How Clichés Can Help You Create Great Characters
Marc Davies
“Avoid character clichés.” Like me, you’ve probably heard this advice many times. It comes in a number of guises, from make your characters unique and interesting, or try to create…
August 2012
Maps And eReaders
Zachary A. Matzo
“I wisely started with a map.” – J.R.R. Tolkien. Clearly ebook publishers ascribe to a different way of thinking. Does Amazon.com hate fantasy readers? Does Barnes & Noble? Kobo? Apple?…
Writer’s Den: Inspiration’s Inspiration
Thomas A. Knight
I tried to figure out what to write about this month, but couldn’t find the inspiration. Usually something comes to me, but not this time. And then it came to…
Pirates: Fantasy’s Forgotten Scoundrels
Laura Graham
I’m going to start you off with a quiz this month. Nice and simple, five questions, just to see what you really know about pirates. 1. Apart from as a…
Layers of Reality
Max Edwards
As an English Undergraduate at a UK university, I often feel an obscene sense of guilt and embarrassment when asked what, specifically, I enjoy reading. When I respond with “science…
One King To Rule Them All
A. J. Zaethe
Founding Fathers Or Mothers Hope you have been practicing your John Hancocks, because you are about to become a founding father or mother. I am certain that most of you…
Trinity Rising by Elspeth Cooper
Mike Shackle
A year ago, I reviewed my first book for Fantasy-Faction. It was for Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper. It was one of my favorite books of 2011. Fast-paced…
Hybrid Fantasy
Eric Christensen
Once upon a time, fantasy stories had a relatively simple format. Typically, a hero fought a monster, and there was often some magic involved. This format goes as far back…
Mass Effect Series Review
Kit
Mordin: Might go somewhere sunny. Sit on beach, look at ocean, collect seashells. Shepard: You’d go crazy inside an hour. Mordin: Might run tests on seashells. The Mass Effect series…
Raiders of the Lost Art
Dan Hanks
It was always a dream of mine that once my book was published, and the film deal secured, Drew Struzan and Ralph McQuarrie would step into Bespin’s carbon-freezing chamber and…
Video Games: Thank You, Fantasy.
R.T. Kaelin
$17 billion. In 2011, US consumers spent $17 billion on video games. That is $54 for every man, woman, and child in the country. And that’s actually down from the…
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Rachel Riegel
Here’s a title that, until a few weeks ago, had flown completely below my radar. My sister-in-law suggested it to me, claiming that if I loved The Hunger Games Trilogy,…