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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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Dragonwyck
Dragonwyck
by Anya Seton
The Folly of the World
The Folly of the World
by Jesse Bullington
Refuge
Refuge
by Dot Jackson
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves
by Kristina McMorris
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This Proud Heart
This Proud Heart
by Pearl S. Buck
The One Thing More
The One Thing More
by Anne Perry
Penmarric
Penmarric
by Susan Howatch
Human Voices
Human Voices
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Mark Damazer
The Liam Devlin Novels
The Liam Devlin Novels
by Jack Higgins
Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
Lost Horizon
Lost Horizon
by James Hilton
The Color Purple Collection
The Color Purple Collection
by Alice Walker
Monkey
Monkey
by Wu Ch'eng-en, Arthur Waley
The Confessions of Nat Turner
The Confessions of Nat Turner
by William Styron
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Jacob's Ladder
Jacob's Ladder
by Donald McCaig
The Other Windsor Girl
The Other Windsor Girl
by Georgie Blalock
The Anchoress
The Anchoress
by Robyn Cadwallader
Fallen Angels
Fallen Angels
by Walter Dean Myers
The Wake of Forgiveness
The Wake of Forgiveness
by Bruce Machart
Cassandra & Jane
Cassandra & Jane
by Jill Pitkeathley
Olga
Olga
by Bernhard Schlink
Like a Sword Wound
Like a Sword Wound
by Ahmet Altan
The Toss of a Lemon
The Toss of a Lemon
by Padma Viswanathan
The Boat Runner
The Boat Runner
by Devin Murphy
A Few Right Thinking Men
A Few Right Thinking Men
by Sulari Gentill
Manchu
Manchu
by Robert Elegant
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Through the Arc of the Rain Forest
Through the Arc of the Rain Forest
by Percival Everett, Karen Tei Yamashita
Brazil-Maru
Brazil-Maru
by Susan Straight, Karen Tei Yamashita
Dirt Rich
Dirt Rich
by Clark Howard
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Sepharad
Sepharad
by Antonio Munoz Molina, Margaret Sayers Peden
Before She Sleeps
Before She Sleeps
by Bina Shah
Jubilee
Jubilee
by Margaret Walker, Nikki Giovanni
A Stranger in the Kingdom
A Stranger in the Kingdom
by Howard Frank Mosher
The Man in the Wooden Hat
The Man in the Wooden Hat
by Jane Gardam
The Night Mark
The Night Mark
by Tiffany Reisz
The Sphinx at Dawn
The Sphinx at Dawn
by Madeleine L'Engle
Testimony of Two Men
Testimony of Two Men
by Taylor Caldwell
Five O'Clock Lightning
Five O'Clock Lightning
by William L. DeAndrea
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5 Mystery Novels About Baseball
The War Against Miss Winter
The War Against Miss Winter
by Kathryn Miller Haines
Until the Sun Falls
Until the Sun Falls
by Cecelia Holland
Victoria and Albert
Victoria and Albert
by Evelyn Anthony
Nothing Like the Sun
Nothing Like the Sun
by Anthony Burgess
Something Dangerous
Something Dangerous
by Penny Vincenzi
The Statement
The Statement
by Brian Moore
Time and Time Again
Time and Time Again
by Ben Elton
Raven's Sword
Raven's Sword
by Adam Baker
The Long Song
The Long Song
by Andrea Levy
The Quilter's Homecoming
The Quilter's Homecoming
by Jennifer Chiaverini
The Keys of the Kingdom
The Keys of the Kingdom
by AJ Cronin
Showing 151-200 of 361 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.