Real Historical Figures Abound in January 2025 Historical Fiction
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New year, new books. That’s the way it goes. But I’m certainly not complaining. I’m too busy figuring out which of those books to prioritize for the new year, and that involves a lot of digging into new releases. I’ll be sharing my most anticipated historical fiction of 2025 soon, but first, here are the historical fiction books coming out in January 2025 that you should have on your radar.
These books feature a lot of real historical figures—something I always love in my historical fiction. When I learned in the author’s note after reading The Woman With No Name that it was based on a real woman who worked as the first female saboteur for Britain during WWII, it made me love the book even more. That’s a pretty good argument for reading authors’ notes, as well as my post about the Best Historical Fiction Books of 2024, where The Woman With No Name gets a feature. But in the meantime, let’s take a look at the historical fiction coming out this January. From ancient stories reimagined to icons of the stage and stadium—these new releases are full of remarkable real historical figures you’ll definitely want to read about.
The Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston
Release date: January 7, 2024
Not long after the publication of Moses, Man of the Mountain, Zora Neale Hurston set out to set the record straight about Herod. Just as her take on Moses defied common conceptions, her novel about one of the New Testament’s most hated figures provides an entirely new take on a man who not only wasn’t a villain, but was a forerunner of Christ. Scholar Deborah Plant brings Hurston’s book to life for readers today with an introduction and editorial additions addressing how writing historical stories can shed light on the problems of today.
The Lotus Shoes by Jane Yang
Release date: January 7, 2024
When Little Flower is sold off to become a maidservant to the Fong family, she still holds out hope that her bound feet will provide her with the marriage prospects to save herself from slavery one day. But Linjing’s jealousy of her new maid holds no bounds. She does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower’s hopes of a better life. When scandal strikes the family and the two girls are forced to join the Celibate Sisterhood, will their rivalry win out, or will circumstances finally bring them together?
The Unexpected Diva by Tiffany L. Warren
Release date: January 7, 2024
Opera singer Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield has performed on renowned stages, even putting on a performance at Buckingham Palace. Eliza, born into slavery but adopted by a wealthy woman who raised her in the shelter of a Quaker community, has lived a relatively charmed life. But then her mother dies and her white cousins contest her inheritance, leaving her with few choices. Her mother always wanted her to pursue her gift for music, and when a performance on a steamboat in Buffalo sets her on a path toward stardom, she leaps at the chance. But for an educated, free Black woman, even fame and success are not enough to convince everyone she deserves the remarkable life she builds for herself.
The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis
Release date: January 7, 2024
When Charlotte, an anthropology student in the 1930s, is offered a coveted spot on an archeological dig in Egypt, she hopes it will be life-changing. It is—but not for the better. Decades later, Elizabeth lands her dream gig working for Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland just as preparations for the Met Gala are amping up. Charlotte, now working for the Met’s Department of Egyptian Art, wants nothing to do with the event. But when one of the collection’s most valuable Egyptian artifacts goes missing on the night of the gala, Charlotte and Elizabeth are forced to team up and return to the one place Charlotte swore she would never again go: Egypt.
Ace, Marvel, Spy by Jenni L. Walsh
Release date: January 14, 2024
This historical fiction book based on the real life of Alice Marble tells the story of a remarkable woman who set her sights on becoming a tennis star—and then a spy. Alice enjoys life as a tennis champion and editor of the Wonder Woman comics with her loving husband by her side. But when he’s killed in action during WWII, her perfect life loses its shine. Then, the US Army sends her an unexpected request: to act as their spy during a tennis exhibition in Switzerland. Eager to avenge her husband’s death, Alice agrees to take on her greatest game yet.
To Save the Man by John Sayles
Release date: January 21, 2024
At Carlisle School, the motto “Kill the Indian, Save the Man” is enforced everywhere from the classroom to the dorms. The students here are fighting every day to survive. When they learn about the “ghost dance” taking place among their people, where frantic dance and chanting are hoped to bring about the return of the buffalo and the end of their subjugation, it seems like a small bit of hope. But it’s a hope soon wiped out when Sitting Bull is killed by native police officers working for the government. Now each student will have to choose whose side they’re on.
Read more books about real people from history with these 8 Books That Fictionalize Real Historical Figures, 7 Great Novels About Real People, 21 Incredible Books Based on True Stories and these books where historical fiction meets true crime.
