Why Do We Love Elemental Fantasy?
Richard Marpole
Earth, air, fire, and water. Primal forces that make up the world and power magic. Why are they such a popular motif in fantasy fiction? Firstly, the theory of the…
Richard Marpole
Black Ice by Julia Blake
Content Warnings: Book contains depictions/mentions of sexual assault, genocide, oppression, racism, and misogyny. “It’s a steampunk Snow White,” said Julia Blake. “Sold! I’ll take a copy,” I said. This brief…
Cults of Cthulhu: A Sourcebook for the Call of Cthulhu RPG
Cults of Cthulhu is a supplement for Call of Cthulhu—the first and most famous Lovecraftian role playing game. (To my knowledge, the first horror RPG ever.) Cults of Cthulhu recently…
Let’s Make Fantasy Dwarves Interesting!
When people think fantasy, they think elves and dwarves (maybe orcs and goblins too). And they think of them in that order. Elves are beautiful, magical, and melancholy (or eerily…
Ahab’s Return, Or the Last Voyage by Jeffrey Ford
*Content Warning for novel: racism, child murder, drugs.* A new(ish) entry into the grand tradition of reimagining or sequelising classic novels, Ahab’s Return explores what might have happened if Ahab…
They Came from Beyond the Grave! – Role-Playing Game Review
Onyx Path Publishing Written by: Michael Barker, John Burke, Dixie Cochran, Rachel Cole, Matthew Dawkins, Joshua Alan Doetsch, Klara Horskjær Herbøl, Jason Inczauskis, Danielle Lauzon, Lauren Roy, Bianca Savazzi, Robert…
Dead Boys by Gabriel Squailia
*Content Warning: Body horror. Infant death. Suicide.* I did not intend to review this book. But I picked up the audiobook and quickly fell in love with it, and I…
Haunted West by Chris Spivey – Role-Playing Game Review
Creative Director and Development: Chris Spivey System Design: Chris Spivey, Rose Bailey, Neall Raemonn Price, and Adam Alexander Powered by the Apocalypse Hack: Amr Ammourazz Written by: Chris Spivey, Angel…
Warhammer Age of Sigmar Soulbound: Champions of Death – RPG Supplement Review
Writing: Emmet Byrne, Michael Duxbury, Cat Evans, Cody Faulk, Jordan Goldfarb, Elaine Lithgow, and KC Shi Editing: Christopher Walz Producers: Emmet Byrne, Elaine Lithgow Cover Art: Johan Grenier Illustration: Johan…
Richard’s 2021 SFF Media Round Up
It’s been another tumultuous year, but science fiction and fantasy books, games and shows have been there to get us through once again. Here’s a look back at my year…
Warhammer Age of Sigmar Soulbound: Champions of Order and Stars and Scales – RPG Supplement Reviews
A pair of roleplaying game (RPG) supplements this time, filling in some of the character options that didn’t fit into the Soulbound core book. (You’ll find these reviews a lot…
Spirits of Vengeance by Rob J. Hayes
Spirits of Vengeance is an epic, martial arts, horror fantasy. It follows an ensemble cast of aging martial artists and mischievous spirits as they wander the sundered empire of Ipia,…