If you read one historical fiction novel this coming year, make it “The Queen of Last Hopes: The Story of Margaret of Anjou” by Susan Higginbotham. This historical fiction novel will be one of the best to be written, and is certainly one of the best to come out next year. It deals with kings and queens, and the impact that they can have on England when they do a poor job of ruling her — this is one of the more interesting aspects of historical fiction, since it can give the reader a look into the past. Historical fiction can show what things might have been like, or what they could have been like. Historical fiction can also give the author a chance to write about a time period that he or she is in love with, even if it is long-since over.

This historical fiction novel asks one main question: What would the Queen have to do if the King was mad? The king is going insane in this historical fiction novel, slowly slipping farther and farther away from reality. He is losing his touch on what is happening around him, and this historical fiction work shows that he is unfit to rule a kingdom. The only person left is the Queen, Margaret of Anjou, and she has to decide what she should do. Should she stand behind the King, or try to dispose of him? Should she accept his decisions, or try to take control herself?

If that does not sound like historical fiction that you would enjoy, you could check out the book “The Land of Painted Caves,” by Jean M. Auel. This historical fiction novel goes even farther back in time, to when the Earth contained human civilizations that lived in caves and practiced hunting and gathering.

If you do not want to go that far back in time with your historical fiction, you could look at Benita Brown’s upcoming book “Memories of You.” This historical fiction novel is set in the years around World War Two, offering a look into a family’s powerful saga.