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 91 (February 2020)

The Secret Guests

By Benjamin Black - Published 2020

Genres:

Booker prize-winning Irish author John Banville has written this novel under the pen name he uses for his popular “Quirke” crime novels, to ...Read Review

Realm of Ash (The Books of Ambha)

By Tasha Suri - Published 2019

Genres:

Historical Fantasy

Loosely based on the Mughal Empire, Realm of Ash lures its reader into the story with richly imaged, lapidary prose. Against a background ...Read Review

The Thief of Lanwyn Manor (The Cornwall Novels)

By Sarah E. Ladd - Published 2020

Genres:

Inspirational Romance

Second in Ladd’s Cornwall Novels, this sweet, stately successor to The Governess of Penwythe Hall finds grown-up Julia Twethewey en route to ...Read Review

Blackbird Blues

By Jean K Carney - Published 2019

Genres:

In her debut novel, Jean K. Carney chronicles the story of aspiring jazz singer Mary Kaye in Chicago during the 1960s. When Kaye’...Read Review

Rescued by the Viscount’s Ring (Harlequin Historical)

By Carol Arens - Published 2020

Genres:

Romance

December, 1889. After she stows away aboard a transatlantic steamer in New York, Madeline Macooish nearly dies of exposure in the lifeboat where she ...Read Review

A Death in Harlem

By Karla FC Holloway - Published 2019

Genres:

Mystery/Crime

Weldon Haynie Thomas, Harlem’s first “colored” policeman, is on crowd-control duty at a 1927 literary awards banquet of Harlem’s elite. Sudden tumult ...Read Review

Hanging Murder

By A. J. Wright - Published 2019

Genres:

Mystery/Crime

Hanging Murder is the latest in A. J Wright’s series of “Lancashire Detective Mysteries”. In the bleak, monochrome chill of Wigan in ...Read Review

Summerlings

By Lisa Howorth - Published 2019

Genres:

In the summer of 1959, Washington D.C. suffers an invasion of spiders, prompting adult paranoia and conspiracy theories about Russian attacks. For Howorth’...Read Review

An Oxford Murder: A Golden Age Mystery (The Catherine Tregowyn Mysteries)

By G.G. Vandagriff - Published 2019

Genres:

Mystery/Crime

In this first in Vandagriff’s new sleuthing series set in 1930s Britain, poet Catherine Tregowyn discovers the body of her former professor ...Read Review