Historical stories from the past are now mainstream

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Rachel is a writer from Arkansas who grew up surrounded by forests and animals like a Disney princess. She spends most of her time writing stories and playing in imaginary worlds. You can follow her writing at rachelbrittain.com. Twitter and Instagram: @rachelsbrittain

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What’s going on in the world of historical fiction? Well, it’s mainstream now. Didn’t you know? I guess this explains why it has become more and more ubiquitous over the last few years. Additionally, there is a historical fiction book out by renowned SFF author Neal Stephenson, and you may find some inspiration in the heroes of recent historical fiction releases. Let’s talk about all that.

How historical fiction became mainstreamā€”and why

Sir Through the eyes of author Sam Paul Why is historical fiction everywhere now? Came out in 2023, but is still relevant a year later. From Netflix to bestseller lists, historical fiction is everywhere you look these days. Why? Well, Paul argues that it offers a uniquely observant way of examining modern-day issues and concerns, especially when compared with what is going on in the present. Historical fiction can also provide a break from our 24-hour news cycle of trends and current events.

Paul recommends Writing Backwards: Historical Fiction and the Reshaping of the American Canon For a more in-depth look at how and why historical fiction has become so popular.

Neal Stephenson returns to historical fiction

You may recognize Neal Stephenson for his ’90s cyberpunk classic, snow accidentOr his recent SFF novels, Sevenevs And The rise and fall of DODOOr perhaps even as the inventor of the term ā€œmetaverseā€ (yes, sorry, Zuckerberg, Stephenson did it first). But his latest book is entirely historical fiction.

Of course, this is not his first foray into historical fiction. cryptonomicon It features a dual story set in both present-day and World War II-era England and Baroque cycle Takes place in seventeenth and eighteenth century Europe. In polostanHe returns to survey real-world science through a historical lens.

It is shorter than much of Stephenson’s work, comprising a comparatively scant 303 pages. cryptonomiconIs 1,152. So, if you’ve ever wanted to dive into Stephenson’s writing, this might be a good place to start.

Inspirational heroes of historical fiction

Does anyone else need inspiration right now? It can be difficult to find particularly “uplifting” historical fiction because much of it focuses heavily on war, tragedy, or difficult times. But sometimes, don’t you want to read something that makes you feel better at the end of the day? I know I do.