Historical fantasy books
Historical fantasy books to start from. Open one to see books like it, or tell BookSense what you loved for four picks made for you.
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New to the genre? These 5 are the books to read first.
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Susanna ClarkeRecreates Regency England and the Napoleonic Wars with academic footnotes, examining the return of English magic.
Golem and the Jinni
Helene WeckerBlends Jewish and Arab folklore against the backdrop of immigrant life in 1899 Manhattan.
Babel
R. F. KuangUses a magical system powered by translation to analyze British imperialism and academia in 1830s Oxford.
The Anubis Gates
Tim PowersA foundational secret history involving time travel, Egyptian sorcery, and early 19th-century London poets.
Tigana
Guy Gavriel KayExemplifies Kay's approach of setting high fantasy in an analog of renaissance Italy, exploring memory and cultural erasure.
Chosen and described with AI from our notes on the genre.
Reading lists
More historical fantasy books
- His Majesty's Dragon
His Majesty's DragonNaomi Novik - The ghost bride
The ghost brideYangsze Choo - She Who Became the Sun
She Who Became the SunShelley Parker-Chan - The Once and Future King
The Once and Future KingT. H. White - Kindred
KindredOctavia E. Butler - A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians
A Declaration of the Rights of MagiciansH. G. Parry - The Bear and the Nightingale
The Bear and the NightingaleKatherine Arden - Outlander
OutlanderDiana Gabaldon - The lions of Al-Rassan
The lions of Al-RassanGuy Gavriel Kay - The Green Mile
The Green MileStephen King1996 - The City of Brass
The City of BrassShannon A. Chakraborty2017 - A Marvellous Light
A Marvellous LightFreya Marske2021