About
- Established in 1997, the Historical Novel Society is an international literary society devoted to promotion and advocacy for the genre of historical fiction.
Membership
- Historical Novel Society members include authors, readers, librarians, editors and industry professionals – membership is entirely open, and anyone enthusiastic about the genre is welcome.
Events
- Our worldwide membership loves to meet. Many travel thousands of miles to attend our conferences in person; many more enjoy our virtual options from home. Others form member connections in their area through regular Local Chapter meet-ups. Discover what’s on with conferences, Local and Virtual Chapters, and more.
Book Reviews
- Our exclusive, members-only print magazine, the Historical Novels Review, publishes reviews of hundreds of historical fiction books each quarter, in addition to features and columns. Become a member to receive the magazine and enjoy all our other benefits.
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Articles
- We publish articles in our members-only print magazine, Historical Novels Review, as well as web features exclusive to this site. All are original pieces, commissioned by our Features Editors based on topics of interest to members – interviews with historical fiction authors, publishers, and agents; explorations of novels and subgenres; guides, and regular columns on historical fiction market news, debut authors, and more. Articles are written by vetted contributors, most of whom are Society members. If you’re a member interested in joining the team, Contact Us.
Awards
- HNS Awards have helped discover authors and launch their careers (e.g., Michel Faber, Ruth Downie, Nikki Marmery, Hilary Green, Elizabeth Macneal, and many more) and provided vital support for others. Our ARA Award is one of the most generous of all literary prizes. If you’d like to partner to sponsor an award, Contact Us.
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HNR Issue 84 (May 2018)

Searcher of the Dead

By Nancy Herriman - Published 2018

Genres:

It’s 1593, and since fleeing Elizabethan London after her husband’s murder, Bess Ellyott has been living in her brother’s house in ...Read Review

Too Wilde to Wed

By Eloisa James - Published 2018

Genres:

Romance

This is the second of “The Wildes of Lindow Castle” series. 1778. Lord Roland Northbridge Wilde is the future Duke of Lindow: wealthy, handsome, ...Read Review

A Fallen Woman

By Nancy Carson - Published 2018

Genres:

Romance

Though a saga in length, Carson’s sequel reads like a soapy melodrama as it follows the characters from A Country Girl in ...Read Review

A Brush with Shadows

By Anna Lee Huber - Published 2018

Genres:

Mystery/Crime

In July 1831, Sebastian Gage has come home to Langstone Manor in Scotland. Surrounding his home are beautiful and bleak moors and bogs, in ...Read Review

Twenty-One Days

By Anne Perry - Published 2017 Published 2018

Genres:

Mystery/Crime

Twenty-One Days is the first of Anne Perry’s new crime series. Fans of her Thomas and Charlotte Pitt stories will recognize the ...Read Review

Madness Is Better than Defeat

By Ned Beauman - Published 2018

Genres:

This book opens in 1938 Manhattan, where a wrestler struggles with an octopus in a water-filled tank. From there we quickly move on to ...Read Review

The Verdun Affair

By Nick Dybek - Published 2018

Genres:

Literary

This novel switches back and forth between California in 1950 and France and Italy as they recover from war in 1921. The title refers to ...Read Review

Mood Indigo

By Ed Ifkovic - Published 2018

Genres:

Mystery/Crime

As 1932 ends, award-winning novelist and playwright Edna Ferber attends Noel Coward’s extravagant birthday party. The room is full of New York’s ...Read Review

All Things Bright and Strange

By James Markert - Published 2018

Genres:

Inspirational

WWI has recently ended, and local veterans—at least the ones who survived—have moved back to their small, rural South Carolina hometown, ...Read Review