One of the reasons I love fantasy novels is that they transport you to another world. The best fantasy books introduce readers to sprawling kingdoms, unforgettable characters, political intrigue, and conflicts that can change the course of history.
But you don’t necessarily need magic, dragons, or mythical creatures to experience that kind of storytelling.
Some historical fiction novels deliver everything that makes epic fantasy so compelling. They feature ruthless rulers, devastating wars, complicated alliances, unlikely heroes, and richly imagined societies that feel almost as unfamiliar as fictional worlds.
Historical fiction is also one of my favorite genres, and I’ve always believed that fantasy and historical fiction have more in common than readers sometimes realize. Both genres are at their best when they make you care about the fate of an entire world while keeping you invested in the people living within it.
If you enjoy authors like Brandon Sanderson, George R. R. Martin, or Robin Hobb, these ten historical fiction novels offer many of the same storytelling pleasures.
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Here are 10 historical fiction books that feel like epic fantasy, without relying on magic.
1. Shōgun by James Clavell
Setting: Japan, around 1600
Best for: Readers who love political intrigue, rival warlords, and complicated alliances.
Few historical fiction novels capture the scale of epic fantasy quite like Shōgun.
James Clavell’s novel follows John Blackthorne, an English navigator whose ship reaches Japan at a time of extraordinary political instability.
Blackthorne soon becomes entangled in the ambitions of powerful Japanese leaders, particularly Lord Toranaga, whose political maneuvering could determine the country’s future.
What makes Shōgun so compelling is its intricate worldbuilding. Clavell introduces readers to a society with its own customs, political structures, religious tensions, and competing loyalties.
Much like the best epic fantasy novels, the story gradually reveals a much larger conflict in which seemingly minor decisions can have enormous consequences.
The alliances are constantly shifting, and almost everyone has something to lose.
Why fantasy readers will love it: If you enjoy the political maneuvering of A Game of Thrones, Shōgun offers an equally absorbing struggle for power grounded in historical fiction.
Explore Shōgun by James Clavell
2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Setting: Twelfth-century England
Best for: Readers who love sprawling casts, medieval politics, and long-running conflicts.
Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth is an extraordinary example of how historical fiction can feel every bit as grand as an epic fantasy novel.
Set in medieval England during a period of civil war and political uncertainty, the novel follows several interconnected characters whose lives revolve around the construction of a great cathedral.
There are ambitious nobles, religious leaders, talented builders, and ordinary people trying to survive in a world dominated by powerful institutions.
What initially appears to be a relatively straightforward story about building a cathedral eventually becomes an enormous saga about ambition, love, revenge, and political power.
The novel’s greatest strength is how thoroughly Follett develops the fictional town of Kingsbridge and the people who inhabit it.
Like a memorable fantasy setting, Kingsbridge changes over time, shaped by the decisions of its inhabitants.
Why fantasy readers will love it: This is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy detailed worldbuilding, multiple interconnected storylines, and characters whose actions shape entire communities.
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3. The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell
Setting: Ninth-century England
Best for: Readers who love Viking warfare, warrior protagonists, and divided kingdoms.
If your favorite part of epic fantasy involves warriors, armies, and the struggle to unite a fractured land, The Last Kingdom deserves a place on your reading list.
Bernard Cornwell’s novel introduces Uhtred, a Saxon-born boy who is raised by Danes after being captured during a Viking raid.
As he grows older, Uhtred finds himself torn between the culture that raised him and the kingdom connected to his birth.
His complicated loyalties place him at the center of a much larger struggle between the invading Danes and the surviving Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Cornwell’s battle scenes are one of the novel’s major attractions. Combat is brutal, chaotic, and intensely personal.
But the real appeal lies in Uhtred himself. He is proud, impulsive, fiercely loyal, and often his own worst enemy.
That combination makes him feel like the protagonist of a gritty fantasy saga.
Why fantasy readers will love it: The battles, shield walls, rival kings, and morally complicated hero will appeal to readers who enjoy military fantasy and character-driven adventures.
4. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Setting: Tudor England
Best for: Readers who love court politics, dangerous alliances, and intelligent protagonists.
Not every epic fantasy novel revolves around enormous battles.
Sometimes the most dangerous conflicts take place inside royal courts, where a careless remark or a poorly chosen ally can have deadly consequences.
