Best Historical Fiction of the 21st Century (574 books)

Best Historical Fiction of the 21st Century

The best historical fiction written in the 21st century.

1	The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 4.15 avg rating — 512,269 ratings score: 8,866, and 90 people voted	My rating:
2	The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory 3.95 avg rating — 120,363 ratings score: 7,995, and 81 people voted	My rating:
3	A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini 4.28 avg rating — 195,655 ratings score: 5,562, and 57 people voted	My rating:
4	World Without End (The Pillars of the Earth, #2) by Ken Follett 4.12 avg rating — 34,965 ratings score: 3,619, and 38 people voted	My rating:
5	The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows 4.10 avg rating — 114,275 ratings score: 3,561, and 37 people voted	My rating:
6	The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 3.89 avg rating — 68,551 ratings score: 3,050, and 32 people voted	My rating:
7	The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Goodreads Author) 4.33 avg rating — 148,448 ratings score: 2,667, and 28 people voted	My rating:
8	The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author) 4.45 avg rating — 298,622 ratings score: 2,595, and 27 people voted	My rating:
9	Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks 3.91 avg rating — 27,750 ratings score: 2,266, and 24 people voted	My rating:
10	The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 4.17 avg rating — 63,934 ratings score: 2,167, and 23 people voted	My rating:
11	Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides 3.83 avg rating — 208,099 ratings score: 1,843, and 19 people voted	My rating:
12	Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir 3.86 avg rating — 7,481 ratings score: 1,779, and 19 people voted	My rating:
13	Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen 4.06 avg rating — 307,773 ratings score: 1,686, and 18 people voted	My rating:
14	A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle, #1) by Libba Bray (Goodreads Author) 3.76 avg rating — 53,153 ratings score: 1,543, and 16 people voted	My rating:
15	Mistress of the Art of Death (Mistress of the Art of Death, #1) by Ariana Franklin 3.89 avg rating — 8,724 ratings score: 1,241, and 14 people voted	My rating:
16	Dissolution (Matthew Shardlake, #1) by C.J. Sansom 3.96 avg rating — 3,715 ratings score: 1,048, and 11 people voted	My rating:
17	A Breath of Snow and Ashes (Outlander, #6) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 4.35 avg rating — 22,013 ratings score: 1,038, and 11 people voted	My rating:
18	Moloka'i by Alan Brennert 4.10 avg rating — 15,457 ratings score: 959, and 10 people voted	My rating:
19	People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks 3.87 avg rating — 28,707 ratings score: 913, and 10 people voted	My rating:
20	Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar (Goodreads Author) 3.88 avg rating — 465 ratings score: 889, and 9 people voted	My rating:
21	A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell (Goodreads Author) 3.95 avg rating — 3,750 ratings score: 878, and 9 people voted	My rating:
22	The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff (Goodreads Author) 3.58 avg rating — 16,252 ratings score: 865, and 9 people voted	My rating:
23	The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent 3.69 avg rating — 9,741 ratings score: 850, and 9 people voted	My rating:
24	The Fiery Cross (Outlander, #5) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 25,302 ratings score: 830, and 9 people voted	My rating:
25	The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 1,667 ratings score: 811, and 9 people voted	My rating:
26	The Serpent's Tale (Mistress of the Art of Death, #2) by Ariana Franklin 3.80 avg rating — 3,555 ratings score: 789, and 9 people voted	My rating:
27	Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore 4.26 avg rating — 38,072 ratings score: 775, and 8 people voted	My rating:
28	The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory 3.74 avg rating — 27,766 ratings score: 744, and 8 people voted	My rating:
29	An Echo in the Bone (Outlander, #7) by Diana Gabaldon (Goodreads Author) 4.27 avg rating — 14,785 ratings score: 695, and 8 people voted	My rating:
30	The Terror by Dan Simmons 3.92 avg rating — 5,525 ratings score: 659, and 7 people voted	My rating:
31	Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome by Steven Saylor 3.74 avg rating — 1,342 ratings score: 578, and 7 people voted	My rating:
32	Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Goodreads Author) 3.98 avg rating — 78,260 ratings score: 571, and 6 people voted	My rating:
