One of the great pleasures of historical fiction is the range. You can spend one week in ancient Rome watching the Republic fall, and the next in the trenches of the Western Front, and the week after that following a Tudor spy through the dangerous streets of Elizabethan London. No other genre offers quite this combination of escapism and education, of adventure and intimacy with the human past.
This page is your starting point for navigating the full sweep of historical fiction by era. Each time period has its own distinct flavour, its own cast of favourite authors, and its own body of outstanding series and standalone novels. Whether you already know which era draws you or you are still finding your way in the genre, you will find your next great read below.
Browse by the era that interests you, or read through for a sense of what each period offers. Every section links to a full, dedicated guide with our top book picks, recommended authors, and complete series reading orders.
Ancient World (3000 BCE – 500 CE)
Rome, Greece, Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia
Ancient world historical fiction is the genre at its most epic. The Roman Republic and Empire alone have generated an extraordinary body of literature, from Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series to Robert Harris’s Cicero Trilogy and Lindsey Davis’s long-running Falco mysteries. But the ancient world extends far beyond Rome. There is a rich tradition of fiction set in ancient Greece, Ptolemaic Egypt, Persia, and even Mesopotamia, covering some of the most dramatic events in human history.
The ancient world attracts readers who want fiction on the largest canvas: the rise and fall of empires, the clash of civilisations, the lives of legendary figures like Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Alexander the Great seen from the inside. It is also a period that rewards deep series reading. Many of the best ancient world series run to six, ten, or even twenty books, offering hundreds of hours of immersive fiction.
Best for: Epic series, political intrigue, military adventure, mythology retellings
Key authors on this site: Madeline Miller, Robert Harris, Conn Iggulden, Lindsey Davis, Steven Pressfield, Ben Kane, Wilbur Smith
Key series: Emperor Series, Cicero Trilogy, Marcus Didius Falco, Flavia Albia
Explore Ancient World Historical Fiction
Medieval Europe (500 – 1485)
Viking Age, Dark Ages, High Middle Ages, Hundred Years’ War, Wars of the Roses
Medieval historical fiction spans nearly a thousand years, from the Viking raids of the eighth century to the end of the Plantagenet dynasty in 1485. It is a period of extraordinary variety: brutal Norse adventures, courtly romances, Crusader epics, Black Death survival stories, and political thrillers set against the Wars of the Roses all share the same broad era.
The period is exceptionally well served by both major series and standalone classics. Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom series, Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge novels, Sharon Kay Penman’s Plantagenet chronicles, and Elizabeth Chadwick’s medieval romances together comprise hundreds of outstanding books. For mystery lovers, Ellis Peters’s Brother Cadfael and C.J. Sansom’s Shardlake series offer a medieval world seen through an investigative lens.
Best for: Viking adventures, castle intrigue, religious conflict, battles, royal dynasties
Key authors on this site: Bernard Cornwell, Ken Follett, Elizabeth Chadwick, Giles Kristian, Sharon Kay Penman, C.J. Sansom
Key series: The Last Kingdom, Kingsbridge Series, Warlord Chronicles, Grail Quest, Raven Series
Explore Medieval Historical Fiction
Tudor England (1485 – 1603)
Henry VIII, the Reformation, Elizabethan espionage, six wives, and a century of upheaval
No period in British history is more extensively fictionalised than the Tudor era, and with good reason. The reign of Henry VIII alone contains more drama, tragedy, and moral complexity than most writers could invent: the Reformation, the break with Rome, six marriages, the dissolution of the monasteries, and a succession crisis that shaped England for generations. Add Elizabeth I’s long and brilliant reign, the Spanish Armada, and the dangerous world of Elizabethan espionage, and you have material that has sustained hundreds of outstanding novels.
Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall Trilogy is the defining achievement of Tudor fiction, but the period also boasts C.J. Sansom’s Shardlake mysteries, Philippa Gregory’s court novels, Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series, and S.J. Parris’s Giordano Bruno thrillers. There is something for every reader here, from literary fiction of the highest order to gripping historical thrillers.
Best for: Court intrigue, religious conflict, female protagonists, spy fiction, royal biography in fictional form
Key authors on this site: Hilary Mantel, Philippa Gregory, C.J. Sansom, Alison Weir, S.J. Parris, Ken Follett
Key series: Wolf Hall Trilogy, Shardlake Series, Plantagenet and Tudor Series, Six Tudor Queens, Giordano Bruno Series
Explore Tudor England Historical Fiction
World War I (1914 – 1918)
The Western Front, shell shock, the home front, and the end of an old world
The First World War is the period that best illustrates what historical fiction can do that straight history cannot. The scale of the suffering is almost impossible to absorb from a history book, but Sebastian Faulks in Birdsong, Erich Maria Remarque in All Quiet on the Western Front, and Pat Barker in the Regeneration Trilogy bring individual human beings into the trenches and ask you to experience the war through their eyes.
WW1 fiction is often more philosophically troubling than WW2 fiction. The war’s causes were tangled, and its prosecution was often catastrophic, and the best novels in this period don’t let anyone off the hook. It is also a period rich in women’s stories: nurses, spies, suffragettes, and home front workers all appear in a body of fiction that has expanded significantly in recent years. Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network and Alice Winn’s In Memoriam are among the finest recent additions to the genre.
