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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 Condor Passes
The Condor Passes
by Shirley Ann Grau
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 Body
The Body
by Richard Ben Sapir
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The Tenth Muse
The Tenth Muse
by Catherine Chung
The Mandelbaum Gate
The Mandelbaum Gate
by Muriel Spark
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Celebrating Author Muriel Spark
Between Friends
Between Friends
by Amos Oz, Sondra Silverston
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Remembering Amos Oz, 1939-2018
A Tidewater Morning
A Tidewater Morning
by William Styron
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William Styron: A Life in Books
Dragon's Winter
Dragon's Winter
by Elizabeth A. Lynn
The Firefly Letters
The Firefly Letters
by Margarita Engle
Midnight in St. Petersburg
Midnight in St. Petersburg
by Vanora Bennett
The Old Jest
The Old Jest
by Jennifer Johnston
Orlando
Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
God Speed the Night
God Speed the Night
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Jerome Ross
Screenplay
Screenplay
by MacDonald Harris
The River Within
The River Within
by Karen Powell
Gordo
Gordo
by Jaime Cortez
The Third Son
The Third Son
by Julie Wu
Dangerous Betrayal
Dangerous Betrayal
by Bill Blowers
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8 Books Set During the Gilded Age
Pillar of the Sky
Pillar of the Sky
by Cecelia Holland
Grass Roof, Tin Roof
Grass Roof, Tin Roof
by Dao Strom
His Enemy, His Friend
His Enemy, His Friend
by John R. Tunis
Greek Gods and Heroes
Greek Gods and Heroes
by Robert Graves
!Click Song
!Click Song
by John A. Williams
Mr. Pan
Mr. Pan
by Emily Hahn
Difficult Daughters
Difficult Daughters
by Manju Kapur
For All Eternity
For All Eternity
by Heather Cullman
An Act of Love
An Act of Love
by Carol Drinkwater
The Glorious Ones
The Glorious Ones
by Francine Prose
The Undertaking
The Undertaking
by Audrey Magee
A Taste for Monsters
A Taste for Monsters
by Matthew J. Kirby
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If I Had Two Lives
If I Had Two Lives
by Abbigail N. Rosewood
The Principle
The Principle
by Howard Curtis, Jerome Ferrari
She Be Damned
She Be Damned
by M. J. Tjia
Happy Family
Happy Family
by Wendy Lee
Forbidden Objects
Forbidden Objects
by Maggie Davis
Remembering the Titanic
Remembering the Titanic
by Diane Hoh
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Five O'Clock Lightning
Five O'Clock Lightning
by William L. DeAndrea
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5 Mystery Novels About Baseball
The French Bride
The French Bride
by Evelyn Anthony
City of God
City of God
by Cecelia Holland
Blue Ravens
Blue Ravens
by Gerald Vizenor
The Book of Crows
The Book of Crows
by Sam Meekings
Raven's Sword
Raven's Sword
by Adam Baker
Good Night, Maman
Good Night, Maman
by Norma Fox Mazer
Fire Summer
Fire Summer
by Thuy Da Lam
The Revelation of Louisa May
The Revelation of Louisa May
by Michaela MacColl
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Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies
by Janet Woods
Dark of the Moon
Dark of the Moon
by Tracy Barrett
Angel Dreams
Angel Dreams
by Michael Phillips, Chris Schneider
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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.