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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 Ordinary Seaman
The Ordinary Seaman
by Francisco Goldman
Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
by John Cleland
The Unplowed Sky
The Unplowed Sky
by Jeanne Williams
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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
Accidents of Providence
Accidents of Providence
by Stacia M. Brown
The Uninvited Countess
The Uninvited Countess
by Michael Kilian
The Trespassers
The Trespassers
by Laura Z. Hobson
The Pistol
The Pistol
by James Jones
Victoria and Albert
Victoria and Albert
by Evelyn Anthony
The Red and the Green
The Red and the Green
by Iris Murdoch
The Sea House
The Sea House
by Elisabeth Gifford
Hawk
Hawk
by George Green
The Toss of a Lemon
The Toss of a Lemon
by Padma Viswanathan
There Is Confusion
There Is Confusion
by Jessie Redmon Fauset
The Kings in Winter
The Kings in Winter
by Cecelia Holland
The River Within
The River Within
by Karen Powell
Hotel de Dream
Hotel de Dream
by Edmund White
Female Friends
Female Friends
by Fay Weldon
I, Libertine
I, Libertine
by Theodore Sturgeon
The Third Son
The Third Son
by Julie Wu
The Betrayal
The Betrayal
by Helen Dunmore
Pillar of the Sky
Pillar of the Sky
by Cecelia Holland
The Cosmopolitans
The Cosmopolitans
by Sarah Schulman
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7 Brilliant Books Set in New York
Coffee Will Make You Black
Coffee Will Make You Black
by April Sinclair
Mr. Pan
Mr. Pan
by Emily Hahn
Hold Tight
Hold Tight
by Christopher Bram
The Bridge of Years
The Bridge of Years
by May Sarton
Remembering the Titanic
Remembering the Titanic
by Diane Hoh
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Power in the Blood
Power in the Blood
by Greg Matthews
Five O'Clock Lightning
Five O'Clock Lightning
by William L. DeAndrea
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5 Mystery Novels About Baseball
The Troubled Air
The Troubled Air
by Irwin Shaw
The French Bride
The French Bride
by Evelyn Anthony
City of God
City of God
by Cecelia Holland
Good Night, Maman
Good Night, Maman
by Norma Fox Mazer
The Crystal Ribbon
The Crystal Ribbon
by Celeste Lim
Read These Banned Books
Read These Banned Books
by American Library Association (ALA)
Oryx and Crake
Oryx and Crake
by Margaret Atwood
Charlotte's Web
Charlotte's Web
by E.B. White
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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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The House of the Spirits
The House of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
Secrets and Lies
Secrets and Lies
by Janet Woods
Dark of the Moon
Dark of the Moon
by Tracy Barrett
Without You, There Is No Us
Without You, There Is No Us
by Suki Kim
The Goldfinch
The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt
Peep Show
Peep Show
by Joshua Braff
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
To Name Those Lost
To Name Those Lost
by Rohan Wilson
The Wall
The Wall
by Jurek Becker, Christine Becker
Showing 301-350 of 1059 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.