Browsing all articles by Shambralyn Baker.
Fantastical Biology – Part Four: Deep Ocean
The ocean covers 70% of the Earth’s surface, and yet humans have explored less than 5% of them. No wonder the deepest parts of the ocean have inspired and played a part in so many speculative fiction stories, like Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, or China Miéville’s The Scar. Dolphins, seals and manatees are […]
The Necromancer by Jonathan L. Howard
“Thrown out of the best universities, excommunicated from all the most popular religions and many of the obscure ones, fresh from his recent engagement in Hell, we present Johannes Cabal, Necromancer!” — Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer Jonathan L. Howard’s Johannes Cabal: The Necromancer opens with the title character taking a trip to hell to get […]
Fantastical Biology – Part Three: Prey
Some of the most popular fantasy creatures are predators, and the last fantastical biology article focused on them and the strategies they use to catch their prey. Today we’ll move from the hunter to the hunted, which in fantasy novels is often the human protagonist. Much of this article will focus on how real animals […]
Fantastical Biology – Part Two: Predators
There are lots of friendly fantasy creatures to write about, but sometimes you want something dangerous, with sharp claws and sharper teeth. Real animals can provide inspiration for writing believable and scary fantasy predators, and give insight into how some popular fantastical predators work. As discussed in the previous Fantastical Biology article, using biology to […]
Fantastical Biology – Part One: Fantasy Creatures and Their Habitats
Fantasy novels often include magical creatures. Peruse the fantasy section of your favorite bookstore and you’ll see plenty of dragons, vampires and other impossible things on the front covers. Dragons can fly because they’re magic, and this is enough for many fantasy stories. But what if you want to create a fantastical creature that’s a […]
