Browsing all articles tagged with steampunk.
The Coilhunter Chronicles by Dean F. Wilson – Spoiler Free Series Review
Steampunk Batman meets A Fistful of Dollars (and later, the Borg). Despite Fantasy-Faction originally being a British website, I am pretty sure that everyone knows Americans romanticize the Wild West: the freewheeling setting, the gunslinger vigilante who stands up to the bad guys when the government can’t. It might as well be the bedrock of […]
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
Robert Jackson Bennett’s Foundryside combines the action scenes and snarky banter of a summer blockbuster with the complex characters and keen-eyed societal critique of an Oscar-winner. What begins as a heist and chase adventure becomes a richer story that asks big questions about power, exploitation, and revolution. Foundryside is a fun, thought-provoking, and wondrous tale. […]
Urskuul’s Reading Circle: The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman
Everyone likes libraries, don’t they? They’re normally fair-sized buildings which are chock-full of books. And the main rule that guides most libraries? Other than the normal ones. You know like: – Don’t steal the books. – Don’t burn down the library. – Don’t stage an over-elaborate murder designed to implicate one of your political rivals […]
Monthly Short Story Winner: Find the Story in the Picture
This month our entrants got three pictures to choose from. Every picture a frozen moment from an unknown story. They convey atmosphere and (part of) a setting. The rest is up to you. Rules: 1. The story/poem must be inspired by one of the pictures. 2. Prose must be 500-1500 words long. 3. Poetry must […]
Monthly Short Story Winner: Regret and Redemption
Your main character (MC) did something, planned or by accident, and it went terribly wrong. Life is now constant regret. Do they want to correct it? Is it even possible? Everybody should have the chance to redeem themselves, but this is not a fairy tale – or is it? Rules: 1. The story’s theme must […]
The Queen of All Crows by Rod Duncan – Cover Reveal and Giveaway
I know Halloween is over, but I bet all you Factioners out there would still love to see another sweet, sweet Angry Robot cover. And I’m positive you would also like an extra special treat afterwards! Well today is your lucky day, because not only do I get to introduce you to some awesome cover […]
Darkhaven by A.F.E. Smith – Series Review
You could be forgiven for assuming A.F.E. Smith’s debut is a tame, fluffy tale about a magical unicorn. I assumed the same. But trust me when I say that there’s *nothing* tame or fluffy about Darkhaven. Firstly, let’s get one thing straight: that’s not actually a unicorn. It’s an alicorn; a hybrid of the ‘pure’ […]
Everfair by Nisi Shawl
“The settlers of Everfair had come here naively at best, arrogantly at worst. Due to the orders of the king they had found the country seemingly empty. In the fight against Leopold, their assistance had been most valuable, and they had also brought to the cause the help of Europeans and Americans who would never […]
Metronome by Oliver Langmead
Metronome is an engaging high concept fantasy, incredibly readable and beautifully written. Its unusual hero is William Manderlay, an old sailor who lives in a care home, crippled by arthritis and his memories of happier times. An erstwhile musician, he can no longer play the violin, but one night, while asleep, he discovers that his […]
The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu
“History is the long shadow cast by the past upon the future.” “Killing the emperor was easy. Building a world that is more just and persuading those in power to exercise it wisely have been far harder.” In The Grace of Kings (2015), the first book in the Dandelion Dynasty series, Ken Liu traced the […]
Arm of the Sphinx by Josiah Bancroft
Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers for Senlin Ascends. Please read with caution if you have yet to finish the first book. Having steadily accelerated in devouring Senlin Ascends (the first of the books of Babel), I fell with almost unseemly haste into its sequel, Arm of the Sphinx. I will try to avoid giving […]
Senlin Ascends by Josiah Bancroft
This is an exceedingly rich book. A depth of imagination married with a poetic turn of phrase and an engaging cast of characters (both those we meet and those who keep us waiting) conspire to deliver an epic story soaring high above the clouds. The engine of the fantastic story is a terrifyingly ordinary dilemma. […]
