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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 Treasure of the Sierra Madre
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
by B. Traven
The Keys of the Kingdom
The Keys of the Kingdom
by AJ Cronin
Crooked Heart
Crooked Heart
by Lissa Evans
An Outrageous Affair
An Outrageous Affair
by Penny Vincenzi
The Marathon Conspiracy
The Marathon Conspiracy
by Gary Corby
The Hammer and the Cross
The Hammer and the Cross
by Harry Harrison
Dangerous Betrayal
Dangerous Betrayal
by Bill Blowers
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8 Books Set During the Gilded Age
A Few Right Thinking Men
A Few Right Thinking Men
by Sulari Gentill
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
by Barry Lopez
Coffee Will Make You Black
Coffee Will Make You Black
by April Sinclair
The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals
The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals
by Wendy Jones
The Third Hill North of Town
The Third Hill North of Town
by Noah Bly
Anna and the King of Siam
Anna and the King of Siam
by Margaret Ayer, Margaret Landon
Hold Tight
Hold Tight
by Christopher Bram
The Night Mark
The Night Mark
by Tiffany Reisz
Disoriental
Disoriental
by Negar Djavadi, Tina Kover
The Mandelbaum Gate
The Mandelbaum Gate
by Muriel Spark
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A Gathering of Spies
A Gathering of Spies
by John Altman
Testimony of Two Men
Testimony of Two Men
by Taylor Caldwell
The War Against Miss Winter
The War Against Miss Winter
by Kathryn Miller Haines
Family Secrets
Family Secrets
by Rona Jaffe
Blue Ravens
Blue Ravens
by Gerald Vizenor
Nothing Like the Sun
Nothing Like the Sun
by Anthony Burgess
The Glorious Ones
The Glorious Ones
by Francine Prose
The Strays
The Strays
by Emily Bitto
George Passant
George Passant
by C.P. Snow
The Auerbach Will
The Auerbach Will
by Stephen Birmingham
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There Is Confusion
There Is Confusion
by Jessie Redmon Fauset
The Robber Bridegroom
The Robber Bridegroom
by Eudora Welty
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
Turncoat
Turncoat
by Aaron Elkins
Moses
Moses
by Howard Fast
Greek Gods and Heroes
Greek Gods and Heroes
by Robert Graves
The Condor Passes
The Condor Passes
by Shirley Ann Grau
Quest
Quest
by Richard Ben Sapir
Ilsa
Ilsa
by Madeleine L'Engle
Actress
Actress
by Anne Enright
Before the War
Before the War
by Fay Weldon
Like a Sword Wound
Like a Sword Wound
by Ahmet Altan
The Love-Artist
The Love-Artist
by Jane Alison
Because You're Mine
Because You're Mine
by Rea Frey
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Arctic Summer
Arctic Summer
by Damon Galgut
A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True
A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True
by Brigid Pasulka
Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven
by Marion Meade
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8 Romance Books for Adults
Silver Stallion
Silver Stallion
by Ahn Junghyo
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Black Flower
Black Flower
by Young-ha Kim, Charles La Shure
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Night in Shanghai
Night in Shanghai
by Nicole Mones
Showing 251-300 of 369 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.