Picking a World
Thomas A. Knight
So you’ve decided to write a fantasy novel, but the big question on your mind is: “What fantasy world do I set it in?” This is an important question to…
fantasy
Subgenre Bingo – Epic Fantasy
Liz Fellshot Ambrose
Welcome back to my series of bingo/identification cards for random amusement and ease of subgenre identification. All previous disclaimers about this not being a definitive list, and that opinions may…
The Many Faces Of Fantasy
David Carani
Consider the number of subgenres in fantasy. Depending on who you talk to, there are anywhere from five to ten to fifteen (more depending on how specific you would like…
His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik
Chelsea Haller
I was handed this book by my husband and was told that I would like it. I was a little unsure of this since there were many history references along…
The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
Jamie Provencher
The first time I ‘read’ The Book of Lost Things, I was on an eight-hour trip from Maine to Ithaca, NY. Before I left, I stopped by Borders, and searched…
Keeping Fantasy Fresh – The Sands of Time
Ben Godby
You can read Part One of this series here. As long as the genres have been divided, fantasy has always stood in opposition to science fiction. A sweeping glance across…
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Overlord
There has not been a book over the last decade that has brought about as much response as Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind. Released in 2007, this book…
Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind
ChrisMB
A couple of years ago, whilst my best friend and I were browsing through my local Borders (which also happens to be one of the many affected by the liquidation…
The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick
Joshua Benes
The Red Wolf Conspiracy begins with a special note from the Etherhorde Mariner, in which it states that, “The Imperial Merchant Ship Chathrand has disappeared.” The story truly unfolds with…
Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
Jennie Ivins
A single grain of sand can tip the scale. A single beat of a butterfly’s wings can add just enough wind to create a tempest. And the single action of…
Keeping Fantasy Fresh
When I pick up a fantasy book at the bookstore or the library, I’m expecting two things: first, a recognizable set of concepts, tropes and ideas that together make a…
The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
Walt White
Exhausted and malnourished, a tangle of serpents fought the current of the Rain Wilds river and sought the cocooning grounds of distant memories. The world changed a great deal since…