Browsing all articles tagged with science fantasy.
Gene Wolfe 1931 – 2019
“…that is to say, in all of this, I think, I believe in some sense much akin to the belief of faith, that I noticed, felt, or underwent what I describe—but it may be that the only reason childhood memories act on us so strongly is that, being the most remote we possess, they are […]
The Blighted City by Scott Kaelen
The Blighted City begins with a quest and ends with a beautiful contemplation of filial love, loyalty, duty, and grief in a story that blazes a trail out of standard epic fantasy into a really fresh, original science fantasy narrative. The novel starts with an engaging first chapter in which Maros, a retired mercenary and […]
Monthly Short Story Winner: Magic and Technology
This month we had our entrants write a story in a world where traditional fantasy with magic and science fictional technology coexist. Or meet. Or clash. Or fight. There are only two books I can think of at the moment that fit this genre. One is a German fantasy saga which was never translated to […]
The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King – Cover Reveal & Excerpt!
Those of you who are new to Fantasy-Faction may not know this, but I love SFF art, and am particularly found of book cover art. It won’t be a surprise then that this is one of my favorite types of announcements to post. For today we have an amazing cover reveal from author Graham Austin-King! […]
Rise of the Seer by Brandon Barr
Completed while the author was undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia, Brandon Barr’s Rise of the Seer captures the essence of holding onto hope when things seem dark. It’s part Game of Thrones with the political wrangling, backstabbing, and hidden conspiracies; but also part NeverEnding Story in that the main characters are driven by faith and a […]
The Lost Puzzler by Eyal Kless – Cover Reveal
There aren’t a huge amount of fantasy/science fiction hybrids and probably for good reason; it’s a very hard balance to strike. If the reader feels for even a moment that the fantasy elements are there for the sake of being there (i.e. the science fiction elements should have resulted in the civilisation moving on – […]
Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
Looking at the list of genres above, it’s clear that I had difficulties categorizing Jeff VanderMeer’s Borne. But I suppose that is what the New Weird is all about. Although there is some disagreement over the precise nature of the genre, it seems to be a sort of mashing together of speculative elements to produce […]
Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – Spoiler Free Movie Review
“Let the past die. Kill it if you have to. That’s the only way to become what you were meant to be.” And with those words, The Last Jedi’s writer/director Rian Johnson’s intentions are laid bare. With a palpable sense of glee that never once veers into parody or mockery, Johnson delivers a bold, polarizing […]
Keeping the Fun in Science Fiction – Guest Blog by Joseph Brassey
Islands sit suspended in an endless heaven, drifting amidst clouds and storms, high above a distant abyss below. Cities crouch upon the edges of cliffs, their walls jutting out into the empty air, and enchanted skycraft hurtle through the heavens, their magnificent wings catching the light of sunsets as the blue-white glow of their exhaust […]
Rogue One – Book and Movie Review
Note: This review covers both the film Rogue One and the prequel novel Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel. Small “spoilers” abound but I’ll say without reservation that there is no way this review can really spoil anything. The conclusion was foregone. We already know how the story ends. What I haven’t spoiled are some of […]
Where do you get your ideas from?
Sometimes out of the mouths, well hands, of babes and sucklings it seems… It’s a question many writers dread and I think it’s because it’s so hard to give any sort of concrete answer. Mostly. I mean, they come from anywhere and everywhere. They pop into your head unbidden (inspired by something you’ve seen or […]
The Diversity of Today’s Cutting Edge Sci-Fi
When we talk about science fiction we divide it up. It’s too big for a single shelf, we have to break it into subgenres and swallow it in pieces. There’s hard sci-fi, which typically deals with complicated scientific concepts. I usually call this technical sci-fi, since it’s often predicated on the idea that the science […]
