Genre Hub

Historical Fiction

History made viscerally alive — from ancient Rome to the Second World War, medieval courts to colonial empires. The past rendered in full colour.

Tudor EnglandAncient WorldWorld War IIMedievalVictorian
Reading List

The Historical Fiction Top 50

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The essential historical fiction reads, curated and ranked. How many have you read?

The Pillars of the Earth
1
The Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett
Gone with the Wind
2
Gone with the Wind
Margaret Mitchell
Wolf Hall
3
Wolf Hall
Hilary Mantel
The Book Thief
4
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
All the Light We Cannot See
5
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
Memoirs of a Geisha
6
Memoirs of a Geisha
Arthur Golden
The Women
7
The Women
Kristin Hannah
Pachinko
8
Pachinko
Min Jin Lee
Outlander
9
Outlander
Diana Gabaldon
Beloved
10
Beloved
Toni Morrison
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Go deeper

Essential Historical Fiction

The benchmark: Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall is the finest historical novel of the last fifty years. The present-tense narration pulls you into Tudor England with startling intimacy. Read all three books in the Cromwell trilogy.

For ancient history: Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series is unmatched for ancient Rome. Robert Graves's I, Claudius is slimmer and equally essential.

For World War II: Anthony Beevor's non-fiction work aside, Sebastian Faulks's Birdsong and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale are the emotional peak of WWII fiction.

For accessible entry points: Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth is the most satisfying historical epic for new readers — big, propulsive, impeccably researched.

Writer's Tool

Historical Fiction Prompt Generator

Need a spark? Generate a historical fiction prompt to get you started.

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From the blog

Historical Fiction Reading Lists

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