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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.

Historical Fiction on Sale Now!

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How Many Miles to Babylon?
How Many Miles to Babylon?
by Jennifer Johnston
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
by Robert Hough
God Speed the Night
God Speed the Night
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Jerome Ross
The Kashmir Shawl
The Kashmir Shawl
by Rosie Thomas
The Strays
The Strays
by Emily Bitto
Meridian
Meridian
by Alice Walker
Screenplay
Screenplay
by MacDonald Harris
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
Those Harper Women
Those Harper Women
by Stephen Birmingham
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Bitter Greens
Bitter Greens
by Kate Forsyth
The Old Religion
The Old Religion
by David Mamet
There Is Confusion
There Is Confusion
by Jessie Redmon Fauset
The Robber Bridegroom
The Robber Bridegroom
by Eudora Welty
All Out
All Out
by Saundra Mitchell, Sara Farizan, Shaun David Hutchinson, Kody Keplinger, Mackenzi Lee, Malinda Lo, Anna-Marie McLemore, Tehlor Kay Mejia, Robin Talley, Elliot Wake
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10 YA Books That Make Great Gifts
Max
Max
by Howard Fast
The Kings in Winter
The Kings in Winter
by Cecelia Holland
I, Libertine
I, Libertine
by Theodore Sturgeon
The Autobiography of an Ex–Colored Man
The Autobiography of an Ex–Colored Man
by James Weldon Johnson
Typical American
Typical American
by Gish Jen
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10 Must-Read Asian American Books
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
Sugar Land
Sugar Land
by Tammy Lynne Stoner
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10 Must-Read Sapphic Books
The Marathon Conspiracy
The Marathon Conspiracy
by Gary Corby
A Skinful of Shadows
A Skinful of Shadows
by Frances Hardinge
Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
by John Cleland
The Unplowed Sky
The Unplowed Sky
by Jeanne Williams
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12 Books Like This Tender Land
Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven
by Marion Meade
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8 Romance Books for Adults
The Salt Roads
The Salt Roads
by Nalo Hopkinson
Freeman
Freeman
by Leonard Pitts Jr.
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8 Books to Read for Juneteenth
The Sect of Angels
The Sect of Angels
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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8 Books About the Mafia
Iola Leroy
Iola Leroy
by Frances E. W. Harper
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10 Books Like The Color Purple
The Secret River
The Secret River
by Kate Grenville
Gentleman's Agreement
Gentleman's Agreement
by Laura Z. Hobson
The Dressmaker
The Dressmaker
by Beryl Bainbridge
Red Joan
Red Joan
by Jennie Rooney
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
by Mark Twain
The Folly of the World
The Folly of the World
by Jesse Bullington
Coffee Will Make You Black
Coffee Will Make You Black
by April Sinclair
The Firedrake
The Firedrake
by Cecelia Holland
A Winter's Love
A Winter's Love
by Madeleine L'Engle
She Be Damned
She Be Damned
by M. J. Tjia
Capo
Capo
by Peter Watson
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8 Books for Fans of The Sopranos
Greek Gods and Heroes
Greek Gods and Heroes
by Robert Graves
Midnight Train to Prague
Midnight Train to Prague
by Carol Windley
Whitefire
Whitefire
by Fern Michaels
Deep Creek
Deep Creek
by Dana Hand
A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year
by Daniel Defoe
The Third Hill North of Town
The Third Hill North of Town
by Noah Bly
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
by Ron Hansen
Showing 201-250 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.