Low Fantasy Subgenres
Marsha A. Moore
In my last article, I compared and contrasted two very popular low fantasy subgenres, urban fantasy and paranormal romance. In this article, I’ll continue with an overview of other major…
Articles
Brian Jacques: An Appreciation
Chloe Smith
Brian Jacques died on February 5, 2011. He was 71, and he leaves behind him the legacy of a full and successful career: 39 published books, including 21 in his…
Fantastical Creatures of Greco-Roman Mythology: Hippoi Monokerata
Faith M. Boughan
Welcome to the final instalment of our series on lesser-known creatures and monsters in Classical mythology! Over the past year, we’ve looked at everything from ancient dragon-like creatures to ancient…
Last Minute Emergency Valentine’s Day Card!
Overlord
It’s Valentine’s Day… What? You forgot!? Well, don’t worry… as per usual, we have your back. Just for you, Fantasy-Faction has created a Game of Thrones themed Valentine’s Day Card…
Overlord on SFSignal’s MIND MELD: What’s “Wrong” with Epic Fantasy?
A couple of days ago, SFSignal e-mailed me to ask whether I’d be willing to lend my voice and thoughts to the opinion that ‘something is wrong with epic fantasy‘.…
Worldbuilding: It’s More Than a Pretty Map
Kameron Hurley
I know authors (and readers!) who hate fantasy worldbuilding. They hate it with a fiery passion. They even go so far as to hand wave whole settings, writing books that…
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…
The Fantasy Language Problem – Part Two
Django Wexler
This is part two of Django Wexler’s guest post on fantasy languages. You can read part one here. (Click or mouseover links for humorous footnotes.) The preceding section is not…
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…
The Fantasy Language Problem – Part One
(Click or mouseover links for humorous footnotes.) From the very beginning of the genre, one of the biggest problems fantasy authors have had to solve has been languages. It’s an…
Why I love The Kitschies
I have to say that The Kitschies, presented by Kraken Rum, have become the awards list that I most look forward to. When it comes to the Gemmell Awards, Locus…
Snake-Sticks and Cheap Tricks: Magic versus Miracle
Brian Staveley
I think one could be forgiven for confusing magic and miracle. If presented with a list of remarkable achievements – walking on water, splitting the moon in half, turning sticks…