Authority Quote by David Starkey

We've all faced the charge that our novels are history lite, and to some extent, that's true. Yet for some, historical fiction is a…

— Saul David

Writing historical novels can be dangerous. We need to be as accurate and as fair about the historical record as we can be, at…

— Edward Rutherfurd

Historical fiction is not only a respectable literary form; it is a standing reminder of the fact that history is about human beings.

— Helen Cam

I feel that historical novelists owe it to our readers to try to be as historically accurate as we can with the known facts.…

— Sharon Kay Penman

I feel very strongly that where the facts exist, a historical novelist should use them if they're writing about a person who really lived,…

— Alison Weir

You can't believe anything that's written in an historical novel, and yet the author's job is always to create a believable world that readers…

— Justin Cartwright

“Historical fiction isn't history in the conventional sense and shouldn't be judged as such. The best historical novels are loyal to history, but it…

— Daniel Aaron

If you're writing something that's clearly labelled as an alternative history, of course it's perfectly legitimate to play with known historical characters and events,…

— Diana Gabaldon

Historical fiction is not history. You're blending real events and actual historical personages with characters of your own creation.

— George R. R. Martin

Historical fiction is simply fiction set in the past, and should be judged as such.

— Simon Sebag Montefiore

I mean, every novel's a historical novel anyway. But calling something a historical novel seems to put mittens on it, right? It puts manners…

— Colum McCann

Historical novels are, without question, the best way of teaching history, for they offer the human stories behind the events and leave the reader…

— Louis L'Amour