33	Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 5,115 ratings score: 555, and 6 people voted	My rating:
34	Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell 3.89 avg rating — 2,867 ratings score: 532, and 6 people voted	My rating:
35	The Forest by Edward Rutherfurd 3.86 avg rating — 1,496 ratings score: 530, and 6 people voted	My rating:
36	March by Geraldine Brooks 3.64 avg rating — 16,076 ratings score: 525, and 6 people voted	My rating:
37	Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel 3.76 avg rating — 11,459 ratings score: 513, and 6 people voted	My rating:
38	The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox 3.61 avg rating — 2,677 ratings score: 479, and 5 people voted	My rating:
39	City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan by Beverly Swerling (Goodreads Author) 3.91 avg rating — 755 ratings score: 432, and 5 people voted	My rating:
40	Orchard of Dust by Brian Edward Bahr (Author) 5.00 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 400, and 4 people voted	My rating:
41	The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir 3.87 avg rating — 5,040 ratings score: 386, and 4 people voted	My rating:
42	The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 3.86 avg rating — 32,557 ratings score: 383, and 4 people voted	My rating:
43	Anne of Avonlea (Anne of Green Gables, #2) by L.M. Montgomery 4.15 avg rating — 33,406 ratings score: 365, and 4 people voted	My rating:
44	The Secret Bride (In The Court of Henry VIII, #1) by Diane Haeger 3.60 avg rating — 866 ratings score: 361, and 4 people voted	My rating:
45	Brethren: An Epic Adventure of the Knights Templar (Brethren Trilogy, #1) by Robyn Young 3.68 avg rating — 591 ratings score: 356, and 4 people voted	My rating:
46	The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 3,565 ratings score: 355, and 4 people voted	My rating:
47	Crusade (Brethren Trilogy, #2) by Robyn Young 3.87 avg rating — 342 ratings score: 351, and 4 people voted	My rating:
48	My Heart Remembers by Kim Vogel Sawyer 3.85 avg rating — 810 ratings score: 349, and 4 people voted	My rating:
49	Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue (Goodreads Author) 3.60 avg rating — 3,899 ratings score: 345, and 4 people voted	My rating:
50	War and Remembrance by Herman Wouk 4.22 avg rating — 4,887 ratings score: 304, and 4 people voted	My rating:
51	Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak 3.92 avg rating — 15,257 ratings score: 300, and 4 people voted	My rating:
52	The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter 3.17 avg rating — 1,294 ratings score: 299, and 4 people voted	My rating:
53	Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson (Goodreads Author) 3.84 avg rating — 16,493 ratings score: 294, and 3 people voted	My rating:
53	Fall of Giants (The Century Trilogy #1) by Ken Follett 4.08 avg rating — 15,516 ratings score: 294, and 3 people voted	My rating:
55	Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody 3.92 avg rating — 4,156 ratings score: 289, and 4 people voted	My rating:
56	The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber 3.71 avg rating — 9,095 ratings score: 287, and 3 people voted	My rating:
56	Mary, Called Magdalene by Margaret George 3.75 avg rating — 2,617 ratings score: 287, and 3 people voted	My rating:
58	Requiem: The Fall of the Templars (Brethren Trilogy #3) by Robyn Young 3.83 avg rating — 230 ratings score: 279, and 3 people voted	My rating:
59	Night by Elie Wiesel 4.22 avg rating — 153,605 ratings score: 274, and 4 people voted	My rating:
60	A Conspiracy of Ravens (Lady Trent Mysteries #2) by Gilbert Morris 3.88 avg rating — 111 ratings score: 273, and 3 people voted	My rating:
60	The Mermaid in the Basement by Gilbert Morris 3.74 avg rating — 208 ratings score: 273, and 3 people voted	My rating:
62	The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 4,455 ratings score: 271, and 3 people voted	My rating:
63	North And South by John Jakes 3.95 avg rating — 6,946 ratings score: 268, and 3 people voted	My rating:
64	Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende 3.87 avg rating — 4,567 ratings score: 262, and 3 people voted	My rating:
65	The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson 3.69 avg rating — 2,312 ratings score: 259, and 3 people voted	My rating:
65	From Here to Eternity by James Jones 4.01 avg rating — 2,216 ratings score: 259, and 3 people voted	My rating:
67	Caprice and Rondo (The House of Niccolo, #7) by Dorothy Dunnett 4.40 avg rating — 470 ratings score: 255, and 3 people voted	My rating:
