I’ve heard literary agents talking about the Next Big Thing. They say World War II novels are declining in popularity, and they each want to discover what will pique readers’ interest next. Several of them claim historical fantasy is what that will be. I love historical fantasy, so that’s fine with me!
Historical fantasy is a sub-genre of historical fiction. That means it has everything historical fiction has, plus a fantasy element. The most important feature that separates historical fantasy from other fantasy is that historical fantasy must take place in Earth’s past. One example is The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey, which adds a touch of the supernatural to the history. Charlie Holmberg’s Paper Magician series is historical with magic. The Dragonriders of Pern series, by Anne McCaffrey, while one of my all time favorites, is not historical fantasy because it is not set on Earth.
Research is just as important to historical fantasy as it is to other types of historical fiction. It is important to get the historical details right. The historical period must fit your story. For example, if you want to write about debutantes, marriage, ballrooms, and a magician, your best era fit would be the Regency period. If you want warring clans, swordplay, damsels in distress, and a dragon, you might want to stay in medieval times.
While you are researching, look for places you might insert a magical element. If your setting includes a haunted castle or house, that’s perfect for supernatural creatures. Look for myths and legends that might provide a fantasy element for your story. They are usually full of magical creatures. Past events themselves are great seeds for your fantasy novel. What was the spark that ignited the simultaneous growth of civilization all around the world at approximately the same time? You can explore the notion that aliens from another planet came to help, but don’t dwell on the space travel part or you’ll have science fiction instead of historical fantasy. Learn what people are afraid of or what they didn’t know. Superstitions are a great source of potential fantasy.
Historical fantasy is a way to see ordinary history in an extraordinary way by adding an element that couldn’t happen in the real world, such as winged horses, vampires, dragons, ghosts, or sorcery. Remember that the parameters of historical fantasy are not well defined. Fantasy genres such as alternate history, steampunk, sword-and-sorcery, fairy tales, high fantasy, and low fantasy can all overlap with historical fantasy. By the same token, subgenres of historical fiction, like historical romance, adventure, women’s fiction, or mystery, can be written with fantastical elements. If you can get the real historical elements to click with the fantasy story, your tale of dragons and magic will resonate with historical fiction readers.
For more on writing historical fantasy, see my chapter “How to Bring Fantasy into Historical Fiction” in the book Crafting Stories from the Past by Paper Lantern Writers.