Friendships in Fantasy
Nicole Singer
While there’s something to be said for great romances in fantasy (trust me, I love ‘em), it’s really the genre’s deep, unswerving friendships that drive it forward and keep us…
So What’s The Fuss About Ulysses?
Adrian Faulkner
There was a time when a writer’s most technological tool was the typewriter. With the advent of computers and the first word processors, writers entered the digital age. This early…
Gender and Stereotyping in Fantasy – Part One: Strong Women
Leo Elijah Cristea
The problem with the new and yet very important desire to portray realistic, strong women with agency, is that some people fixate entirely on the first part of this –…
The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker
James Davies
In The Darkness That Comes Before, R. Scott Bakker (in a style reminiscent of Steven Eriksson’s Malazan series) presents us with a vast world that is undeniably epic in scope…
Editorial Director Susan Allison Hangs Up Red Pen
Overlord
We’ve just had news that Berkley Publishing Group’s Vice President and Editorial Director of Ace Books Susan Allison is putting down the red marker pen later this year. Since becoming…
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Alister Davison
Back in the 1980s, when the Cold War was at its height, the spectre of nuclear war loomed large, and this was reflected in the fiction of the time. Some…
Fantastical Biology – Part Seven: Fantasy Biologists
Shambralyn Baker
So far this series has focused on animals and habitats, exploring anything from the relationships between predators and prey to the deepest parts of the ocean. But what is fantastical…
A Crown For Cold Silver by Alex Marshall
Eric Christensen
A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER hits a lot of notes that fans of epic fantasy will recognize and appreciate: generals fighting one last war using a mercenary army; a colorful…
The pros and cons of the voting processes behind major SFF awards: Part 2
Wei Ming Kam
Hugos: Nominees are chosen by anyone who is either a supporting or attending member of the current annual Worldcon, and the Worldcon in the years before and after i.e. 2014,…
Monthly Short Story Winner: Science Fiction
Xiagan
We’re as far in the future as we’ve ever been – what a good reason to write a science fictional story. wikipedia: Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing…
The Least Worst Option – Democracy, the Hugos and other Sci-Fi & Fantasy awards: Part 1
With more than two weeks since the election in the UK, the usual politics fatigue has taken over conversations across the country. Social media has shouted itself hoarse (no matter…
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Sonia Grace
If you’ve ever read anything by Holly Black you will know that when it comes to fairy tales, she does not mess around. She takes every trope you’ve ever heard…