Cold Counsel by Chris Sharp
Laura M. Hughes
A troll, a night-hag and an undead goblin walk into a bar. What? Oh, it’s not a joke. It’s how the post-credits scene would look if Chris Sharp’s novel were…
May 2017
David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy: Ravenheart Award
Michael Everest
The saying goes: don’t judge a book by its cover. No… Put it down. Don’t make me get the hose! The Ravenheart award, one of three categories in the David…
Spiderlight by Adrian Tchaikovsky
So, that Adrian Tchaikovsky is a clever bloke. He tricked me (and plenty of others, no doubt) into thinking Spiderlight was a tropey, cliched, rose-tinted throwback to the ‘good old…
A Beginner’s Recommendation Guide to Fantasy Manga: Shonen (Adventure Fantasy)
Malcolm Pope
You know, it’s interesting to take a look at genres from different perspectives. Here in the West, we have a very particular view of the Fantasy genre, one forged by…
Tabletop Tuesday: It was the Dead of Winter…
Geoff Matthews
I could see them. Even in the growing dark, I could see them. Flickers of flame from the fire threw their shadows against walls of peeling paint. Stupid. Really stupid.…
Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale – Movie Review
Trent Cannon
If you’re anything like me (and gods help you if you are), you’ve spent a lot of time playing video games and watching anime. If that’s the case, you’ve probably…
Marc Aplin’s Dog Walk
Overlord
This coming Saturday, Fantasy-Faction’s founder Marc Aplin will be walking from Bristol to London (around 120 miles) non-stop to raise money and awareness for dog rescues across the United Kingdom.…
Self-Published Fantasy: How the SPFBO is Revitalising SFF
With the exciting kick-off of the THIRD Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (#SPFBO) already underway, I thought I’d share some thoughts about the complexities of self-publishing and how Mark Lawrence’s SPFBO initiative…
Plot Twists That Defy Genre Expectations
Nicola Alter
Most of us love a good plot twist. We’re always trying to predict where a narrative is headed, but we’re usually thrilled when it takes an unexpected turn, surprises us,…
Agents of Dreamland by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Jonathan Thornton
Tor’s novella series was started in 2015, with the aim of promoting this shorter medium. The line includes both established authors and those just making their debut, and has included…
An Introduction to Anime and Manga
Rebekah Loper
In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in anime and manga by Western cultures. Before, mentioning the terms anime or manga in casual conversation would have been…
Within the Sanctuary of Wings by Marie Brennan
Steve Damarell
The fifth – and final – of Lady Trent’s memoirs is a difficult beast to review without lurching firmly into spoiler territory, both for the preceding books and for the…