Author Picks: 7 Historical Fantasy Books Inspired by the Past

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Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, and her upcoming adult debut, Immortal Longings. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York City.

While people might argue historical fantasy is a “niche” genre, I’ve found that it’s one of the most versatile categories out there. It’s like mixing two paint bottles together and getting a different shade every time. While my YA debut was set firmly in a historical era—1920s Shanghai—and followed true events with speculative elements, I wrote my adult fantasy debut, Immortal Longings, with only a touch of historical inspiration. I wanted the room to play with a secondary world, but also point to the Kowloon Walled City in the 1990s as the touchpoint for the mood unfolding within the pages, and to the rise of the Roman Empire for the court politics. (So I guess I’m using three paint bottles.)

As tempting as it can be, we cannot rewrite history itself. We cannot change the tragedy nor the atmosphere of the past—but we can weave stories out of it to understand or supplement the present, as historical fantasy does. Here are seven excellent reads that do just that:

She Who Became the Sun
by Shelley Parker-Chan

Set in fourteenth-century China, this book draws an alternate history following a peasant girl . . . whose potential is tremendous during a time of war. I adore alternate history precisely because you can’t predict how the story is going to unfold, but you can feel the weight of an inevitable tragedy already written into the past.

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She Who Became the Sun
Shelley Parker-Chan

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The Chosen and the Beautiful
by Nghi Vo

Playing off the canon of The Great Gatsby, this book depicts an alternate 1920s America if there were magic in the soil and ghosts haunting the cities. It’s ambitious, it’s absolutely gorgeous, and it does fantasy in a brilliant, subtle way that feels plucked right from the true atmosphere of the ’20s.

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The Chosen and the Beautiful
Nghi Vo

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Mexican Gothic
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

This is me stretching the definition of “historical fantasy” a little because MEXICAN GOTHIC leans–to no one’s surprise–more toward the gothic than toward fantasy. However, as the story continues, it builds and builds with an aura of claustrophobia, creating such a brilliantly drawn setting that anyone who is a fantasy fan will certainly enjoy this.

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Mexican Gothic
Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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Black Sun
by Rebecca Roanhorse

Once again, I am stretching the definition of “historical fantasy,” except this time on the history end. This book is a triumph of fantasy, depicting a world that feels tangible beyond the pages. Drawing its inspiration from the civilizations of the pre-Columbian Americas, it has that touch of history that any historical fantasy reader will be enraptured by.

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Black Sun
Rebecca Roanhorse

From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the “engrossing and vibrant” (Tochi Onyebuchi, author of Riot Baby) first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas and woven into a tale of celestial prophecies, political intrigue, and forbidden magic.

A god will return
When the earth and sky converge
Under the black sun

In the holy city of Tova, the winter solstice is usually a time for celebration and renewal, but this year it coincides with a solar eclipse, a rare celestial even proscribed by the Sun Priest as an unbalancing of the world.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from a distant city bound for Tova and set to arrive on the solstice. The captain of the ship, Xiala, is a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind. Her ship carries one passenger. Described as harmless, the passenger, Serapio is a young man, blind, scarred, and cloaked in destiny. As Xiala well knows, when a man is described as harmless, he usually ends up being a villain.

Crafted with unforgettable characters, Rebecca Roanhorse has created a “brilliant world that shows the full panoply of human grace and depravity” (Ken Liu, award-winning author of The Grace of Kings). This epic adventure explores the decadence of power amidst the weight of history and the struggle of individuals swimming against the confines of society and their broken pasts in this “absolutely tremendous” (S.A. Chakraborty, nationally bestselling author of The City of Brass) and most original series debut of the decade.

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Strike the Zither
by Joan He

Set in a kingdom modeled off ancient dynastic China, STRIKE THE ZITHER perfectly blends adapting historical atmosphere with inventing its own fantastical world. It’s full of political scheming and sly characters, and I’ll be on the edge of my seat seeing how this story unfolds in the next book.

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Strike the Zither
Joan He

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The Bones of Ruin
by Sarah Raughley

Victorian London was a fascinating time, and a horrifically violent one. THE BONES OF RUIN takes this time period and weaves in fantasy that supplements its visceral atmosphere–including a protagonist who cannot die and, as a consequence, witnesses all the facets of humanity.

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The Bones of Ruin
Sarah Raughley

An African tightrope walker who can’t die gets embroiled in a secret society’s deadly gladiatorial tournament in this “bloodily spectacular” (Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights) historical fantasy set in an alternate 1880s London, perfect for fans of The Last Magician and The Gilded Wolves.

As an African tightrope dancer in Victorian London, Iris is used to being strange. She is certainly an unusual sight for leering British audiences always eager for the spectacle of colonial curiosity. But Iris also has a secret that even “strange” doesn’t capture…​

She cannot die.

Haunted by her unnatural power and with no memories of her past, Iris is obsessed with discovering who she is. But that mission gets more complicated when she meets the dark and alluring Adam Temple, a member of a mysterious order called the Enlightenment Committee. Adam seems to know much more about her than he lets on, and he shares with her a terrifying revelation: the world is ending, and the Committee will decide who lives…and who doesn’t.

To help them choose a leader for the upcoming apocalypse, the Committee is holding the Tournament of Freaks, a macabre competition made up of vicious fighters with fantastical abilities. Adam wants Iris to be his champion, and in return he promises her the one thing she wants most: the truth about who she really is.

If Iris wants to learn about her shadowy past, she has no choice but to fight. But the further she gets in the grisly tournament, the more she begins to remember—and the more she wonders if the truth is something best left forgotten.

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Grave Mercy
by Robin LaFevers

This book is a world of fun, following assassin nuns in medieval Brittany. It’s my favorite type of historical fiction blend, adding a fantastical edge of gods and saints to the real political turmoil that existed at the time: court intrigue and spies fighting back and forth to maintain independence from France.

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Grave Mercy
Robin LaFevers

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Immortal Longings
by Chloe Gong

IMMORTAL LONGINGS comes out on July 18!

#1 New York Times bestselling YA author Chloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games.

Check out our Instagram giveaway where we're giving you a chance to win an influencer box plus an advanced reader's copy of IMMORTAL LONGINGS!

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Immortal Longings
Chloe Gong

#1 New York Times bestselling YA author Chloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games.

Every year, thousands in the kingdom of Talin will flock to its capital twin cities, San-Er, where the palace hosts a set of games. For those confident enough in their ability to jump between bodies, competitors across San-Er fight to the death to win unimaginable riches.

Princess Calla Tuoleimi lurks in hiding. Five years ago, a massacre killed her parents and left the palace of Er empty…and she was the one who did it. Before King Kasa’s forces in San can catch her, she plans to finish the job and bring down the monarchy. Her reclusive uncle always greets the victor of the games, so if she wins, she gets her opportunity at last to kill him.

Enter Anton Makusa, an exiled aristocrat. His childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace, and he’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Thankfully, he’s one of the best jumpers in the kingdom, flitting from body to body at will. His last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.

Calla finds both an unexpected alliance with Anton and help from King Kasa’s adopted son, August, who wants to mend Talin’s ills. But the three of them have very different goals, even as Calla and Anton’s partnership spirals into something all-consuming. Before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for—her lover or her kingdom.

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Photo credit: iStock / TU-KA

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