Five star fiction set in the past
Discover the best five-star historical fiction books! Immerse yourself in captivating stories set in the past, from epic romances to thrilling adventures. Find your next favorite read today.
Book
Neighboring Lives
by Tom Disch
Set within a few square blocks along the Thames, in Chelsea, Neighboring Lives is a glorious re-creation, based on historical fact, of the private and …
Book
Flashman
by George MacDonald Fraser
"If ever there was a time when I felt that 'watcher-of-the-skies-when-a-new-planet' stuff, it was when I read the first Flashman."–P.G. Wodehouse The first novel in …
Book
The Spire
by William Golding
The vision that drives Dean Jocelin to construct an immense new spire above his cathedral tests the limits of all who surround him. The foundationless …
Book
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
Considered an idiot because of his physical infirmities, Claudius survived the intrigues and poisonings of the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and the Mad Caligula to …
Book
The Last Temptation of Christ
by Nikos Kazantzakis
In this story, Jesus is presented as both fully human and fully divine, free of sin but subject to all temptations.
Book
The Name of the Rose
by Umberto Eco
In 1327, finding his sensitive mission at an Italian abbey further complicated by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William of Baskerville turns detective.
Book
The Source
by James Albert Michener
In this compelling novel, Michener sweeps readers back through time to the very beginnings of the Jewish faith, thousands of years ago, to experience the …
Book
The Last of the Wine
by Mary Renault
In The Last of the Wine, two young Athenians, Alexias and Lysis, compete in the palaestra, journey to the Olympic games, fight in the wars …
Book
Creation
by Gore Vidal
A sweeping novel of politics, war, philosophy, and adventure–in a restored edition, featuring never-before-published material from Gore Vidal’s original manuscript–Creation offers a captivating grand tour …
Book
The Once and Future King
by T. H. White
T. H. White’s masterful retelling of the saga of King Arthur is a fantasy classic as legendary as Excalibur and Camelot, and a poignant story …