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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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The Fatal Crown
The Fatal Crown
by Ellen Jones
Confederates
Confederates
by Thomas Keneally
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Crooked Heart
Crooked Heart
by Lissa Evans
Arctic Summer
Arctic Summer
by Damon Galgut
The Lost Mother
The Lost Mother
by Mary McGarry Morris
The Island of the Day Before
The Island of the Day Before
by Umberto Eco
Very Old Bones
Very Old Bones
by William Kennedy
Forgetting the Alamo, Or, Blood Memory
Forgetting the Alamo, Or, Blood Memory
by Emma Perez
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Small Island
Small Island
by Andrea Levy
Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
by John Cleland
To Name Those Lost
To Name Those Lost
by Rohan Wilson
Ship of Fools
Ship of Fools
by Katherine Anne Porter
The Unplowed Sky
The Unplowed Sky
by Jeanne Williams
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The Scandalous Marriage
The Scandalous Marriage
by M. C. Beaton
Freeman
Freeman
by Leonard Pitts Jr.
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The Hammer and the Cross
The Hammer and the Cross
by Harry Harrison
The Heirloom
The Heirloom
by Patricia Dixon
The Crossing
The Crossing
by Howard Fast
My Fair Princess
My Fair Princess
by Vanessa Kelly
Bluestocking Bride
Bluestocking Bride
by Elizabeth Thornton
The Gate of Angels
The Gate of Angels
by Penelope Fitzgerald, Philip Hensher
Ragnarok
Ragnarok
by A.S. Byatt
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Last Friends
Last Friends
by Jane Gardam
The Condor Passes
The Condor Passes
by Shirley Ann Grau
Coffee Will Make You Black
Coffee Will Make You Black
by April Sinclair
The Hell Bent Kid
The Hell Bent Kid
by Charles O. Locke
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Vienna Waltz
Vienna Waltz
by Teresa Grant
Power in the Blood
Power in the Blood
by Greg Matthews
Glory and the Lightning
Glory and the Lightning
by Taylor Caldwell
Disoriental
Disoriental
by Negar Djavadi, Tina Kover
Bailey's Cafe
Bailey's Cafe
by Gloria Naylor
China Court
China Court
by Rumer Godden
California Gold
California Gold
by John Jakes
The Nutmeg Tree
The Nutmeg Tree
by Margery Sharp
The Flowering Thorn
The Flowering Thorn
by Margery Sharp
Bellfield Hall
Bellfield Hall
by Anna Dean
Actress
Actress
by Anne Enright
The Millionaire's Daughter
The Millionaire's Daughter
by Dorothy Eden
'Til the Well Runs Dry
'Til the Well Runs Dry
by Lauren Francis-Sharma
An Act of Love
An Act of Love
by Carol Drinkwater
The Circus in Winter
The Circus in Winter
by Cathy Day
The Glorious Ones
The Glorious Ones
by Francine Prose
Before the War
Before the War
by Fay Weldon
Black Bottom Saints
Black Bottom Saints
by Alice Randall
The Conscience of the Rich
The Conscience of the Rich
by C.P. Snow
The Queen of Palmyra
The Queen of Palmyra
by Minrose Gwin
Arthur Rex
Arthur Rex
by Thomas Berger
Ain't No Grave
Ain't No Grave
by Mary Glickman
Mr. Timothy
Mr. Timothy
by Louis Bayard
The Foreign Student
The Foreign Student
by Susan Choi
Showing 201-250 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.