MAGAZINE FEATURES
The Historical Novel Society publishes original articles and interviews in its members-only print magazine, the Historical Novels Review. In addition to six features per issue (along with 300+ book reviews), this quarterly publication also contains columns on debut authors, historical fiction market news, agent Q&As, historical film and television, and more. The Society previously published a magazine with longer-form HF content, called Solander. Some of the content from these print publications is available through the HNS website, but access to complete content is available only to members, so we welcome you to join us.
In general, features are commissioned by HNS editors and authored by members on their features teams, who are unpaid volunteers. If you are a member interested in joining the features team, print or web, please Contact Us.
Story Gold: Thomas Mogford’s The Saffron Thief
Subjects:
17th CenturyAdventureHistorical Novels ReviewInterviewRestoration
WRITTEN BY SARAH BOWER Thomas Mogford, who writes historical fiction as T. L. Mogford, is a prolific author of crime novels. The Saffron Thief (HarperFiction, 2026) is his second historical novel, and he brings to it the gifts of fast-paced... Read More
New Voices: Jackie McMahon, Callie Murray, Susan Nolen & Ellen Rachlin
Subjects:
20th CenturyAncient WorldEarly Medieval (through 1337)Great DepressionHistorical Novels ReviewInterviewMystery & CrimeWorld War 2
WRITTEN BY MYFANWY COOK Jackie McMahon, Callie Murray, Susan Nolen and Ellen Rachlin have set out to tantalise their readers by encouraging them to step back into the periods of history that they are fascinated with. It was when Jackie... Read More
History & Film | Composing the Past: The Draughtsman’s Contract as Historical Fiction on Screen
Subjects:
17th CenturyHistorical Novels Review
WRITTEN BY DOUGLAS KEMP Peter Greenaway’s The Draughtsman’s Contract (1982) is set in an English country house in 1694, but it is not “about” the past in the dutiful costume-drama sense. The film is too ceremonious and absorbed with its... Read More
Celtic Myth & the Regency: The Sebastian St. Cyr Series
Subjects:
19th CenturyHistorical Novels ReviewInterviewMystery & CrimeRegency
WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE NELLAS ACOSTA In an interview about the 21st mystery in the St. Cyr series, When the Wolves Are Silent (Berkley, 2026), C. S. Harris reveals some of her own background and that of Viscount Sebastian St. Cyr.... Read More
A Lucky Find: Shona MacLean Talks to Lucinda Byatt about Her Standalone Novel, The Cromarty Library Circle
Subjects:
19th CenturyGeorgianHistorical Novels ReviewInterview
WRITTEN BY LUCINDA BYATT Most historical fiction authors head for the archives after they’ve decided on the topic of a novel. However, in a reverse process, it was a lucky archival find during research for a work of non-fiction that... Read More
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