68	Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind 3.87 avg rating — 39,742 ratings score: 253, and 3 people voted	My rating:
69	Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes 3.50 avg rating — 129,219 ratings score: 252, and 3 people voted	My rating:
70	The Curse of the Pharaohs (Amelia Peabody, #2) by Elizabeth Peters 3.96 avg rating — 4,704 ratings score: 248, and 3 people voted	My rating:
71	Empress Orchid (Empress Orchid, #1) by Anchee Min 3.79 avg rating — 4,966 ratings score: 246, and 3 people voted	My rating:
71	Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent (Goodreads Author) 3.89 avg rating — 1,305 ratings score: 246, and 3 people voted	My rating:
73	The Last Empress (Empress Orchid, #2) by Anchee Min 3.55 avg rating — 1,903 ratings score: 242, and 3 people voted	My rating:
74	Oscar And Lucinda by Peter Carey 3.66 avg rating — 3,769 ratings score: 241, and 3 people voted	My rating:
74	The Book of Eleanor by Pamela Kaufman 3.70 avg rating — 430 ratings score: 241, and 3 people voted	My rating:
76	Lion in the Valley (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #4) by Elizabeth Peters 4.06 avg rating — 3,834 ratings score: 240, and 3 people voted	My rating:
77	The Persian Boy (Alexander the Great, #2) by Mary Renault 4.11 avg rating — 1,731 ratings score: 239, and 3 people voted	My rating:
78	The Snake, the Crocodile & the Dog (Amelia Peabody #7) by Elizabeth Peters (pseud.) 4.07 avg rating — 3,325 ratings score: 237, and 3 people voted	My rating:
78	Timeline by Michael Crichton 3.63 avg rating — 38,177 ratings score: 237, and 3 people voted	My rating:
80	Nefertiti by Michelle Moran (Goodreads Author) 3.98 avg rating — 6,352 ratings score: 235, and 3 people voted	My rating:
81	Seeing a Large Cat (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #9) by Elizabeth Peters 4.08 avg rating — 2,613 ratings score: 232, and 3 people voted	My rating:
82	The Falcon at the Portal (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #11) by Elizabeth Peters 4.09 avg rating — 2,900 ratings score: 229, and 3 people voted	My rating:
83	He Shall Thunder in the Sky (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #12) by Elizabeth Peters 4.20 avg rating — 2,886 ratings score: 226, and 3 people voted	My rating:
84	The List of Seven by Mark Frost (Goodreads Author) 3.86 avg rating — 714 ratings score: 223, and 3 people voted	My rating:
85	The Golden One (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #14) by Elizabeth Peters 4.05 avg rating — 2,426 ratings score: 222, and 3 people voted	My rating:
86	Lord of the Silent (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #13) by Elizabeth Peters 4.10 avg rating — 2,368 ratings score: 219, and 3 people voted	My rating:
87	Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland 3.60 avg rating — 8,162 ratings score: 218, and 3 people voted	My rating:
88	Tomb of the Golden Bird (An Amelia Peabody Mystery, #18) by Elizabeth Peters 4.01 avg rating — 2,164 ratings score: 215, and 3 people voted	My rating:
89	Flashman at the Charge (Flashman Papers, #4) by George MacDonald Fraser 4.29 avg rating — 838 ratings score: 211, and 3 people voted	My rating:
90	City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin 3.95 avg rating — 1,032 ratings score: 209, and 3 people voted	My rating:
91	Flashman in the Great Game (The Flashman Papers, #5) by George MacDonald Fraser 4.24 avg rating — 762 ratings score: 208, and 3 people voted	My rating:
92	My Theodosia by Anya Seton 3.48 avg rating — 277 ratings score: 207, and 3 people voted	My rating:
93	The Great American by Alex Abella (Goodreads Author) 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	My rating:
93	Defender of the Realm by Corey Holst (Goodreads Author) 4.17 avg rating — 23 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	My rating:
93	A Murderous Procession (Mistress of the Art of Death, #4) by Ariana Franklin 3.98 avg rating — 1,644 ratings score: 200, and 3 people voted	My rating:
93	Saint Paul Trois Ch Teaux: 1948 by C. JoyBell C. (Goodreads Author) 4.40 avg rating — 10 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	My rating:
93	By Fire, By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan (Goodreads Author) 3.80 avg rating — 296 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	My rating:
93	The Cahokian by Zoe Saadia (Goodreads Author) 4.28 avg rating — 18 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	My rating:
99	The Accidental Spy by John Richard Lindermuth 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 198, and 2 people voted	My rating:
99	An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley 3.51 avg rating — 1,009 ratings score: 198, and 2 people voted	My rating: