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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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Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc
by Mark Twain
Three Novels
Three Novels
by Katherine Neville
Difficult Daughters
Difficult Daughters
by Manju Kapur
Hyde
Hyde
by Daniel Levine
A Journal of the Plague Year
A Journal of the Plague Year
by Daniel Defoe
Frances and Bernard
Frances and Bernard
by Carlene Bauer
Between Friends
Between Friends
by Sondra Silverston, Amos Oz
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Remembering Amos Oz, 1939-2018
The Tenth Muse
The Tenth Muse
by Catherine Chung
Dragon's Winter
Dragon's Winter
by Elizabeth A. Lynn
A Tidewater Morning
A Tidewater Morning
by William Styron
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William Styron: A Life in Books
Rustication
Rustication
by Charles Palliser
Kitchen Chinese
Kitchen Chinese
by Ann Mah
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11 Books About Finding Yourself
Bretherton
Bretherton
by W. F. Morris
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The Undertaking
The Undertaking
by Audrey Magee
Sealskin
Sealskin
by Su Bristow
Dark of the Moon
Dark of the Moon
by Tracy Barrett
Pillar of the Sky
Pillar of the Sky
by Cecelia Holland
The Cosmopolitans
The Cosmopolitans
by Sarah Schulman
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She Be Damned
She Be Damned
by M. J. Tjia
Agrippa's Daughter
Agrippa's Daughter
by Howard Fast
Mr. Pan
Mr. Pan
by Emily Hahn
The Sphinx at Dawn
The Sphinx at Dawn
by Madeleine L'Engle
Five O'Clock Lightning
Five O'Clock Lightning
by William L. DeAndrea
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5 Mystery Novels About Baseball
The Red and the Green
The Red and the Green
by Iris Murdoch
The Firefly Letters
The Firefly Letters
by Margarita Engle
The Last Summer of the World
The Last Summer of the World
by Emily Mitchell
An Act of Love
An Act of Love
by Carol Drinkwater
The Old Jest
The Old Jest
by Jennifer Johnston
God Speed the Night
God Speed the Night
by Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Jerome Ross
Wintering
Wintering
by Kate Moses
Screenplay
Screenplay
by MacDonald Harris
Fire Summer
Fire Summer
by Thuy Da Lam
The River Within
The River Within
by Karen Powell
A Taste for Monsters
A Taste for Monsters
by Matthew J. Kirby
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The Third Son
The Third Son
by Julie Wu
His Enemy, His Friend
His Enemy, His Friend
by John R. Tunis
!Click Song
!Click Song
by John A. Williams
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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City of God
City of God
by Cecelia Holland
Autobiography of Us
Autobiography of Us
by Aria Beth Sloss
Midnight in St. Petersburg
Midnight in St. Petersburg
by Vanora Bennett
The Book of Crows
The Book of Crows
by Sam Meekings
Raven's Sword
Raven's Sword
by Adam Baker
The Old Religion
The Old Religion
by David Mamet
Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies
by Janet Woods
Hotel de Dream
Hotel de Dream
by Edmund White
Peep Show
Peep Show
by Joshua Braff
Showing 301-350 of 369 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.