Historical fiction · November 2026
6 New Historical Fiction Books Coming in November 2026
Six historical novels on my list, from Renaissance Florence and the American Revolution to artists at work in 1970s New York.
A president, an orchard worker who becomes a puppeteer, and a young woman pushed into marriage do not have much in common at first glance. I’m interested in the lives these books follow, from Lincoln’s Washington to a television production in 1970s New York.
Peregrine Hill is the one that catches my attention for family and social history; The Last Prince of Florence takes family ambition into the Medici household. Victor follows Pulaski during the American Revolution, while Magog reaches back to ancient Mesopotamia. Just leave time for Uruk before choosing Magog, since that story is already underway.
01 · American Civil War historical fiction
The Unfinished Work
By Jeff Shaara
· US · St. Martin's Press
The Unfinished Work begins with Abraham Lincoln’s election in 1860 and follows his presidency into the Civil War. Alongside Lincoln, the novel uses the viewpoints of Mary Todd Lincoln, William Seward and George McClellan as events unfold in Washington and the divided United States.
I’m interested in the people around Lincoln as well as Lincoln himself. A president has a family, political allies and military commanders to deal with, and those different viewpoints are a good reason to look at this beyond the familiar name on the cover.
Best for: Lincoln, the Civil War and the people trying to manage a country at war.
A separate Lincoln novel. Shaara’s earlier Civil War books offer other perspectives but are not preceding installments.
02 · Gilded Age family and social fiction
Peregrine Hill
By Nina de Gramont
· US · Simon & Schuster
Around the turn of the twentieth century, widow Isabelle Bishop hopes a wealthy man can rescue her family’s finances. He wants to marry her eighteen-year-old daughter, Mariah, instead. Set between New York society and Rhode Island, the story follows Mariah’s constrained marriage and her alliance with her maid, Hetty.
The friendship with Hetty is the part I want to know more about. The two women live in the same house under very different circumstances, yet both want more control over their lives.
Best for: Family and social history, class differences and women trying to escape the lives arranged for them.
Standalone, with a separate family and story from The Christie Affair.
03 · Renaissance historical fiction
The Last Prince of Florence
By Zoe Sivak
· US · Berkley
Zoe Sivak imagines Simonetta, a Black woman seeking a place for herself and her son Alessandro within the Medici family. Opening in 1490, the story follows her ambitions into the struggles over power in Renaissance Florence.
The mother-and-son relationship is what draws me to this one. Simonetta wants a future for Alessandro, but getting him closer to power does not necessarily leave her freer.
Best for: Renaissance Italy, family ambitions and the personal cost of getting close to a throne.
Standalone. Mademoiselle Revolution is another Sivak historical novel, not an earlier installment.
04 · Historical literary fiction about artists
Love, Like Apples
By Jeff Zentner
· US · Grand Central Publishing
Tiller Loomis grows up on an apple orchard in 1960s Tennessee and finds his way to New York in 1977. There he works on Imagine Nation, a puppet television show for teenagers. A present-day documentary frame looks back at that creative community and a complicated love affair.
Puppetry is such a particular way into an artist’s life that I want to know more. The show also means people making something together. This is where I’d turn on the list for a story about a creative community.
Best for: Artists, a love story spanning decades and the cultural world of 1970s New York.
Standalone, following Tiller’s fictional life. The documentary is a storytelling device.
05 · American Revolution historical fiction
Victor
By Angela Waidmann
· US · Zmok Books
A young woman accompanies Kazimierz Pulaski in North America during the American Revolution. Through her perspective, Victor follows the Polish military leader’s part in the conflict, reaching the Savannah campaign of 1779.
The connection between Polish and American history interests me. Following Pulaski through a young companion’s eyes also offers a different way into a military story from following the commander directly.
Best for: The American Revolution and a personal viewpoint on a Polish participant in the conflict.
Standalone historical fiction about Pulaski, rather than a biography or numbered sequel.
06 · Ancient Mesopotamian historical adventure
Magog
By James Zwerneman
· US · Diversion Books
Magog continues Uruk in ancient Mesopotamia. Jakka takes his army and Ki north to a copper-mining settlement, where a fort, wheat production and demands for tribute support his expanding power.
Copper and wheat are what make this sound interesting to me. The struggle depends on supplies and labor as well as soldiers.
Best for: Returning Uruk readers interested in early cities and the resources behind an empire.
The First City, book 2. Read Uruk: A Novel of the First City first; Magog continues its characters and political situation.
Where I’d look next
For another period, the review of The Pillars of the Earth covers a story built around a cathedral in medieval England. The Kingsbridge guide explains where that book sits in the series, with publication order and the historical timeline. I keep more settings on the historical-fiction shelf and forthcoming titles on New Books.
The Pillars of the Earth reviewKingsbridge reading orderHistorical fiction booksNew Books