Historical fiction features in books, movies, television, and a number of other media. This kind of fiction involves stories that are set in the past. There are no set rules, but the setting is usually at least fifty years earlier than when the story is written. The setting is a particular period in history and often includes real historical characters. The story’s main characters are usually fictional, although the social and other conditions of the time are presented accurately.

Historical fiction stories usually take place during a significant period in history. In some stories the characters are part of the historic events taking place but in others the events merely serve as the background to the story. In The Sorcerer’s Letterbox, the story takes place in 1483 and features the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses and the mystery of Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, the Princes in the Tower. The princes appear in the story as does their uncle, King Richard III, along with some other historical characters. In The Heretic’s Tomb, the story takes place during the Black Death in England in the mid fourteenth century. The novel features imaginary characters but also refers to the effects of the Black Death on society, medieval medicine, living conditions, and to some of personalities and events of the era. In The Alchemist’s Portrait, Matthew’s time travel adventures take him to Amsterdam in 1666, the French Revolution in 1792, the American Civil War in 1865, and the Russian Revolution in 1917, all of which needed to be portrayed accurately.

The writer is allowed a certain amount of artistic license when creating a work of historical fiction, but mustn’t deviate from the established historical facts. Stories that do this are classed as alternate history or are sometimes called “What if?” stories.