Historical books are always a pleasant read especially when the author does a lot of research on the time period. Some of my favorite novels fall under this genre and I am always looking for new books that are amazing to read. That is why we decided to list the 20 best historical novels of all time. Keep reading to see which novels made our list!
Choosing only 20 historical novels was not easy. Some classics had to be left off but the list came out well. There are too many great novels and a bunch of lists could be made without any complaints from me. You can see the full list below!
The 20 Best Historical Fiction Novels of All Time
- The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
- The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
- Beloved by Toni Morrison
- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
- The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
- A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
- The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
- Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
- Aztec by Gary Jennings
New and Old Classics
There are a bunch of new and old classics on the list. Some of the new ones are The Book Thief, The Nightingale, A Gentleman in Moscow, and The Underground Railroad. I believe the genre is in good hands as many new authors have made a name for themselves.
But we cannot forget the older classics and the authors that made the genre what it is. Classics such as Gone with the Wind, War and Peace, and A Tale of Two Cities. Whether you like modern novels or classics, there are a lot of options ot choose from.
Conclusion
That is all for our list of the 20 best historical fictions novels of all time. What books should have made the list? Let us know in the comments below!
The Poldark series by Winston Graham and Lisa See’s Snow Flower and the Secret Fan belong in the top 20.
To kill a Mockingbird is a beauty!
Beneath the Scarlett Sky. Mark Sullivan
He Rose Code by Kate Quinn
The Known World by Jones
Pulitzer
How is Mitchell”s Gone With the Wind considered HISTORICAL fiction since it never even attempts to adhere to the REAL history of that period. Worse, it is not even well-written. If you ever read Jubilee by Margaret Walker, you would understand fully what I mean. The placng of Mitchell’s book on a list that includes all rhe other erudite & learned writers is tantamount to rating Fifty Shades of Grey on the same level as a Shakespearean play. Margaret Walker was a scholar, a reader, a professor & a writer; even Mitchell admitted that she was neither.
Nowhere did he list Mika Waltari’s The Egyptian, or Taylor Caldwell’s, Pillar of Iron.
Amazing.
Horse by geraldinr brooks
You left the best historical fiction out: it’s called Flowers in the Blood by Gaye Coulter
I agree! Should be on the list. I have read many times!
Another book not on the is is MY ANTONIA, by Willa Cather. I suggested to my father, who was an avid reader. It was his favorite, over To Kill A Mockingbird!! It is a MUST READ!!
So agree . . . I was also looking for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.
I would have to add Caribbean and Hawaii by James Michener. The Colson Whitehead book does not qualify for historical fiction but rather historical fantasy. But I’m not surprised that there are books on this list that simply reinforces the concept of white supremacy in a world that has not always been dominated by those of European descent.
What about Dorothy Dunnett’s series of the merchants in Flanders and Scotland in the 15th century??
The fact that neither Jean M. Auel’s Earth’s Children nor SNY of James A. Micheners collection of works is on this list is an
Apostasy
HERETIC!!!😡🤬🤬
I would NOT leave Dorothy Dunnetts The Lymond Chronicles off that list. It’s rich in history and an incredibly imaginative swashbuckling series with a tormented anti-hero
Jean M.Auel’s Earth series is fantastic, with a wealth of research and detail, plus a brilliant story, spent years reading and re reading it, and waiting for the final novel, maybe we need a top 100, there are so many fantastic books.
Surprised to not see Grapes of Wrath on this list.
What about Burr?
Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Right on!
WW2 stories are my go to reads. I would add The Shoemaker’s Law to this list
https://amzn.to/3wbXnRo
Hilary Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell series, 2 of which won the Booker?!!
Pillars of the Earth? I kept waiting for it to get better, but it didn’t. The authors obsession with forcing women and the unlikeable cardboard characters didn’t help.
The Good Ea
rth
The complete Jack Aubrey series by Patrick O’Brian. The best nautical historical fiction writing ever!!
Phillip Kerr’s Bernie Gunther series – a deeply researched insight into life under the Nazis – pre, during and post WW2.
The Bregdan Chronicles by Ginny Dye
“Crazy in Alabama” by Mark Childress, a great coming-of-age novel set in the sweeping changes of the civil rights movement in the South.
You’re missing Dorothy Dunnett – who’s been described as the ‘historical novelist’s historical novelist’ and ‘the best historical novelist no-one has heard of’. Diana Gabaldon and Hilary Mantel are fans.
What about The Source by James Michener
Yes. It should definitely be in the List as one of the top five!
Nothing by James Mitchener? Shame on you.
