A Wizard of Mars by Diane Duane
Jo Niederhoff
Maybe it’s because Mars is named for the Roman god of war, but something about the Red Planet has captured human imagination, or at least the imagination of Western media.…
2017
The Hollow Crown by Jeff Wheeler
Zachary A. Matzo
Spoiler Warning: While what follows is a spoiler-free look at The Hollow Crown, discussion of the 4th book in a series and the start of a new trilogy necessarily “spoils”…
The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith-Spark
T. O. Munro
As I recall, the first rumours I heard of the book that became The Court of Broken Knives was seeing the author’s lament on social media that an agent had…
SPFBO3: The First Five Fall…
Laura M. Hughes
The Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off officially began on July 1st! In case you missed it, here’s what Fantasy-Faction has posted so far: Our announcement Introducing round one Cover contest winners And…
Castlevania – TV Series Review
Malcolm Pope
You know, when I first heard that Netflix was doing a four-episode animated Castlevania TV series, I have to admit, I wasn’t really all that interested. I mean, let’s face…
Monthly Short Story Winner: 1750
Xiagan
Imagine you or someone from our time is transported back to the year 1750 (the start of the industrial revolution) with everything you/they know. There’s no going back. What is…
The Ancient Magus’ Bride by Kore Yamazaki – Volumes 1-7 Series Review
Rebekah Loper
Do you like folklore? Pretty imagery? Stories reminiscent of fairytales without being a direct retelling or adaptation? If so, you should read The Ancient Magus’ Bride. The Ancient Magus’ Bride…
Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell
Richard Bray
“I’ve recently discovered that people rarely tell the whole truth.” “Is that what you’re here to do then, Kellen?” Osia’phest asked hopefully. “Tell the whole truth?” I smiled. “No, my…
The Rift by Nina Allan
Jonathan Thornton
“Remember when we were small, Selena, the worlds we made? I was happy then, at home in the world in a way I’ve never been since. Perhaps it was my…
Tabletop Tuesday: Player Characters Keep It Interesting
Trent Cannon
Not long ago, I wrote about how important it is to be able to improvise when running a tabletop roleplaying game, whether the genre is fantasy, sci-fi, or something altogether…
How The Other Half Successfully Self-Publish
Michael McClung
Uncle Mike has some things to say, people, and you’re not prying this karaoke mic from his hand until he’s done. Is this thing on? Right, okay. Hello. My name…
Monthly Short Story Winner: Corpses
Corpses. Still trickling blood or ancient and dusty. Result of a horrible crime or a fatal accident. Left where they should be or somehow missing. Stone-dead or fake and still…