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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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Asta's Book
Asta's Book
by Ruth Rendell
Ilsa
Ilsa
by Madeleine L'Engle
Frances and Bernard
Frances and Bernard
by Carlene Bauer
A Sinister Splendor
A Sinister Splendor
by Mike Blakely
All My Sins Remembered
All My Sins Remembered
by Rosie Thomas
Kitchen Chinese
Kitchen Chinese
by Ann Mah
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The Circus in Winter
The Circus in Winter
by Cathy Day
The Strays
The Strays
by Emily Bitto
Before the War
Before the War
by Fay Weldon
George Passant
George Passant
by C.P. Snow
The Auerbach Will
The Auerbach Will
by Stephen Birmingham
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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
Sugar Land
Sugar Land
by Tammy Lynne Stoner
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The Sect of Angels
The Sect of Angels
by Stephen Sartarelli, Andrea Camilleri
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Dirt Rich
Dirt Rich
by Clark Howard
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Hyde
Hyde
by Daniel Levine
Glory and the Lightning
Glory and the Lightning
by Taylor Caldwell
Disoriental
Disoriental
by Negar Djavadi, Tina Kover
See What I Have Done
See What I Have Done
by Sarah Schmidt
The War Against Miss Winter
The War Against Miss Winter
by Kathryn Miller Haines
The Golden Horn
The Golden Horn
by Poul Anderson
The Red and the Green
The Red and the Green
by Iris Murdoch
Bellfield Hall
Bellfield Hall
by Anna Dean
Emily's Ghost
Emily's Ghost
by Denise Giardina
Actress
Actress
by Anne Enright
My French Whore
My French Whore
by Gene Wilder
'Til the Well Runs Dry
'Til the Well Runs Dry
by Lauren Francis-Sharma
Bretherton
Bretherton
by W. F. Morris
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The Last Witchfinder
The Last Witchfinder
by James Morrow
Like a Sword Wound
Like a Sword Wound
by Ahmet Altan
Ain't No Grave
Ain't No Grave
by Mary Glickman
Sealskin
Sealskin
by Su Bristow
The Old Religion
The Old Religion
by David Mamet
Crooked Heart
Crooked Heart
by Lissa Evans
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
The Marathon Conspiracy
The Marathon Conspiracy
by Gary Corby
A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True
A Long, Long Time Ago & Essentially True
by Brigid Pasulka
Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
by John Cleland
Sugar Money
Sugar Money
by Jane Harris
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Stealing Heaven
Stealing Heaven
by Marion Meade
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Silver Stallion
Silver Stallion
by Ahn Junghyo
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The Blindness of the Heart
The Blindness of the Heart
by Julia Franck, Anthea Bell
Rosy Is My Relative
Rosy Is My Relative
by Gerald Durrell
Manchu
Manchu
by Robert Elegant
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Desperadoes
Desperadoes
by Ron Hansen
Random Harvest
Random Harvest
by James Hilton
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter
by Barry Lopez
Showing 251-300 of 364 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.