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Elizabeth I died in 1603, so anything set before then is suitable for this category! Prehistory, ancient history, Vikings, medieval times, and the Renaissance provide a wide range of backgrounds for this category.
Try these sites for lists of historical fiction by era, or look at our suggestions below.
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The last kingdom
by Bernard Cornwell
Captured and raised by Danes in the ninth century, dispossessed nobleman Uhtred witnesses the unexpected defeat of his adoptive Viking clan by Alfred of Wessex and longs to recover his father's land
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Nottingham
by Nathan Makaryk
A complex retelling of the legend of Robin Hood is set in 12th-century England, where anarchy stemming from the king’s absence and sheriff’s indifference turns six people from different walks of life into icons. A first novel.
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The palace of illusions : a novel
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Panchaali, wife of the five legendary Pandavas brothers, offers her own version of the ancient Indian epic, The Mahabharat, as she chronicles the story of her magical birth, the problems of dealing with five husbands who have been cheated out of their birthright, the trials she endures, her friendship with Krishna, and her attraction to her husband's enemy.
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The bird king
by G. Willow Wilson
Fatima, a concubine in the royal court of Granada at the height of the Spanish Inquisition, and her friend Hassan, the palace mapmaker, risk their lives to escape when the latter is accused of sorcery
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The half-drowned king : a novel
by Linnea Hartsuyker
Betrayed by his usurping stepfather during his return trip to his ancestral lands, young warrior Ragnvald Eysteinsson resolves to exact revenge at the side of Norse fighter Harald of Vestfold, who is rumored to be a prophesied king
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Hild
by Nicola Griffith
Possessing uncanny powers of observation that elevate her influence in turbulent seventh-century Britain, Hild, the king's youngest niece, is established as a seer and compelled to advise the king correctly at the risk of her loved ones
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Wolf Hall : a novel
by Hilary Mantel
Assuming the power recently lost by the disgraced Cardinal Wolsey, Thomas Cromwell counsels a mercurial Henry VIII on the latter's efforts to marry Anne Boleyn against the wishes of Rome, a successful endeavor that comes with a dangerous price
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Dawn of empire
by Sam Barone
Having learned farming and metal forging skills in the several years that have passed since the last barbarian raid, the people of Orak encounter a new threat in the form of a brutal tribe of horsemen, in response to which the village builds a surrounding wall and prepares a fighting force under the leadership of the outcast Eskkar. 50,000 first printing.
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The Moor's account : a novel
by Laila Lalami
A tale inspired by the experiences of the New World's first explorer of African descent describes how Moroccan slave Estebanico barely survives his early 16th-century expedition's encounters with storms, disease and hostile natives while traveling to the Gulf Coast and beyond.
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The dovekeepers : a novel
by Alice Hoffman
A tale inspired by the tragic first-century massacre of hundreds of Jewish people on the Masada mountain presents the stories of a hated daughter, a baker's wife, a girl disguised as a warrior and a medicine woman who keep doves and secrets while Roman soldiers draw near.
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The song of Achilles
by Madeline Miller
This epic retelling of the legend of Achilles follows Patroclus and Achilles, the golden son of King Peleus, as they, skilled in the arts of war and medicine, lay siege to Troy after Helen of Sparta is kidnapped--a cause that tests their friendship and forces them to make the ultimate sacrifice.
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