Monthly Short Story Winner: Well-Known Fairy Tales from a Different Point of View
Xiagan
We know these stories by heart – but only from the hero’s POV. Did you ever think about the motivation and justification the big bad wolf had for eating Red…
Small Press, Big Stories: Grimbold Books
Steven Poore
Small Press, Big Stories is a monthly column focusing on small and independent presses from around the world. This month’s featured publisher is Grimbold Books. This month on #SmallPressBigStories we’re…
The Emerald Blade by Steven Kelliher
Laura M. Hughes
Eight months ago, I wrote a (fairly critical) review of Valley of Embers, the first book in Steven Kelliher’s Landkist cycle. Kelliher’s debut, I felt, had a solid and interesting…
Tough Travels: Non-Human Heroes
At the start of every month, Fantasy-Faction will lead you (yes, YOU!) on a tour of the fantasy genre. From high to low, from classics to new releases, from epic…
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn: A Look Back
Zachary A. Matzo
As fantasy readers across the world wait with bated breath for the June release of The Witchwood Crown and Tad Williams’ return to the world of Osten Ard, Fantasy Faction…
David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy: Legend Award
Michael Everest
Arthur had his sword in the stone. The Legend award has its axe on the podium. Snaga the Sender. The Blades of no Return. The axe of Druss the Legend,…
Exploring Vvardenfell: How Morrowind Created an Immersive Secondary World
Christopher Mahon
Back in 2012, I was sitting with a group of fantasy writers at the PNWA conference in Seattle. Everyone had begun rolling off their favorite authors, and soon there were…
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Joie
“The library knows its own mind…When it steals a boy, we let it keep him.” I want to be stolen by a library. Pick me! Pick me! All wishing aside,…
Monthly Short Story Winner: Apocalypse
The Apocalypse. For real this time. And one none of the conspiracy theorists saw it coming. The world is going to end in a day. What will to happen until…
David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy: Morningstar Award
There’s a certain something about watching a debut fighter take to the ring. It could be that there’s an element of the unknown. The chance of something new and different.…
Interview with Keith Yatsuhashi
Jonathan Thornton
Keith Yatsuhashi is a fantasy author and long time anime fan whose critically acclaimed books Kojiki (2016) and Kokoro (2017) are published by Angry Robot. He’s repped by Red Sofa…
Assassin’s Fate by Robin Hobb
Richard Bray
Robin Hobb’s genius isn’t flashy. The world she has created is fully articulated, complete with complex characters and histories, detailed magical systems, and fully realized political intricacies, yet she rarely…