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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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A Winter's Love
A Winter's Love
by Madeleine L'Engle
World's End
World's End
by Upton Sinclair
A Hope Divided
A Hope Divided
by Alyssa Cole
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
Hyde
Hyde
by Daniel Levine
Last Friends
Last Friends
by Jane Gardam
Before She Sleeps
Before She Sleeps
by Bina Shah
Quest
Quest
by Richard Ben Sapir
The Age of Innocence
The Age of Innocence
by Edith Wharton
The Wheel of Fortune
The Wheel of Fortune
by Susan Howatch
Peking
Peking
by Anthony Grey
Possessing the Secret of Joy
Possessing the Secret of Joy
by Alice Walker
Ain't No Grave
Ain't No Grave
by Mary Glickman
The Red Address Book
The Red Address Book
by Sofia Lundberg, Alice Menzies
The Quilter's Homecoming
The Quilter's Homecoming
by Jennifer Chiaverini
Arctic Summer
Arctic Summer
by Damon Galgut
The Drop of the Dice
The Drop of the Dice
by Philippa Carr
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
Good Night, Mr. Wodehouse
by Faith Sullivan
The Salt Roads
The Salt Roads
by Nalo Hopkinson
The Blindness of the Heart
The Blindness of the Heart
by Julia Franck, Anthea Bell
My Fair Princess
My Fair Princess
by Vanessa Kelly
Cherished
Cherished
by Elizabeth Thornton
The Last Chinese Chef
The Last Chinese Chef
by Nicole Mones
Baltasar and Blimunda
Baltasar and Blimunda
by Jose Saramago
Penmarric
Penmarric
by Susan Howatch
God's Men
God's Men
by Pearl S. Buck
The Night Mark
The Night Mark
by Tiffany Reisz
Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy
Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy
by Rumer Godden
Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
Confessional
Confessional
by Jack Higgins
The Golden Horn
The Golden Horn
by Poul Anderson
A Glass of Blessings
A Glass of Blessings
by Barbara Pym
Songs in Ordinary Time
Songs in Ordinary Time
by Mary McGarry Morris
The Color Purple Collection
The Color Purple Collection
by Alice Walker
The Last Witchfinder
The Last Witchfinder
by James Morrow
Screenplay
Screenplay
by MacDonald Harris
The Canterbury Papers
The Canterbury Papers
by Judith Koll Healey
Mr. Timothy
Mr. Timothy
by Louis Bayard
Ragnarok
Ragnarok
by A.S. Byatt
The Color Purple
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Shadows in Summerland
Shadows in Summerland
by Adrian Van Young
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Dogeaters
Dogeaters
by Jessica Hagedorn
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The Shadow Lines
The Shadow Lines
by Amitav Ghosh
Angel Dreams
Angel Dreams
by Chris Schneider, Michael Phillips
A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True
A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True
by Brigid Pasulka
Black Flower
Black Flower
by Young-ha Kim, Charles La Shure
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The Birthday Boys
The Birthday Boys
by Beryl Bainbridge
Ravel
Ravel
by Jean Echenoz, Linda Coverdale, Adam Gopnik
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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.