French Revolution fiction the best and the worst
Explore the best and worst French Revolution fiction books in our curated list. Discover gripping historical novels and avoid poorly-rated reads about this pivotal era.



Book
A Far Better Rest
by Susanne Alleyn
In Dickens' novel, A tale of two cities, the character Sydney Carton is transformed "from a youth of great promise to an embittered alcoholic and finally to a man who makes the ultimate sacrifice for love. [Alleyn's novel] ... imagines Sydney Carton's missing personal history and makes him the center of the tale as he becomes a major participant in politics, journalism and in the formation of the Republic."--Jacket.



Book
The Scarlet Pimpernel
by Baroness Orczy
A timeless novel of adventure, intrigue, and romance is sparked by one man's defiance in the face of authority... The year is 1792. The French Revolution, driven to excess by its own triumph, has turned into a reign of terror. Daily, tumbrels bearing new victims to the guillotine roll over the cobbled streets of Paris.… Thus the stage is set for one of the most enthralling novels of historical adventure ever written. The mysterious figure known as the Scarlet Pimpernel, sworn to rescue helpless men, women, and children from their doom; his implacable foe, the French agent Chauvelin, relentlessly hunting him down; and lovely Marguerite Blakeney, a beautiful French exile married to an English lord and caught in a terrible conflict of loyalties—all play their parts in a suspenseful tale that ranges from the squalid slums of Paris to the aristocratic salons of London, from intrigue on a great English country estate to the final denouement on the cliffs of the French coast. There have been many imitations of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but none has ever equaled its superb sense of color and drama and its irresistible gift of wonderfully romantic escape. With an Introduction by Gary Hoppenstand





Book
The Gods Are Thirsty
by Tanith Lee
Historical novel. Set in France in the summer of 1789 through years of political and social intrigue.



Book
The Queen's Confession
by Victoria Holt
The unforgettable story of Marie Antoinette, from her pampered childhood in imperial Vienna, to the luxury and splendor of her days as Queen of France, to her tragic end upon the scaffold in the bloodbath of the Revolution . . .













Book
Illusion
by Paula Volsky
A world crumbles and a bloody reign of terror ensues, forcing an innocent young woman to call upon her dormant magical powers. Reprint.