That’s precisely what makes Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall such an intriguing recommendation.
The novel follows Thomas Cromwell as he rises through the political world of Henry VIII’s England.
Cromwell is not a traditional warrior or heroic adventurer. His greatest weapons are his intelligence, patience, and extraordinary ability to understand other people.
As Henry VIII attempts to end his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, Cromwell must navigate a political environment filled with powerful enemies and constantly shifting alliances.
The stakes are enormous, even when the action unfolds through conversations rather than battles.
Mantel makes the Tudor court feel as dangerous and complicated as any fictional kingdom.
Why fantasy readers will love it: If your favorite fantasy scenes involve political strategy, manipulation, and characters outmaneuvering their enemies, Wolf Hall is an excellent choice.
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5. The Iron King by Maurice Druon
Setting: Fourteenth-century France
Best for: Readers who love dynastic rivalries, succession crises, and ruthless rulers.
Maurice Druon’s The Iron King might be one of the most obvious recommendations for fans of political epic fantasy.
The novel begins the Accursed Kings series, which explores the political conflicts surrounding the French monarchy in the fourteenth century.
At the center of the story is King Philip IV, whose determination to consolidate power creates enemies and consequences that extend far beyond his own reign.
The novel is filled with betrayal, dynastic tension, political manipulation, and the dangerous question of who should inherit the throne.
Unlike a typical adventure novel, the conflict doesn’t belong to a single hero.
Instead, readers encounter a large cast of nobles, officials, and royal figures, each pursuing their own interests.
George R. R. Martin has famously acknowledged the influence of Druon’s historical novels on his own work.
It’s easy to understand why.
Why fantasy readers will love it: If the succession battles and political betrayals of A Song of Ice and Fire are what keep you reading, The Iron King is one of the strongest historical fiction recommendations available.
Read The Iron King by Maurice Druon
6. I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Setting: Ancient Rome
Best for: Readers who love imperial politics, dangerous families, and unlikely rulers.
Few settings offer as much material for epic storytelling as ancient Rome.
Robert Graves takes full advantage of that history in I, Claudius, a fictional autobiography of the Roman emperor Claudius.
The novel follows Claudius as he observes the deadly political struggles within Rome’s ruling family.
Surrounded by ambitious relatives, powerful emperors, and people willing to kill for influence, Claudius survives partly because others underestimate him.
The story offers a fascinating exploration of how power corrupts families and institutions.
It also features one of the most interesting protagonists on this list.
Claudius isn’t an unstoppable warrior or a brilliant general. He is an intelligent observer who learns how to survive a political system that consumes many of its most powerful participants.
Why fantasy readers will love it: The conspiracies, succession disputes, and complex family relationships make I, Claudius feel like a political fantasy saga set in a real empire.
7. Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield
Setting: Ancient Greece, during the Greco-Persian Wars
Best for: Readers who love legendary battles, warrior brotherhoods, and military fantasy.
Epic fantasy often revolves around battles that determine the fate of civilizations.
Steven Pressfield’s Gates of Fire delivers that kind of storytelling through a fictionalized account of the Battle of Thermopylae.
The novel follows the experiences of Xeones, a survivor who recounts the events surrounding the famous stand of the Spartans and their Greek allies against the Persian army.
Pressfield spends considerable time exploring the discipline, training, and culture of the Spartan warriors.
Rather than focusing exclusively on the battle itself, he examines the people who fought it and the beliefs that shaped their decisions.
The result is a novel that makes its central conflict feel both enormous and deeply personal.
There are moments of remarkable courage, but the story never completely ignores the fear and suffering that accompany warfare.
Why fantasy readers will love it: Readers who enjoy heroic last stands, tightly bonded military units, and detailed battle sequences should find plenty to appreciate.
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8. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Setting: The American West, nineteenth century
Best for: Readers who love dangerous journeys, found families, and unforgettable character relationships.
At first glance, Lonesome Dove might seem like an unusual choice for a list about historical fiction that feels like epic fantasy.
After all, Larry McMurtry’s novel is a Western rather than a story about kings or empires.
But the similarities become obvious once you look at its structure.
The novel follows former Texas Rangers Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call as they embark on an ambitious cattle drive from Texas toward Montana.
Along the way, they encounter dangerous landscapes, unexpected complications, and people whose lives become entangled with their journey.
