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 99 (February 2022)

The Midnight Hour (The Brighton Mysteries)

By Elly Griffiths - Published 2021

Genres:

England 1965. Nonagenarian ex-impresario Bert Billington is found poisoned at his retirement home, and in classic who-done-it style, there are enough faces in the ...Read Review

Yonder

By Jabari Asim - Published 2022

Genres:

Literary

One horror of American slavery was that its victims were valuable to their captors. Their high price and necessary labor resulted in strenuous ...Read Review

Beneath a Starless Sky

By Tessa Harris - Published 2021

Genres:

What begins as a sweeping romance between a Jewish ballerina and a dashing German-Italian officer soon develops into a political thriller. In 1930 Munich, 18...Read Review

The London House

By Katherine Reay - Published 2021

Genres:

This dual-timeline novel takes place in early 20th-century Paris and present-day London. Through journal entries and correspondence written for the most part in ...Read Review

City of Incurable Women

By Maud Casey - Published 2022

Genres:

Literary

Paris’s Salpêtrière Hospital began as a gunpowder factory; by the 1600s, it had been repurposed into a care/work facility ...Read Review

Dear Miss Cushman

By Paula Martinac - Published 2021

Genres:

An award-winning author of numerous novels about lesbian lives and histories, Martinac offers an absorbing, energetic adventure starring the passionate Georgiana Cartwright, a ...Read Review

Chambers of the Sea

By Alan Vazquez - Published 2021

Genres:

Mystery/Crime Nautical

The sea is a place of legends and superstitions, none more so than with the Mary Celeste. The ship floats in a place ...Read Review

Red Crosses

By Brian James Baer and Ellen Vayner (trans.) - By Sasha Filipenko - Published 2021

Genres:

Literary

Set in Minsk in 2001, and reaching back to 1930, Red Crosses introduces Tatyana, a 90-year-old woman who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and ...Read Review

Redwood and Wildfire

By Andrea Hairston - Published 2022

Genres:

Historical Fantasy

Set between 1898 and 1913, between small-town Georgia and Chicago, Andrea Hairston’s award-winning novel casts the Great Migration of African-Americans escaping the Jim Crow ...Read Review