Best Historical Fiction Books
The Book Thief — Markus Zusakon 1 of 3 rankings
Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austenon 1 of 3 rankings
Ulysses — James Joyceon 1 of 3 rankings
A Gentleman in Moscow — Amor Towleson 1 of 3 rankings
Wuthering Heights — Emily Brontëon 1 of 3 rankings
The Grapes Of Wrath — John Steinbeckon 1 of 3 rankings
All The Light We Cannot See — Anthony Doerron 1 of 3 rankings
Birdsong — Sebastian Faulkson 1 of 3 rankings
Burial Rites — Hannah Kenton 1 of 3 rankings
Little Women — Louisa May Alcotton 1 of 3 rankings
The Way Of All Flesh — Samuel Butleron 1 of 3 rankings
Wolf Hall — Hilary Mantelon 1 of 3 rankings
Captain Corelli's Mandolin — Louis de Bernièreson 1 of 3 rankings
Year of Wonders — Geraldine Brookson 1 of 3 rankings
War and Peace — Leo Tolstoyon 1 of 3 rankings
Slaughterhouse-Five — Kurt Vonneguton 1 of 3 rankingsHow this ranking is made
According to Made the Cut's census of 3 independent rankings, recounted 16 October 2026, the best Historical Fiction book is The Book Thief — Markus Zusak, followed by Pride and Prejudice — Jane Austen and Ulysses — James Joyce.
How this is counted
This chart counts 3 ranking sources, one voice each: the published ranking of books from that source with the most titles whose genre is Historical Fiction, cut down to those titles, in the order that source listed them. A title's place is its average position across all sources counted: a title someone left off their ranking counts as tied with their last place (here, that source ranked titles of this kind and left this one out). A small pull toward the middle keeps one enthusiastic list from crowning a #1. Every title in the computed chart has a numbered position, with its source count shown beside it. It is recounted whenever a ranking is published, changed or removed, last on 16 October 2026. Member rankings and attributed external lists use the same calculation. Multiple lists from one member or external author count once; linked slices add no extra vote. Frozen links, private or unlisted lists and unmatched titles are never counted. The full method.