What are the five best historical novels ever written? It is incredibly difficult to choose just five, and each reader will have their own opinion of her. For readers new to historical fiction, it may be hard to know where to start, but for sheer excitement combined with rich historical settings, the five novels below are a good starting point and, in my opinion, represent the top five. works of historical fiction of all time. written. I’ve left out alternate history and historical fantasy on purpose, as I think it’s hard to compare books between genres.
1. The name of the rose by Umberto Eco
The classic medieval mystery. A series of murders in an Italian monastery in a context of political intrigue. Eco does a remarkable job of showing his knowledge of the period without being boring and also creates a clever mystery.
2. The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
One of my favorite adventure stories, it is told at a breakneck pace and features some excellent historical figures, such as the Cardinal and the King, as well as memorable fictional characters. All for one and one for all!
3. Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian
Patrick O’Brian’s series of novels about the British Navy during the Napoleonic Wars has a large following. Like Echo, O’Brian doesn’t shy away from a great deal of detail in his setting, which I think he really enhances the story he has to tell, but doesn’t slow down the pace of the narrative.
4. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
One of my favorite novels of all time. Written some 60 years after the events it describes, it is perhaps easy not to think of this as historical fiction in some way: one might imagine that Tolstoy is relating a story that is almost contemporary. However, the events of 1812 in particular were symbolically essential to the idea of Russian nationality, and Tolstoy’s writings on the nature of history and great men are essential reading. But the heart of War and Peace is a very human story.
5. The Last English King by Julian Rathbone
It tells the story of 1066 from the point of view of the English, with King Harold as the last truly English king. This is an excellent interpretation of the events of the Norman invasion and makes you wonder how history might have turned out differently if the Normans hadn’t succeeded.
Historical fiction is a genre with something for everyone, and this is just a glimpse of some of the great novels available to read in the genre.
