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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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Max
Max
by Howard Fast
The Drop of the Dice
The Drop of the Dice
by Philippa Carr
The Familiars
The Familiars
by Stacey Halls
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Gordo
Gordo
by Jaime Cortez
The Autobiography of an Ex–Colored Man
The Autobiography of an Ex–Colored Man
by James Weldon Johnson
The Heart Specialist
The Heart Specialist
by Claire Holden Rothman
The Marathon Conspiracy
The Marathon Conspiracy
by Gary Corby
Gentleman's Agreement
Gentleman's Agreement
by Laura Z. Hobson
The Dressmaker
The Dressmaker
by Beryl Bainbridge
Cathedral
Cathedral
by Ben Hopkins
Rosy Is My Relative
Rosy Is My Relative
by Gerald Durrell
The Guermantes Way
The Guermantes Way
by Marcel Proust
The Last Chinese Chef
The Last Chinese Chef
by Nicole Mones
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
by Henry Farrell, Mitch Douglas
Meridian
Meridian
by Alice Walker
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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
Short Stories
Short Stories
by Irwin Shaw
Difficult Daughters
Difficult Daughters
by Manju Kapur
Whitefire
Whitefire
by Fern Michaels
Deep Creek
Deep Creek
by Dana Hand
Boat of Stone
Boat of Stone
by Maureen Earl
God's Men
God's Men
by Pearl S. Buck
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
by Evelyn Anthony
The Other Side of the Sun
The Other Side of the Sun
by Madeleine L'Engle
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The Re-Read: A Wrinkle in Time
The Third Hill North of Town
The Third Hill North of Town
by Noah Bly
The Gossamer Cord
The Gossamer Cord
by Philippa Carr
The Tenth Muse
The Tenth Muse
by Catherine Chung
The Mandelbaum Gate
The Mandelbaum Gate
by Muriel Spark
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A Gathering of Spies
A Gathering of Spies
by John Altman
Quest
Quest
by Richard Ben Sapir
Ilsa
Ilsa
by Madeleine L'Engle
The Red and the Green
The Red and the Green
by Iris Murdoch
All My Sins Remembered
All My Sins Remembered
by Rosie Thomas
God Speed the Night
God Speed the Night
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Jerome Ross
The Strays
The Strays
by Emily Bitto
George Passant
George Passant
by C.P. Snow
The Last Witchfinder
The Last Witchfinder
by James Morrow
Sealskin
Sealskin
by Su Bristow
An Outrageous Affair
An Outrageous Affair
by Penny Vincenzi
Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven
by Marion Meade
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The Sect of Angels
The Sect of Angels
by Andrea Camilleri, Stephen Sartarelli
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Black Flower
Black Flower
by Young-ha Kim, Charles La Shure
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Happy Family
Happy Family
by Wendy Lee
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
by Barry Lopez
Night in Shanghai
Night in Shanghai
by Nicole Mones
Hyde
Hyde
by Daniel Levine
The Golden Horn
The Golden Horn
by Poul Anderson
Showing 251-300 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.