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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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All the President’s Men
All the President’s Men
by Carl Bernstein & Bob Woodward
The Golden Thread
The Golden Thread
by Ewan Clayton
Daughter of the Wind
Daughter of the Wind
by Michael Cadnum
Lord of Light
Lord of Light
by Roger Zelazny
Eat, Pray, Love
Eat, Pray, Love
by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Principle
The Principle
by Jerome Ferrari, Howard Curtis
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
A Curse So Dark and Lonely
by Brigid Kemmerer
The Soulmate Equation
The Soulmate Equation
by Christina Lauren
Courting the Corporal
Courting the Corporal
by Heather McCorkle
The Lemon Tree Hotel
The Lemon Tree Hotel
by Rosanna Ley
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan
Cinder
Cinder
by Marissa Meyer
The Bookshop on the Corner
The Bookshop on the Corner
by Jenny Colgan
Here and Now and Then
Here and Now and Then
by Mike Chen
The Dispossessed
The Dispossessed
by Ursula K. Le Guin
That Summer
That Summer
by Jennifer Weiner
Exhalation: Stories
Exhalation: Stories
by Ted Chiang
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
by J.R.R. Tolkien
His Enemy, His Friend
His Enemy, His Friend
by John R. Tunis
Animal
Animal
by Lisa Taddeo
The Woman Before Me
The Woman Before Me
by Ruth Dugdall
Happy Family
Happy Family
by Wendy Lee
The Power of Now
The Power of Now
by
Foundation
Foundation
by Isaac Asimov
Beautiful Ruins
Beautiful Ruins
by Jess Walter
Black Reconstruction in America
Black Reconstruction in America
by W.E.B. DuBois
!Click Song
!Click Song
by John A. Williams
The Three Coffins
The Three Coffins
by John Dickson Carr
P.S. Your Cat is Dead
P.S. Your Cat is Dead
by James Kirkwood
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All-American
All-American
by John R. Tunis
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
by Steig Larsson
Forbidden Objects
Forbidden Objects
by Maggie Davis
The Jesus Incident
The Jesus Incident
by Frank Herbert
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
by Cheryl Strayed
The Snow Child
The Snow Child
by Eowyn Ivey
The Girl on the Outside
The Girl on the Outside
by Mildred Pitts Walter
The Perfect Girlfriend
The Perfect Girlfriend
by Karen Hamilton
Where the Crawdads Sing
Where the Crawdads Sing
by Delia Owens
Outpost
Outpost
by Dan Richards
The Long Flight Home
The Long Flight Home
by Alan Hlad
Some Choose Darkness
Some Choose Darkness
by Charlie Donlea
The Abolitionist's Daughter
The Abolitionist's Daughter
by Diane C. McPhail
Travels with Charley in Search of America
Travels with Charley in Search of America
by John Steinbeck
The Invisible Library
The Invisible Library
by Genevieve Cogman
We Hope for Better Things
We Hope for Better Things
by Erin Bartels
Holidays on Ice
Holidays on Ice
by David Sedaris
Derby Day
Derby Day
by D. J. Taylor
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Saddle Up: 11 Books About Horses
Lilac Girls
Lilac Girls
by Martha Hall Kelly
It
It
by Stephen King
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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.