• Five of the Best Literary Historical Novels - Sparrow by James Hynes
  • Five of the Best Literary Historical Novels - The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
  • Five of the Best Literary Historical Novels - Ledfeather by Stephen Graham Jones
  • Five of the Best Literary Historical Novels - In the Distance by Hernan Diaz
  • Five of the Best Literary Historical Novels - Dark Matter: A Ghost Story by Michelle Paver

Five of the Best Literary Historical Novels, recommended by Paul Carlucci

Writers approach historical fiction from many different angles, explains the novelist Paul Carlucci—whose new, evocative novel is set in colonial-era Canada. Here, he recommends five of his favourite literary historical novels that manipulate form, character and setting in interesting ways while simultaneously summoning the atmosphere of the past.

  • Classic Novels of the American Civil War - The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
  • Classic Novels of the American Civil War - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
  • Classic Novels of the American Civil War - The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
  • Classic Novels of the American Civil War - Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • Classic Novels of the American Civil War - The Judas Field by Howard Bahr

Classic Novels of the American Civil War, recommended by Craig A. Warren

The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a watershed moment in the history of the United States—and, as a result, has made an enormous impact on American literature, explains Craig A. Warren, author of Scars to Prove It: The Civil War Soldier and American Fiction. Here, he recommends five key texts: classic novels of the American Civil War that, together, offer a panoramic view of a country in crisis.

  • The Best Historical Fiction: The 2023 Walter Scott Prize Shortlist - These Days by Lucy Caldwell
  • The Best Historical Fiction: The 2023 Walter Scott Prize Shortlist - I Am Not Your Eve by Devika Ponnambalam
  • The Best Historical Fiction: The 2023 Walter Scott Prize Shortlist - The Sun Walks Down by Fiona McFarlane
  • The Best Historical Fiction: The 2023 Walter Scott Prize Shortlist - Ancestry: A Novel by Simon Mawer
  • The Best Historical Fiction: The 2023 Walter Scott Prize Shortlist - The Chosen by Elizabeth Lowry
  • The Best Historical Fiction: The 2023 Walter Scott Prize Shortlist - The Geometer Lobachevsky by Adrian Duncan

The Best Historical Fiction: The 2023 Walter Scott Prize Shortlist, recommended by Cal Flyn

Every year, the judges for the Walter Scott Prize highlight the best new historical fiction. In 2023, the shortlisted books include a slow-burn mystery set in colonial Australia and a thrilling new novel from the author of Fatherland. Cal Flyn, our deputy editor, takes us through the seven books that are set 60+ years in the past and yet speak to the present.