War and Peace is one of the greatest novels ever written, depicting Russian society during the Napoleonic Wars. Leo Tolstoy wrote this epic novel published in 1869, which is considered a masterpiece of world literature for its sweeping portrayal of human experience and history. S. E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders, Ken Follett wrote The Pillars of the Earth, and Carlos Ruiz Zafón wrote Shadow of the Wind.