Til the Well Runs Dry
by Lauren Francis-Sharma
Showing 151-200 of 330 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.