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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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Fool's Sanctuary
Fool's Sanctuary
by Jennifer Johnston
The Pope's Rhinoceros
The Pope's Rhinoceros
by Lawrence Norfolk
The Book of Crows
The Book of Crows
by Sam Meekings
God Speed the Night
God Speed the Night
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Jerome Ross
The Glorious Ones
The Glorious Ones
by Francine Prose
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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Dark of the Moon
Dark of the Moon
by Tracy Barrett
Arctic Summer
Arctic Summer
by Damon Galgut
The Third Son
The Third Son
by Julie Wu
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
If I Had Two Lives
If I Had Two Lives
by Abbigail N. Rosewood
Forgetting the Alamo, Or, Blood Memory
Forgetting the Alamo, Or, Blood Memory
by Emma Perez
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Angel Dreams
Angel Dreams
by Michael Phillips, Chris Schneider
Mad Boy
Mad Boy
by Nick Arvin
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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 Anthea Bell, Julia Franck
The Cosmopolitans
The Cosmopolitans
by Sarah Schulman
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She Be Damned
She Be Damned
by M. J. Tjia
!Click Song
!Click Song
by John A. Williams
Mr. Pan
Mr. Pan
by Emily Hahn
Night in Shanghai
Night in Shanghai
by Nicole Mones
Hyde
Hyde
by Daniel Levine
For All Eternity
For All Eternity
by Heather Cullman
A Tidewater Morning
A Tidewater Morning
by William Styron
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William Styron: A Life in Books
Autobiography of Us
Autobiography of Us
by Aria Beth Sloss
The Last Summer of the World
The Last Summer of the World
by Emily Mitchell
Midnight in St. Petersburg
Midnight in St. Petersburg
by Vanora Bennett
An Act of Love
An Act of Love
by Carol Drinkwater
Bretherton
Bretherton
by W. F. Morris
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Raven's Sword
Raven's Sword
by Adam Baker
Wintering
Wintering
by Kate Moses
The Old Religion
The Old Religion
by David Mamet
Greek Gods and Heroes
Greek Gods and Heroes
by Robert Graves
Dirt Rich
Dirt Rich
by Clark Howard
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In The Full Light Of The Sun
In The Full Light Of The Sun
by Clare Clark
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Dragon's Winter
Dragon's Winter
by Elizabeth A. Lynn
Clandara
Clandara
by Evelyn Anthony
Nothing Like the Sun
Nothing Like the Sun
by Anthony Burgess
Before the War
Before the War
by Fay Weldon
Screenplay
Screenplay
by MacDonald Harris
The Undertaking
The Undertaking
by Audrey Magee
Sex Wars
Sex Wars
by Marge Piercy
The Foreign Student
The Foreign Student
by Susan Choi
Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies
by Janet Woods
Female Friends
Female Friends
by Fay Weldon
Hotel de Dream
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by Edmund White
Peep Show
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by Joshua Braff
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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.