What about all the best selling books by Anya Seton who would do research for years including site visits?
I agree… I think that KATHERINE is one of the best historical novels of all time!
I’m loving the Bredgen Chronicles by Ginny Dye! So far there are 20 books & one coming out later this year. It can’t get here soon enough! I’m from Mississippi, and this story line is based in the south and starts before the civil war.
Circling the Sunny Paula McLain
What about Edward Rutherfurd?
Mary Renaults books about Ancient Greece and Alexander the Great
Alan Furst WW2 era ordinary people from all walks of life doing extraordinary things.
Jean LeCarre deep dives into the Cold War
Thomas Costain Below the salt. Life in King John’s Medieval England
Scarlet Pimpernel although this may be occluded by tale of two cities
Too many greats
Cutting for Stone
WTF, no Killer Angels?
Through a Glass Darkly, Karleen Koen
The Warmth of Other Suns
Correcting myself, not fiction. But Dear Carrie, definitely historical fiction, by Kathoeen Haun, about settling the Eastern Sierra of California.
A BLAZING GILDED AGE is outstanding in the way it incorporates so much historical accuracy of the era while developing profound and at times heart-wrenching interactions between the main fictional characters. A true Modern Classic., not to be missed!
Deborah Harkness’ All Souls Trilogy. Amazing writing, tremendous history.
We humans like to be outraged, don’t we ; ) I think the official list is great. Comments are great too, thanks for all the suggestions! I’m a huge James Michener fan. Some favorites are “Hawaii,” “Space,” “Texas,” and “Chesapeake.” A less known favorite is by John Sayles, “A Moment in the Sun.” It is set in the 1890s spanning the Alaska gold rush, the racist coup in Wilmington, NC, to the bloody dawn of U.S. interventionism in Cuba and the Philippines. Mostly I love people who love good books!
I love the list AND the suggested additions. One of my favorites that I don’t see is Leonardo’s Swans, by Karen Essex.
I enjoyed Colleen McCullough’s Rome series as much The Pillars of the Earth and few others on this list.
Morgan’s Run …..Colleen McCullough.
A Town Like Alice …Nevil Shute
A list with no context, devoid of explanation, meaning nothing.
Lincoln by Gore Vidal.
Mika 18 by Leon Uris
The Winds of War by Herman Wouk
How did you miss Herman Wouk’s “Winds of War” and/or “War and Remembrance?”
Love your list. Read most of them. Then I start on the books in the replies. Thanks everyone. I too am a tremendous fan of the Lymond Chronicles. I never run into anyone that has read them. But Lymond is my favorite anti-hero of all time. The Shaara boys are phenomenal! James Clavel is great. A new book Trust. I thought Atonement was excellent history, though I hated the characters. The Color Purple always makes my favorite list, as does Beloved. So many fantastic books….not enough time!
I didn’t look at your list closely but didn’t like A Gentleman in Moscow (it dragged), thought The Book Thief was beyond depressing and Gone With the Wind doesn’t begin to qualify as Historical Fiction!
Anything by James Michener. Historically accurate with wonderful storylines.
Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy (1925), John Dos Passos’s The U.S.A. Trilogy (compiled 1937)
and (my favorite) Robert Penn Warren’s World Enough and Time (1950)
Theodore Dreiser’s “An American Tragedy” (1925), John Dos Passos “The U.S.A. Trilogy” (compiled (1937), and
(my favorite) Robert Penn Warren’s “World Enough and Time” (1950) ‘nuff said
Making a list of historical novels and not including even one book by James Michener is like making a list of US Presidents and not including George Washington. It makes me think the author of the article doesn’t know what a historical novel is. I suggest the author actually read one of Michener’s books and then apologize profusely to the reading public. I would suggest starting with The Source. You won’t be able to stop there. Try Poland next for a change of pace. Then come home to America with Centennial or Chesapeake. I could go on and on through the whole list, but I’ll stop there.
Number one The Bible
James micheners The Source, Centennial Hawaii, ernest hemingways For whom the bells toll Herman Wouk, winds of war and war and remembrance, leon uris Exodus, boris pasternak, Doctor Zhivago, mikhail Sholokov Quiet Flows the Don, and of course Victor Hugo, Les Miserables
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles is one that should be on that list. #21!
What about DESIREE by Ann Marie Selinko. It was one of the best I’ve EVER read.
No doubt in my mind that all James Michener’s historically accurate novels should top the list!
Great list! So many good books to read … On top of my list is ‘La catedral del mar’ / the cathedral of the sea by Idelfonso Falcones.
Albatross Journals by TG Haraldsson is a great read.