The Fantasy Language Problem – Part One
Django Wexler
(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…
Scientists find secret to writing a bestseller
Overlord
Imagine if publishers had the ability to tell whether a manuscript had the potential to become a bestseller within minutes of receiving it… without even reading it. It sounds ridiculous,…
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…
Clarke Awards release list of 33 female authors submitted for prize
For those unfamiliar, The Clarke Award is given to the best science fiction novel of the year, pulled from a shortlist of novels whose UK first editions came out in…
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
CptNemo
This is one of the tenderly beautiful children’s books that is written with wit and an elegant simplicity for all ages. A close comparison that I’m sure many of you…
Woman Sculpts Smaug the Dragon Out of ‘The Hobbit’ Pages
Within ‘The Hobbit’, J.R.R. Tolkien used words to craft one of the most memorable fantastical beasts all time; the massive, fire-breathing Dragon, Smaug. One reader wasn’t content to use just…
Women Kick Arse in WotF (Again!)
In a genre that often sparks debate over fairness to each sex – whether it is the representation within stories, the amount that get published or the amount of that…
A Dance of Mirrors by David Dalglish
Nicholas Schmiedicker
A Dance of Blades was much the same as A Dance of Cloaks, in fact, as I mentioned, it wasn’t different enough, in my humble opinion, to warrant an entire…
New trailer for 300: Rise Of An Empire…
Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have released a new trailer for the highly anticipated sequel to 300, “300: Rise of an Empire”. “After its victory over Leonidas’ 300, the Persian…
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…
Fantastical Creatures of Greco-Roman Mythology: Ophiotaurus
Faith M. Boughan
Ah, monsters. Who doesn’t love a good, unique monster now and then? As great as it is to read about another dragon or giant spider, there’s something special about a…
Fantasy Movies & Games Encouraging Children To Read
We often see on the news or hear from public figures that children are spending too much time in front of screens playing computer games or watching television. Of course,…