Survivors and Escapees: Free Historical Fiction from Cannae to the Titanic

by D.A. Galloway

A grieving guy goes to Yellowstone to get away from everything and ends up in 1871, tagging along with the Hayden Expedition. Time travel isn't always my thing, but pairing it with a real survey party and a Crow woman who gives him a reason to stay is a smart hook. It's sitting at 4.34 with over 1,600 ratings, which is a lot of readers agreeing, so grab it if you like your frontier stories with some romance and a little mystery.

by Chris Bennett

Captain Nathaniel Chambers comes home from the frontier and finds the war has followed him, which is a nice twist on the usual Civil War setup. One reviewer says it made them love historical fiction over the past year, and the book holds a 4.22 across 1,000 ratings. This is one for readers who like brotherhood, loyalty and betrayal on a big canvas, and it's clearly the start of a long saga.

“I’ve developed a love for historical fiction over the last year or so. Road to Breaking by Chris Bennett is an excellent example of why. Honestly, this story is exceptional and deserves five stars. This is book one, so I’m excited to see what happens next. I loved the writing. I was drawn in...”

by Dudley Pope

Royalist Ned Yorke gets chased out of Barbados by Cromwell's agents and slides from smuggling into full buccaneering, with sea battles and treasure along the way. At 3.87 from 212 ratings, it's the most divided pick this week. One reviewer enjoyed how the book explains where the Golden Age of Piracy came from, while another says it shows promise but doesn't deliver as a novel. Worth a free download if you're a Dudley Pope fan or just like your naval fiction old-school.

“Neither the Golden Age of Piracy nor the pirates themselves sprang fully formed from dragon's teeth. It (and they) came about by a very singular and unlikely set of circumstances. First, it required the base material, the people. These were supplied by the rise of Cromwell in England and the death...”

by Vincent Stoia

Fan is a young slave in Tang Dynasty China, plotting her escape from a wealthy household full of intrigue, and the story is told by her as an elderly Sister on her deathbed. That framing gives it a quiet weight. A 4.6 from 72 ratings and a few award nods back that up, and one reader called it the best thing they'd read in a while. Pick it up if you want a survival story with real heart.

“Written in the voice of an elderly Sister recounting her early life story as she is on her deathbed, Little Fox offers a vivid and suspenseful tale of her experience as a slave girl during the Tang Dynasty of China. The character development including even minor characters is richly crafted and...”

by Alessandro Catorcini

Titus Labonius survives Cannae and spends the next fourteen years wondering whether he lay among the dead a moment too long. Then he's exiled to Sicily with the disgraced legions, and the book carries his battered shield all the way to Zama. It has a 4.61 from just 36 ratings, but 35 of them came with written reviews, and one reader said they closed it and just sat there. This is the one I'd start with if you like Roman history that stays with you.

“I picked up The Shield Left Behind thinking I was going to read a historical novel about ancient Rome and the Second Punic War. I definitely got that, but somewhere along the way it became much more personal than I expected. What stayed with me most was Titus. He is the kind of character I slowly be”

by Laura McCrum

This is the first book in a Titanic series that follows famous and forgotten passengers whose lives collide as disaster approaches. The Titanic has been done a thousand times, but the focus on class and impossible choices gives this one a fresh angle. It's at 4.46 from 39 ratings, and reviewers call it beautifully written from start to finish. Good for readers who want the emotional side of 1912 more than the engineering.

“Beautiful Thank you to NetGalley and LMC Publications for an Advanced Reader Copy of Titanic: Tales of Love and Loss— Cracks Beneath the Surface by Laura McCrum in exchange for an honest review. I’ve always been fascinated by the Titanic, but this is the first novel I’ve actually read about it, so...”