Historical fiction
50 Of The Best Historical Fiction Books
Whittling all historical fiction books into one manageable list is impossible, truly. Instead of putting together a list of the 223,546 best historical fiction books, I opted instead for adult historical fiction showstoppers that present a wide array of time periods, places, characters, and more. We read historical fiction because we want to travel through time and space. This list, I believe, gives you the broadest view of our world’s shared past.
Now, who’s ready to travel time and space with me?
What is historical fiction?
A historical fiction definition seems simple enough: it’s fiction that takes place in the past. Typically, historical fiction books are written at least 30–50 years after the event or time period has taken place. While some of it may be remembered from a lived experience, a lot of a historical fiction novel’s conception comes from research.
In addition, historical fiction is usually considered more realistic in nature. Genre-bending books, though, have shown how a bit of fantasy or magical realism can enhance our understanding of the past.
Because of this, I believe historical fiction books are also those that simply couldn’t have happened in any other time or place.
The time period of the book and the real historical events that occurred during that time play as crucial of a role in the story as any character or plot twist.
You can also read a more in-depth discussion of this at the Historical Novel Society.Find more of our favorite historical fiction authors writing today here.
Some notes on this historical fiction list
In the following list, you’ll see books with fantastical elements, mystery, and romance. Some will have very recognizable historical figures starring as main characters, while others will tell the lesser known stories of people from the past.
Since we also have some fantastic lists on other historical fiction sub-genres, I’ve refrained from includingas many historical fiction books on the following topics (though some definitely do appear). For even more reading, check out:
Along with this list, that gives you 678 of the best historical fiction books to work through.
Each book in the following list notes the setting and time period. This is a general approximation, only usually giving the first setting and time period from a book as many of these span multiple generations and regions.
And, with that, read on for the best historical fiction books for adults.
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