If you’ve ever wanted to understand not just what happened in war, but why it happened, and how it felt to those who lived through it, military history is essential reading. These twenty books, focused on World War II and beyond, combine rigorous research with vivid storytelling. Some are sweeping epics; others zoom in on a single battle, soldier, or decision. All of them illuminate the wars that shaped the world we live in today.
 |
War novels, at their best, are not just about battlefields, but about the people who move through them, the memories they shoulder, and the hope that flickers even in the darkest hours.
Here are twenty novels, not only from World War II, but also from other conflicts, that shine a light and tell stories about conflict, compassion, and endurance. Each comes with a quote—a shard of truth, if you like—and a reason to read.
It’s a campus novel, a murder mystery, a character study, and a cult classic all in one — and it’s particularly resonant for a generation obsessed with aesthetics, identity, and the allure of darkness.
So what makes The Secret History so enduring?
Last time I wrote about what the Great American Novel is, where it came from and whether it was still needed or even possible.
An important qualifying factor is that it is not only about literary brilliance. It’s more than that. It’s about resonance. The novels below reflect the American psyche, telling us who we are, who we were, and sometimes who we want to be.
It is so evocative, and carries such weight. It's more than a slogan — it signals ambition, scope, and the desire to say something profound about the American experience. But what exactly is it? Where did the term come from? Why do writers still chase it and why are we still talking about it.
The Chicago Sun-Times published a feature recommending new books for summer 2025. Just five of the 15 titles were real. Ray Bradbury wrote Dandelion Wine, Jess Walter penned Beautiful Ruins and Françoise Sagan Bonjour Tristesse.
The rest? Pure fiction. Literally. Titles like Tidewater Dreams by Isabel Allende (which she never wrote) and The Rainmakers by Pulitzer-winner Percival Everett (also fake) were invented by AI and published as if they were real.
His influence on modern writing is unparalleled. He revolutionised the short story, made dialogue sharper and more lifelike, and proved that what you leave out is just as important as what you put in.
That’s why, if you are not already, you should be reading him. If you’re unsure where to begin or have questions, continue reading.
He gave us slackers before they were memeable, office ennui before The Office, and a sense that we were all increasingly plugged in and alienated.
He was prolific for many years, publishing thirteen novels between 1991 and 2013—six of them in his first ten years.
But it’s now been more than a decade since his last novel, Worst. Person. Ever. It was published in 2013. So… what happened?
She helped shape the New Journalism movement in the 1960s, bringing a personal, literary sensibility to reportage. She created some of the most arresting portraits of American life in the second half of the twentieth century.
If you’re anything like me, finishing The Secret History leaves a strange kind of void. Donna Tartt’s literary debut is one of those once-in-a-decade novels: intellectually rich, psychologically intense, and impossible to put down.
Writing a novel can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to perfect every page as you go. But what if you didn’t have to get it right the first time? What if, instead, you focused on getting it down, shaping it later, and only polishing once the story is in place?
That’s the power of the three-draft method — an approach popularised by Matt Bell in his excellent craft book Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts. At its heart, this method gives writers structure, clarity and, perhaps most importantly, permission to keep going when things feel messy.
Here's how it works: