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Historical fiction is making a come-back! Recently, at the announcement of a shortlist for The Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction, Alistair Moffat, the chair of the judges panel for the Prize said, "Historical fiction may have become more popular because at a time when the future seems terrifying to us, we need to refer back to and understand the past more fully."

For those among you who believe with Alistair Moffat that, "the best way to understand the past is often to read a novelist rather than an historian," here are a few suggestions from the top historical fiction of 2010 recommended by Brad Hooper of Booklist: (click on the titles to go to our catalog)

All Other Nights : a novel by Dara Horn
Jewish Americans in the Civil War

The Coral Thief : a novel by Rebecca Stott
An intriguing mystery, centering on pre-Darwinian theories of evolution, and set in 1815 France

Devil's Dream by Madison Smartt Bell
A fictional tale of infamous Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest imagines elements from his personal life

Four Freedoms by John Crowley
An imaginative account of war and peace, innocence and wisdom, set in 1940s America

Homer & Langley : a novel by E.L. Doctorow
An unforgettable work about two reclusive hoarders in early-twentieth-century New York City

Labels: 19th century France, 20th century America, Civil War, Historical Fiction