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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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Remembering the Titanic
Remembering the Titanic
by Diane Hoh
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The French Bride
The French Bride
by Evelyn Anthony
The Pistol
The Pistol
by James Jones
Raven's Sword
Raven's Sword
by Adam Baker
Good Night, Maman
Good Night, Maman
by Norma Fox Mazer
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
Satie on the Seine
Satie on the Seine
by Gerald Vizenor
Female Friends
Female Friends
by Fay Weldon
The Castle of Whispers
The Castle of Whispers
by Carole Martinez, Howard Curtis
The Principle
The Principle
by Jerome Ferrari, Howard Curtis
The Cosmopolitans
The Cosmopolitans
by Sarah Schulman
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Happy Family
Happy Family
by Wendy Lee
The Gabinian Affair
The Gabinian Affair
by Ray Gleason
First Papers
First Papers
by Laura Z. Hobson
Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies
by Janet Woods
Hotel de Dream
Hotel de Dream
by Edmund White
Adeline
Adeline
by Norah Vincent
Peep Show
Peep Show
by Joshua Braff
Courting the Corporal
Courting the Corporal
by Heather McCorkle
Where the Long Grass Bends
Where the Long Grass Bends
by Neela Vaswani
The Man Who Cried I Am
The Man Who Cried I Am
by John A. Williams, Walter Mosley
All-American
All-American
by John R. Tunis
Mr. Pan
Mr. Pan
by Emily Hahn
The Girl on the Outside
The Girl on the Outside
by Mildred Pitts Walter
Vienna Waltz
Vienna Waltz
by Teresa Grant
Derby Day
Derby Day
by D. J. Taylor
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The Return of Captain John Emmett
The Return of Captain John Emmett
by Elizabeth Speller
The Darkling
The Darkling
by R. B. Chesterton
The American Heiress
The American Heiress
by Dorothy Eden
Hollywood Nocturnes
Hollywood Nocturnes
by James Ellroy
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Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy
Five for Sorrow, Ten for Joy
by Rumer Godden
Blood on the Moon
Blood on the Moon
by James Ellroy
Exodus
Exodus
by Leon Uris
The Time Is Noon
The Time Is Noon
by Pearl S. Buck
Showing 301-336 of 336 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.