This article argues for the potentially transformative value of using historical fiction in the teaching of undergraduate history. While there is substantial scholarship ably demonstrating the value of historical fiction in primary and secondary education as a tool for encouraging engagement and interest in history and helping younger students to develop empathy, there is less discussion of the utility of historical fiction in higher education. Through critical reflection on our teaching practices and a student survey, we argue that in addition to encouraging engagement and the development of empathy, historical fiction can be used in university classrooms to help students to grasp key elements of academic history that they frequently struggle with: the constructed nature of historical writing and the contingent nature of scholarship.