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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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Dragon's Winter
Dragon's Winter
by Elizabeth A. Lynn
Between Friends
Between Friends
by Amos Oz, Sondra Silverston
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Autobiography of Us
Autobiography of Us
by Aria Beth Sloss
Emily's Ghost
Emily's Ghost
by Denise Giardina
Orlando
Orlando
by Virginia Woolf
Bretherton
Bretherton
by W. F. Morris
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The Love-Artist
The Love-Artist
by Jane Alison
The Undertaking
The Undertaking
by Audrey Magee
A Taste for Monsters
A Taste for Monsters
by Matthew J. Kirby
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Silver Stallion
Silver Stallion
by Ahn Junghyo
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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
The Cosmopolitans
The Cosmopolitans
by Sarah Schulman
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His Enemy, His Friend
His Enemy, His Friend
by John R. Tunis
Random Harvest
Random Harvest
by James Hilton
Agrippa's Daughter
Agrippa's Daughter
by Howard Fast
Mr. Pan
Mr. Pan
by Emily Hahn
In The Full Light Of The Sun
In The Full Light Of The Sun
by Clare Clark
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Hold Tight
Hold Tight
by Christopher Bram
The Book of Crows
The Book of Crows
by Sam Meekings
Wintering
Wintering
by Kate Moses
Frances and Bernard
Frances and Bernard
by Carlene Bauer
The Firefly Letters
The Firefly Letters
by Margarita Engle
Blue Ravens
Blue Ravens
by Gerald Vizenor
Something to Remember You By
Something to Remember You By
by Gene Wilder
The Last Summer of the World
The Last Summer of the World
by Emily Mitchell
Fool's Sanctuary
Fool's Sanctuary
by Jennifer Johnston
Good Night, Maman
Good Night, Maman
by Norma Fox Mazer
Fire Summer
Fire Summer
by Thuy Da Lam
The Old Religion
The Old Religion
by David Mamet
The Revelation of Louisa May
The Revelation of Louisa May
by Michaela MacColl
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Dark of the Moon
Dark of the Moon
by Tracy Barrett
The Third Son
The Third Son
by Julie Wu
If I Had Two Lives
If I Had Two Lives
by Abbigail N. Rosewood
Angel Dreams
Angel Dreams
by Chris Schneider, Michael Phillips
She Be Damned
She Be Damned
by M. J. Tjia
City of God
City of God
by Cecelia Holland
The Blindness of the Heart
The Blindness of the Heart
by Julia Franck, Anthea Bell
Grass Roof, Tin Roof
Grass Roof, Tin Roof
by Dao Strom
Forbidden Objects
Forbidden Objects
by Maggie Davis
Remembering the Titanic
Remembering the Titanic
by Diane Hoh
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The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard
The Seamstress of Hollywood Boulevard
by Erin McGraw
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Screenplay
Screenplay
by MacDonald Harris
Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies
by Janet Woods
The River Within
The River Within
by Karen Powell
Female Friends
Female Friends
by Fay Weldon
Hotel de Dream
Hotel de Dream
by Edmund White
Peep Show
Peep Show
by Joshua Braff
The Principle
The Principle
by Jerome Ferrari, Howard Curtis
Courting the Corporal
Courting the Corporal
by Heather McCorkle
Showing 301-350 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.