Dark, Bizarre, and Magical Historical Fiction

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For those of you who have been following my blog, you may have noticed my focused has been changing in last several weeks. Originally my blog started out as CarrollBooks, a hodgepodge of stuff about me that I hoped would combine to create something specific but it didn't.

Then I turned it into The Unhinged Historian about a month ago with  the focus of talking about historical fiction but I don't deal with all things historical fiction, so I was setting myself up to disappoint readers. So I changed to women's historical fiction and then turn of the century historical fiction but none of that sums up what's so unique about the fiction I write and read and want to write about.

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Finally, today, while ordering books from the library, it hit me - BAM - the thing that is common with the fiction I love is that it's dark, creepy, strange, magical, or fantastical in some way.

What is this area I speak of? This type of fiction is super popular in the YA genre and include Steampunk (ok adults like Steampunk too) and these weird alternate histories like Abram Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith and the bizarre Pride and Prejudice Zombie books also by Grahame-Smith BUT . . .


There are dark and magical historical fiction books that are for adults too. For example The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman (old magic), The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe (Salem Witch Magic), Eva Moves the Furniture by Margot Livesey (imaginary friends, or are they?), House of Spirits by Isabel Allende (telepathy, fortune telling), and these are just some of the books from my own personal reading list, but I know there are tons of these and an editor recently told me this is a growing genre right now.

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What have you guys read that fits with this area/genre of historical fiction? It doesn't have to be magic per say - it could just be strange and bizarre, dark and creepy, or even have elements of fantasy. What are some wacky historical fiction books you've read and love?