Best for: Psychological depth, anti-war themes, women in wartime, espionage, poetry, and literature connections
Key authors on this site: Ken Follett, Kate Quinn
Key series: Century Trilogy (begins with Fall of Giants, set during WW1)
Explore World War I Historical Fiction
World War II (1939 – 1945)
The most popular era in historical fiction, and for good reason
World War II is the most written-about period in historical fiction, generating more novels, more series, and more reader passion than any other era. The conflict touched every continent, involved moral stakes of the clearest possible kind, and produced stories of heroism, survival, resistance, and horror that seem inexhaustible as material for fiction.
The range within WW2 fiction is enormous. There are literary masterworks like All the Light We Cannot See and The Narrow Road to the Deep North; page-turning thrillers like Robert Harris’s Enigma and SS-GB; sweeping epics like Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy; intimate resistance stories; Pacific War novels; Holocaust narratives; espionage fiction; and home front stories. Whatever kind of reader you are, there is outstanding WW2 fiction for you.
Best for: Moral clarity and complexity together, resistance stories, espionage, military adventure, female protagonists, concentration camp narratives
Key authors on this site: Kate Quinn, Ken Follett, James Clavell
Key series: Century Trilogy, Asian Saga
Also see: Best WW2 Historical Fiction
Explore World War II Historical Fiction
Victorian Era (1837 – 1901)
Empire, industry, social reform, and the birth of the modern world
The Victorian era offers one of the richest settings in all of historical fiction. It spans sixty-four years of extraordinary change: the Industrial Revolution transforming daily life, the British Empire at its height, the birth of the detective novel, the suffrage movement beginning, Charles Darwin reshaping humanity’s understanding of itself, and a social world of rigid hierarchy and spectacular hypocrisy that is endlessly fascinating to explore.
Victorian historical fiction ranges from the gothic and atmospheric to the wryly comic. There are Dickensian social novels, sensation fiction in the tradition of Wilkie Collins, imperial adventure stories, feminist retellings, and literary fiction of enormous ambition. Sarah Waters’s Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet, Michel Faber’s The Crimson Petal and the White, and A.S. Byatt’s Possession represent the period’s literary heights, while the Victorian mystery tradition encompasses everything from neo-Sherlockian pastiches to grim social realism.
Best for: Atmosphere and Gothic mood, social class themes, mystery and detection, feminist retellings, empire and colonialism
Key authors on this site: Robert Harris, Wilbur Smith, James Clavell
Explore Victorian Era Historical Fiction
Which Time Period Is Right for You?
Not sure where to start? Here are a few quick recommendations based on what you’re looking for.
If you want epic military adventure, start with Medieval Europe and Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom series, or Ancient World and Conn Iggulden’s Emperor series.
If you want court intrigue and political drama, Tudor England is unmatched. Start with Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall.
If you want literary fiction that asks hard questions, World War I offers the most philosophically rich body of fiction in the genre. Start with Birdsong or the Regeneration Trilogy.
If you want page-turning stories of heroism and survival, World War II is where most readers find their favourite historical novels. Start with All the Light We Cannot See or The Nightingale.
If you want atmosphere, mystery, and social complexity, the Victorian Era delivers all three. Start with The Crimson Petal and the White or Fingersmith.
If you want mythology, legend, and the ancient world, Ancient World is the place. Start with Madeline Miller’s Circe or Robert Harris’s Imperium.
Browse by Author or Series
Prefer to find your next read through an author or series? Our author pages and series reading order guides cover the most important names and series in historical fiction:
- Browse all authors
- Browse all series reading orders
- Best historical fiction of all time
- Historical fiction for beginners
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most popular time period in historical fiction? World War II is consistently the most popular setting in historical fiction, generating more novels and more reader interest than any other era. Ancient Rome and Tudor England are close rivals, each supporting large communities of dedicated readers and dozens of major series.
Which time period has the best historical fiction series? It depends on what you enjoy. For long, binge-worthy series, the ancient world and the medieval period are the leaders, with series like The Last Kingdom (13 books), The Kingsbridge Series (5 books), The Emperor (5 books), and Marcus Didius Falco (20 books). For standalone literary fiction of the highest quality, World War I and the Victorian era have the edge.
Is Tudor historical fiction mostly about Henry VIII? Henry VIII dominates, but there is excellent fiction covering the full Tudor period. Alison Weir’s Six Tudor Queens series devotes a novel to each of Henry’s wives, while S.J. Parris’s Giordano Bruno thrillers are set in Elizabethan England. C.J. Sansom’s Shardlake series covers the whole reign from Cromwell’s ascendancy to the Reformation’s aftermath.
Can I read historical fiction about non-European history? Yes, though this is an area where the genre has traditionally been thinner. The ancient world section includes fiction set in Persia and Egypt, and James Clavell’s Asian Saga covers feudal Japan and colonial Asia in extraordinary depth. The WW2 section includes Pacific War fiction. We are actively building out coverage of non-Western historical fiction as the site grows.
Where should a complete beginner to historical fiction start? See our dedicated historical fiction for beginners guide for a full recommendation list. As a quick answer: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (medieval), Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Tudor), or All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (WW2) are all outstanding entry points that represent the genre at its best.