Big Books of 2026

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I, Claudius by Robert GravesThe Song of Achilles by Madeline MillerPompeii by Robert HarrisThe Persian Boy by Mary RenaultThe King Must Die by Mary Renault
Best Novels Set in the Ancient World
509 books — 392 voters
The Lightning Thief by Rick RiordanThe Last Olympian by Rick RiordanThe Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick RiordanThe Sea of Monsters by Rick RiordanThe Titan’s Curse by Rick Riordan
Modern Interpretations of Ancient Myths
315 books — 340 voters

The Song of Achilles by Madeline MillerCirce by Madeline MillerThe Persian Boy by Mary RenaultFire from Heaven by Mary RenaultI, Claudius by Robert Graves
Historical Fiction on Greece and Rome
268 books — 264 voters
The Song of Achilles by Madeline MillerGates of Fire by Steven PressfieldThe King Must Die by Mary RenaultFire from Heaven by Mary RenaultHeat of Paris by Peter Breyer
Historical Fiction: Ancient Greece
144 books — 219 voters

Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth PetersThe Curse of the Pharaohs by Elizabeth PetersThe Mummy Case by Elizabeth PetersThe Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth PetersThe Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley
Archaeology Romance, Mystery, Suspense
280 books — 191 voters
1491 by Charles C. MannCollapse by Jared DiamondGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared DiamondThe Horse, the Wheel, and Language by David W. AnthonyAfter the Ice by Steven Mithen
Popular Archaeology and Paleoanthropology
480 books — 172 voters

The Song of Achilles by Madeline MillerCirce by Madeline MillerThe Odyssey by HomerThe Iliad by HomerA Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
The 52 Book Club 2026: #1 - Set In An Ancient Civilization
192 books — 89 voters
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet MarillierIreland by Frank DelaneyFomorian Earth by Lars BergenEarly Irish Myths and Sagas by AnonymousBrigid of Ireland by Cindy Thomson
Ancient Ireland: Celtic Mythology and Historical Fiction
159 books — 84 voters

Shōgun by James ClavellMemoirs of a Geisha by Arthur GoldenRainbirds by Clarissa GoenawanA Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto MusashiConvenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Best Novels About Japan
71 books — 84 voters
Clytemnestra by Costanza CasatiJus Breathe by B. Lynn CarterAtalanta by Jennifer SaintStone Blind by Natalie HaynesHorses of Fire by A.D. Rhine
Ancient History Historical Fiction Published in 2023
117 books — 56 voters

Nefertiti by Michelle MoranCleopatra's Daughter by Michelle MoranThe Heretic Queen by Michelle MoranThe Memoirs of Cleopatra by Margaret GeorgeCleopatra VII by Kristiana Gregory
Ancient Egyptian Royalty - Fiction
83 books — 48 voters
Outlander by Diana GabaldonThe China Garden by Liz BerryIn the Stone Circle by Elizabeth Cody KimmelDragonfly in Amber by Diana GabaldonThe Whispering Knights by Penelope Lively
Stone Circles
182 books — 47 voters

The Two Towers by J.R.R. TolkienThe Last Days of the Incas by Kim MacQuarrieA Discovery of Witches by Deborah HarknessThe Mote in God's Eye by Larry NivenSkaar by Rowland B. Reeve
Ruins and Artifacts
182 books — 43 voters
Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGrawThe Golden Goblet by Eloise Jarvis McGrawCleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear ShecterCleopatra VII by Kristiana GregoryCleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer
Ancient Egypt in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
71 books — 35 voters

The One Who Eats Monsters by Casey MatthewsAncient Ruins by Benjamin MedranoEx-Wives of Dracula by Georgette KaplanThe Sting of Victory by S.D. SimperCarmilla and Laura by S.D. Simper
Ancient / Immortal lesbian romance
39 books — 34 voters
Tao Te Ching by Lao TzuA-Ma Alchemy of Love by Nataša PantovićZen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul RepsSpace Clearing for Your Home and Soul by Althea S.T.The Way of Zen by Alan W. Watts
Best Books On Eastern Philosophy
37 books — 31 voters

I Am Lilith by Melanie DuftyMasinissa by Rob EdmundsMasinissa by Rob EdmundsThe Last Dying Light by William HavelockThe Purple Shroud by Q.V. Hunter
Ancient History Historical Fiction Published in 2020
108 books — 31 voters
The Pool and the Pedestal by Daniel McHughA Game of Thrones by George R.R. MartinThe Trees and the Night by Daniel McHughThe Merchant and the Menace by Daniel McHughThe Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
Old Timey-Times Fantasy
37 books — 28 voters

War Horse by Michael MorpurgoIsabel by Carolyn MeyerThe Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow by Ann RinaldiNumber the Stars by Lois LowryThe Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Historical Fiction for Children
123 books — 26 voters
Pompeii by Robert HarrisA Day of Fire by Kate QuinnCurses and Smoke by Vicky Alvear ShecterVacation Under the Volcano by Mary Pope OsborneThe Secrets of Vesuvius by Caroline Lawrence
Pompeii
30 books — 25 voters

Ariadne by June Rachuy BrindelAriadne by Jennifer SaintBull God by Roberta GellisNo Need for Heroes by Brian KeaneyThe King Must Die by Mary Renault
Crete, Minoans - Fiction
53 books — 20 voters
Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. NielsenThe Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary SutcliffThe Thieves of Ostia by Caroline LawrenceCurses and Smoke by Vicky Alvear ShecterCleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
Ancient Rome in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
43 books — 20 voters

The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley ClimoLi Lun, Lad of Courage by Carolyn TreffingerBlack Ships Before Troy by Rosemary SutcliffAncient Times by Susan Wise BauerThe Encyclopedia of World History by Jane Bingham
History Year 1
57 books — 13 voters
The Winter Sea by Susanna KearsleyThe House on the Strand by Daphne du MaurierOutlander by Diana GabaldonMariana by Susanna KearsleyThe Reincarnationist by M.J. Rose
Time Travel/Timeslip: Past -> Past
23 books — 13 voters

The Raven Boys by Maggie StiefvaterSilver on the Tree by Susan CooperQuatermass by Nigel KnealeThe Moon of Gomrath by Alan GarnerBoneland by Alan Garner
Ley Lines, Ancient Roads, and Nemeta in Fiction
65 books — 10 voters
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham LincolnI Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr.What to the Slave is the Fourth of July by Frederick DouglassGive Me Liberty Or Give Me Death by Patrick HenryMalcolm X by Malcolm X
Great Speeches in History
31 books — 8 voters

The Silver Branch by Rosemary SutcliffBeyond The Wall by Tanya LandmanEscape from Rome by Caroline LawrenceThe Capricorn Bracelet by Rosemary SutcliffThe Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
Roman Britain in YA & Middle Grade Fiction
36 books — 7 voters
The Name of the Rose by Umberto EcoThe Secret of Kells by Tomm MooreThe Load of Unicorn by Cynthia HarnettMarguerite Makes a Book by Bruce RobertsonPeople of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Fiction: Scribes, Scriptoria, Illuminated Manuscripts, Calligraphers
20 books — 6 voters

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