Regency / Napoleonic · Military & war · ~1789–1837
Looking for historical fiction in the military & war lane set during the Regency / Napoleonic (~1789–1837)? Regency / Napoleonic military & war historical fiction books collects historical novels that match both filters—Balls, war, empire, Austen-adjacent and beyond. Battles, home fronts, and wartime lives HisFic is a free historical fiction discovery app: open a full reading journey with the same era and story-type filters, then add region, themes, or audience. Shelves mix curated historical fiction picks with Open Library titles so even thin combinations still have books to explore.
Curated HisFic picks first, plus Open Library fills for this era + story type.
Leo Tolstoy
Five Russian families move through court, love, and the Napoleonic invasion as 1805 becomes Borodino and Moscow burns. Tolstoy’s epic is Napoleonic historical fiction on a national scale—ballrooms and battlefields, Pierre and Natasha, and the question of who makes history.
Regency / Napoleonic · Family saga · Literary
Victor Hugo
In 1815, convict Jean Valjean is released from the galleys and tries to live honestly under a stolen name, while Inspector Javert hunts him through Restoration and July-Monarchy France. Hugo’s novel follows Fantine, Cosette, Marius, and the 1832 Paris barricades—crime, mercy, and a social epic that still defines French historical fiction after Waterloo.
Regency / Napoleonic · Family saga · Literary
C. S. Forester
In 1793, seventeen-year-old Horatio Hornblower is dumped aboard HMS Justinian, seasick and untried, then wins his sea legs through prize crews, a duel, fire ships, and a stretch as a prisoner in Spain on the way to lieutenant. C. S. Forester’s novel is Napoleonic naval historical adventure: the first chronological Hornblower, and the making of a Royal Navy legend.
Regency / Napoleonic · Military & war · Adventure & epic
Patrick O'Brian
In 1800, luck and patronage put Jack Aubrey in command of the brig Sophie, with ship’s surgeon Stephen Maturin as friend, naturalist, and intelligence officer. The first Aubrey–Maturin novel is Napoleonic naval historical fiction: prize-taking, seamanship, and a friendship that carries a twenty-book series.
Regency / Napoleonic · Adventure & epic · Military & war
Bernard Cornwell
British · Fiction · Historical fiction · History
Regency / Napoleonic · Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Open Library
Carol Notestein and Chuck Preble
American Historical fiction · American War stories · Fiction · History
Civil War · Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Open Library
Patrick O'Brian
Ship captains · History, Naval · English Sea stories · Ship physicians
Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Open Library
C. S. Forester
Authorship · Characters · English Historical fiction · English Sea stories
Regency / Napoleonic · Military & war · Open Library
John Steinbeck
Fiction · Social life and customs · World War, 1939-1945 · literary fiction
Victorian / Gilded Age · Late 20th century · Military & war · Literary · Open Library
Bernard Cornwell
Fiction · Richard Sharpe (Fictitious character) · Military History · Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815
Regency / Napoleonic · Victorian / Gilded Age · Mystery · Military & war · Open Library
William Faulkner
African Americans · American fiction · Fathers and sons · Fiction
Civil War · Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Open Library
Bernard Cornwell
Fiction · Historical Fiction · Richard Sharpe (Fictitious character) · Barrosa, Battle of, Spain, 1811
Regency / Napoleonic · Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Open Library
Kate Kinsella
alcoholism · baptism · Classic Literature · Cold War
Civil War · Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Literary · Open Library
Nance Davidson
freedom · selfhood · self-fulfilment · meaning of love
Civil War · Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Literary · Open Library
C. S. Forester
English Historical fiction · English Sea stories · English War stories · Fiction
Regency / Napoleonic · Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Open Library
C. S. Forester
Horatio Hornblower (Fictitious character) · Naval History · Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815 · Fiction
Regency / Napoleonic · Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Open Library
Charles Dickens
LANGUAGE & LITERARY STUDIES · FICTION CLASSICS · CLASSICS · CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Victorian / Gilded Age · Military & war · Literary · Open Library
Sanford V. Sternlicht
Criticism and interpretation · Horatio Hornblower · English War stories · History and criticism
Regency / Napoleonic · Late 20th century · Military & war · Open Library
Looking for a broader list? See Regency / Napoleonic historical fiction or military & war historical fiction.