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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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Some Tame Gazelle
Some Tame Gazelle
by Barbara Pym
Horizons Collide
Horizons Collide
by J.E. Rechtin
Pacific Interlude
Pacific Interlude
by Sloan Wilson
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Dragon's Winter
Dragon's Winter
by Elizabeth A. Lynn
Dirt Rich
Dirt Rich
by Clark Howard
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The Company She Keeps
The Company She Keeps
by Mary McCarthy
In The Full Light Of The Sun
In The Full Light Of The Sun
by Clare Clark
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The Gossamer Cord
The Gossamer Cord
by Philippa Carr
The Innocents
The Innocents
by Margery Sharp
Ilsa
Ilsa
by Madeleine L'Engle
Testimony of Two Men
Testimony of Two Men
by Taylor Caldwell
The Undertaking
The Undertaking
by Audrey Magee
The Auerbach Will
The Auerbach Will
by Stephen Birmingham
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The Sect of Angels
The Sect of Angels
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Cathedral
Cathedral
by Ben Hopkins
Roadwalkers
Roadwalkers
by Shirley Ann Grau
A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year
by Daniel Defoe
Vienna Waltz
Vienna Waltz
by Teresa Grant
The American Heiress
The American Heiress
by Dorothy Eden
Disoriental
Disoriental
by Negar Djavadi, Tina Kover
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis
by Jose Saramago
The Liam Devlin Novels
The Liam Devlin Novels
by Jack Higgins
Monkey
Monkey
by Wu Ch'eng-en, Arthur Waley
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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The Lost Mother
The Lost Mother
by Mary McGarry Morris
Gordo
Gordo
by Jaime Cortez
A Long Way from Verona
A Long Way from Verona
by Jane Gardam
Greek Gods and Heroes
Greek Gods and Heroes
by Robert Graves
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
The Miracle at St. Bruno's
by Philippa Carr
The Chaneysville Incident
The Chaneysville Incident
by David Bradley
Whitefire
Whitefire
by Fern Michaels
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
by Robert Hough
The Body
The Body
by Richard Ben Sapir
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The Mandelbaum Gate
The Mandelbaum Gate
by Muriel Spark
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Between Friends
Between Friends
by Amos Oz, Sondra Silverston
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Bretherton
Bretherton
by W. F. Morris
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The Robber Bridegroom
The Robber Bridegroom
by Eudora Welty
Becoming Madame Mao
Becoming Madame Mao
by Anchee Min
See What I Have Done
See What I Have Done
by Sarah Schmidt
The Marathon Conspiracy
The Marathon Conspiracy
by Gary Corby
Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven
by Marion Meade
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Manchu
Manchu
by Robert Elegant
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Desperadoes
Desperadoes
by Ron Hansen
Midnight Train to Prague
Midnight Train to Prague
by Carol Windley
The Third Hill North of Town
The Third Hill North of Town
by Noah Bly
A Gathering of Spies
A Gathering of Spies
by John Altman
The Camomile Lawn
The Camomile Lawn
by Mary Wesley
Frances and Bernard
Frances and Bernard
by Carlene Bauer
According to Queeney
According to Queeney
by Beryl Bainbridge
Eccentric Neighborhoods
Eccentric Neighborhoods
by Rosario Ferre
Showing 251-300 of 1059 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.