Ancient Historical Fiction

Kyle
Kyle

World War II? Been there. The Great Depression? Done that. When so much historical fiction seems focused on the past century or two, let’s really turn back the clock. Check out some new historical stories, both fiction and fantasy, set millennia ago instead of decades ago! 

Mar 6, 2026

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In the Catalog

Babylonia

Babylonia

Costanza Casati

Babylonia has become synonymous with lust, excess, and the ruthless power of Ancient Assyria, where one must kill to be king. Semiramis, an orphan raised on the empire’s outskirts, unexpectedly rises to become queen.

From the Catalog

On Libby

Boudicca's Daughter

Boudicca’s Daughter

Elodie Harper

Boudicca—infamous warrior, queen of the British Iceni tribe, and mastermind of one of history’s greatest revolts. Her defeat spelled ruin for her people, yet still her name is enough to strike fear into Roman hearts. But what of the woman who grew up in her shadow? Meet Solina. Boudicca’s daughter.

From the Catalog

On Libby

Circle of Days

Circle of Days

A Novel

Ken Follett

Seft, a flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Rite. Joia is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. Her vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life’s work: Stonehenge.

From the Catalog

Enemy of My Dreams

Enemy of My Dreams

Jenny Williamson

Roman princess Julia defies her brother’s rule and risks everything to forge a steamy, dangerous alliance with Alaric, the ruthless Visigoth warlord, in a high-stakes game of rebellion, desire and betrayal across Europe.

From the Catalog

House of Two Pharaohs

House of Two Pharaohs

Wilbur A. Smith

When a scribe is murdered in a sealed vault, Nomarc Piay turns to his mentor-mage, Taita, who must also confront a brilliant adversary plotting to rise as Egypt’s Dark Pharaoh.

From the Catalog

I Am Cleopatra

I Am Cleopatra

A Novel

Natasha Solomons

The favored daughter of the Pharaoh, Egyptian Princess Cleopatra spent her childhood hiding amid the scrolls in the great library of Alexandria, dreaming of one day writing her own story. When her father dies, naming both Cleopatra and her selfish brother Ptolemy as his successors to the throne, danger arises.

From the Catalog

Inanna

Inanna

A Novel

Emily H. Wilson

Inanna, born on earth but crowned the goddess of love by the 12 immortal Anunnaki, is forced into a marriage to negotiate peace between warring factions, realizes she is in terrible danger, and escapes with the aid of Gilgamesh.

From the Catalog

Hoopla

Neferura

Neferura

The Pharaoh’s Daughter

Malayna Evans

Neferura, princess and high priestess of Kemet, knows her duty is to her people. When your mother is the great Pharaoh, it is hard to forget. But Neferura’s unique position at court comes with high stakes for her country, especially when she’s forced to serve her vile half-brother, a man determined to stop Neferura’s potential rise. Peace, it seems, never lasts for women who wield power in the open. Especially when they cross a vengeful man. When Neferura overhears Thutmose’s plot to end her mother’s rule, she knows he must be stopped, no matter the cost. The discovery of a mysterious tattooed wisewoman and her shadowy network of spies offers an uneasy alliance. But the wisewoman wields more power than Neferura knew possible — power with the potential to rival her own. Neferura must decide where her loyalties lie and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to protect the people she loves before everything crumbles at the hands of a tyrant.

From the Catalog

Nero

Nero

A Novel

Conn Iggulden

Empress Agrippina and her young son, Nero, fends off ambitious rivals while shaping their own destiny–if Nero is to become the most feared and notorious emperor of them all.

From the Catalog

On Hoopla

Paradises Lost

Paradises Lost

A Novel

Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt

“Noam is a young man when the Flood wreaks havoc on the world, destroying the peaceful lakeside village he called home, and turning his life upside down. Destined to live forever as an immortal, Noam travels through the centuries in search of the meaning of life, and the events that shaped human history”–Jacket.

From the Catalog

On Hoopla