Epic
Circe
Editors' choice
Madeline Miller returns to the Homeric epics for the inspiration for her second novel, Circe. While the first, The Song…
Silk and Song
The book begins in China in 1292. The main character, Wu Johanna, is a direct descendant of Marco Polo, the…
A Column of Fire
This engrossing book is the third novel in Ken Follett’s Kingsbridge series. The first two were worldwide best sellers and…
The Vineyard
Mauro Larrea has become a self-made man in 1860s Mexico City by means of courage and brawny determination. Over decades,…
Bright Air Black
The familiar Greek myth of Jason and Medea is retold in Bright Air Black. In brilliant, evocative prose, the world…
For the Winner
Myths are stories that are told and re-told over centuries. Each generation takes the same basic tale but turns it…
The House of Names
Editors' choice
In his eleventh novel, Tóibín retells the myth of the House of Atreus and Queen Clytemnestra, who murdered her husband,…
The King Must Die
‘I cannot keep from putting my hand to what I find about me,’ declares Mary Renault’s hero, Theseus. He is…
Memory of Light
Editors' choice
The Battle of Gettysburg was the major turning point in the American Civil War. This vibrant novel uses the lives…
The Varangian: Book Three of Odd Tangle-Hair’s Saga
Editors' choice
Odd comes to Miklagard – the Norse name for Constantinople – with the sole purpose of seeking out Harald, a…
About our Reviews
Over the last 20 years The Historical Novels Review (the society’s print magazine for our members) has published reviews of some 15,000 historical fiction books.
