European Dragons: From the North and East
Leo Elijah Cristea
Our final destination on our worldwide dragon journey is Europe. I know, I know—not very exciting, is it? But wait! Having looked specifically at Chinese dragons last time, it’s only…
Leo Elijah Cristea
Fandom and Creativity
Fandom is a funny thing. It’s also a complex thing with practically a life of its own; an organic organism that has taken on a different meaning besides stereotypical lines…
Grandfathers of Fantasy
The idea of an amiable, bearded grandfather upon whose knee one could settle on a Saturday afternoon, all tired out after a morning spent building model aeroplanes, or trekking in…
Balancing the Scales – Read More Female Authors in 2014
It still astounds me sometimes that the literary world is not equal, that people are necessarily inclined to undertake a specific effort in reading more books by female authors, that…
Politics in Fantasy
The idea of politics is usually a tricky subject: along with religion, politics is one of those subjects supposedly unfit for healthy (heated?) debate at the dinner table, or when…
Being A Reader: The Magic of Books
Books. To some of us they’re a gentle pastime, something to read on the beach or on the daily commute; a lunch break companion or a ritual before bedtime, a…
The Doors Are Open – SFF Goes Mainstream
Sometimes it’s difficult to imagine that, sitting here in this cafe, I am likely the only person in the building who knows who Peter V. Brett is. Because surely that’s…
Dragons: Classifications
Last time we considered dragons as a general species, to introduce their role in fantasy fiction, giving introductory examples of their usual staging and appearances in the stories we relish.…
YA Science Fiction and Fantasy – Part Four: The Spotlight
There is such a wealth of YA SFF that sometimes navigating the shelves can be difficult. At the moment, YA is somewhat fashionable, and that’s good, because when something is…
Elizabeth May Interview
Due out in autumn, Elizabeth May’s The Falconer is one of the most eagerly anticipated books to hit the shelves. The Twittersphere can’t wait to read it; bloggers want to…
YA Science Fiction and Fantasy – Part Three: Why YA Is Important
Instead of looking at the themes and aspects of YA and what makes it what it is (as suggested in the previous article), it felt somewhat redundant to too closely…
YA Science Fiction & Fantasy – Part Two: From Humble Origins to Lofty Heights
When addressing the origins of YA literature (we’re not talking SFF specific here for now, but bear with me) it all depends from which angle you decide to approach. I…