The enormous geographical scope gives the story a sense of adventure that resembles a traditional fantasy quest.
More importantly, McMurtry creates characters who feel genuinely alive.
Gus and Call are especially memorable because their contrasting personalities create both conflict and emotional depth.
The novel also understands something that the best fantasy books recognize: an epic journey only matters when readers care about the people making it.
Why fantasy readers will love it: If you enjoy quest narratives, fellowship dynamics, and emotionally powerful character arcs, Lonesome Dove is an outstanding choice.
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9. The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
Setting: Fourteenth-century Italy
Best for: Readers who love medieval mysteries, religious conflicts, and atmospheric settings.
The Name of the Rose combines historical fiction with an intricate murder mystery.
The novel follows William of Baskerville, a Franciscan friar who arrives at a Benedictine monastery with his novice, Adso of Melk.
When mysterious deaths begin occurring, William attempts to uncover the truth.
What makes this novel particularly appealing to fantasy readers is the setting.
Eco creates a monastery filled with secretive scholars, religious disputes, forbidden knowledge, and an extraordinary library.
The atmosphere is so vivid that the monastery almost feels like a character in its own right.
But beneath the murder mystery lies a much larger conflict involving religious authority, intellectual freedom, and the political divisions of medieval Europe.
The story rewards readers who enjoy piecing together complicated mysteries while exploring a richly detailed historical world.
Why fantasy readers will love it: The labyrinthine library, intellectual rivalries, secretive atmosphere, and dangerous mysteries will appeal to fans of fantasy novels built around ancient knowledge and hidden truths.
10. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
Setting: Nineteenth-century France and the Mediterranean
Best for: Readers who love elaborate revenge plots, hidden identities, and dramatic transformations.
Few literary classics feel as relentlessly entertaining as The Count of Monte Cristo.
Alexandre Dumas tells the story of Edmond Dantès, a young sailor whose promising future is destroyed after he is falsely accused and imprisoned.
Years later, Dantès emerges with extraordinary wealth and a carefully constructed plan to punish the people responsible for his suffering.
The novel has everything readers could want from a sweeping adventure: conspiracies, betrayals, secret identities, hidden fortunes, and complicated relationships.
What makes it particularly similar to epic fantasy is the transformation of its central character.
Dantès begins as an ordinary young man but gradually becomes a mysterious and powerful figure capable of influencing the lives of people throughout French society.
His revenge unfolds through elaborate plans, shifting identities, and carefully orchestrated encounters.
But the novel also asks whether obtaining power and punishing enemies can truly make someone whole again.
Why fantasy readers will love it: If you enjoy brilliant protagonists, intricate plotting, and stories about individuals acquiring enough power to challenge the people who wronged them, this is essential reading.
Explore The Count of Monte Cristo
Which Historical Fiction Book Should Fantasy Fans Read First?
If you’re new to historical fiction and usually read epic fantasy, I would start with Shōgun, The Pillars of the Earth, or The Last Kingdom.
Each offers a different entry point into the genre.
Shōgun is the best choice if you want complicated politics and a large cast of characters. The Pillars of the Earth is ideal if you love sprawling stories built around a richly developed setting. And The Last Kingdom is perfect if you prefer warriors, combat, and fast-moving historical adventures.
Readers who love Game of Thrones should also pay particular attention to The Iron King. Its dynastic conflicts and ruthless political maneuvering feel remarkably close to the storytelling that made George R. R. Martin’s series so compelling.
For a more character-driven adventure, Lonesome Dove is difficult to beat.
Final Thoughts
Historical fiction and epic fantasy might seem like very different genres, but they often succeed for exactly the same reasons.
Both transport readers into richly developed worlds filled with complicated societies, memorable characters, and conflicts that can reshape entire nations.
The biggest difference is that historical fiction draws its settings and many of its conflicts from the real past rather than imaginary worlds.
For me, that makes the genre even more fascinating.
Knowing that the events of history can provide the foundation for stories every bit as dramatic as fantasy is part of what makes historical fiction so rewarding.
If you’ve been reading nothing but fantasy lately, I highly recommend trying one of these novels.
You might discover that some of the greatest epic adventures don’t need magic at all.
Which historical fiction novel would you recommend to someone who loves epic fantasy? Let us know in the comments.
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