The Good Shabti by Robert Sharp
Alister Davison
The Good Shabti is a story that spans thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, Pharaoh Mentuhotep is on his deathbed; in the present, a team of scientists are setting out…
So What’s The Fuss About Scapple?
Adrian Faulkner
If you have been writing for any length of time it is inevitable that you have come across those writers who treat the act of writing as if it is…
A Plunder of Souls by D. B. Jackson
Jo Niederhoff
A Plunder of Souls, the third book in the Thieftaker series, takes place shortly after Thieves’ Quarry. It is July of 1679, British troops still occupy Boston, and there is…
Good news: Angry Robot here to stay.
Overlord
It has been a pretty scary few months for fans of Science-Fiction and Fantasy imprint Angry Robot. Earlier this year news surfaced that the publisher’s owners were going through tough…
The Villain with a Thousand Faces (Part Two): The One-Line Backstory
Stephen Deas
About the author: Her Holiness the Dragon Queen Zafir, Speaker of the Nine Realms, has played both pro- and antagonist roles in her career as a fictional character. She is…
Art Imitates Life, Life Imitates Art: Where will SFF Go Next?
Nicole Singer
Genre has a strong history of leading to invention in the real world. From Star Trek’s influence in a whole myriad of ways, to Iron Man’s suit (Yes, this is…
Self-Published Fantasy and Me
Zachary A. Matzo
When it comes to music, my collection of indie and underground albums equals or surpasses that of my major label collection. I own literally thousands of creator-owned, independently published comics.…
Lev Grossman vs Mainstream Television
Sometimes, writing for Fantasy-Faction, I forget the extent to which the mainstream media looks down their nose at Fantasy fiction. Although George R.R. Martin’s recent success has opened a number…
The Liar’s Key – early US/UK cover preview
Mark Lawrence’s The Broken Empire trilogy won awards not only for its poetic prose and boundary-pushing story, but also for its exceptional cover art. Mark has always offered up his…
The One Tree by Stephen Donaldson
John Cowell
Any of you read The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant? Fantasy royalty? Seminal work? They are an unusual series of books. In a good way. A saga, really, nearly forty years…
Interview with V.E. Schwab
This week I was lucky enough to interview an author that will inevitably be challenging for one of the top spots on 2014’s ‘best SFF book of the year’ lists…
Perfect Beginnings
There is no doubt that the first sentence of a novel is important; it’s the hook that draws the reader in. And, when it comes to fantasy and science fiction,…