The genre of historical fiction novels can be subdivided into many categories and often crosses genres, such as historical mysteries and romances. The traditional definition of the historical fiction genre is "fiction set in the past" in which the author writes from research rather than personal experience. This definition leaves a lot of room for interpretation, controversy and contradiction. Media critics, even when praising certain historical novels in their reviews, somehow manage to turn that praise into criticism of the genre as a whole. In 1950, author Howard Fast, himself a historical novelist, wrote: "We live in an age when there are many historical novels, few of them good, and very few in fact of more than casual knowledge facts. » (Johnson, historicnovelsociety.org) Fast criticizes authors of historical fiction by asserting that most examples of the genre are based more on fiction and imagination than on actual historical facts. At first glance, historical fiction novels may seem harmfully numerous and under-respected because they take imaginative liberties to present actual historical facts, but on closer inspection it becomes apparent that there are many examples of good historical fiction where the author centers the stories not on history. but on the plot which teaches the reader to better understand the themes and life of the past and which, thanks to the imagination, gives plausible explanations to mysterious or unknown events. While I agree, it is true that historical novels have a reputation for being costume dramas, in which the author's need to cram all of his prodigious research into a single novel sometimes overwhelms the plot; I would like to point out that the story has produced many of its...... middle of paper ...... believe that if readers give the genre a chance, they can learn more about the events, themes and past lifestyles while being at all while enjoying a fictional story. The most successful novels of this genre are those in which the author uses his imagination to weave a believable plot and create characters who manage to transcend time and speak to us from their own point of view in a way that educates the readers about the culture of life in the past. Works Cited Johnson, Sarah. “What are the rules of historical fiction? » www.historicalnovelsociety.org/historyhic.htm and Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Charles L. Webster & Co, 1884.Print.Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House on the Prairie. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 1937. Print. Follett, Ken. Lie down with the Lions. Tiptree, Colchester Essex, UK: Signet Publishers, 1986. Print.