The Truth About Tropes
Adrian Faulkner
Every genre has its own tropes, those signature metaphors seen time and time again across multiple unconnected books by multiple authors. Fantasy, however, has more than its fair share. So…
fantasy
A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan
Nicholas Schmiedicker
A Natural History of Dragons is exactly what it sounds like. A memoir written by a Victorian naturalist who has an obsession with dragons and embarks on an adventure to…
The Battle of Science and Magic – Part One: Particles and Pixie Dust
Victoria Hooper
For a long time we have separated magic and science, drawing a line between fantasy and science fiction, associating magic with the past – usually a pre-industrial society – and…
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
Steff Humm
Eastern settings have an exotic magic all of their own even without traditional fantasy elements. From the title and beautiful Japanese-style cover art alone (variants of which can be found…
The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
Liz Fellshot Ambrose
I’ve had people tell me that I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. While I understand (and agree with) the metaphor as it applies to people, I think that…
Magic In Fantasy – Part Two: Real Magic
Leo Elijah Cristea
This is the second in our Magic In Fantasy series. If you missed part one you can read it here. First off, shall we—cynic, dreamer and scholar alike—agree, for at…
Robin Hobb Spotlight
Jacob Topp-Mugglestone
With her latest release – The Inheritance, a volume of short stories – Robin Hobb has definitely earned her place among secondary world fantasy’s most prolific authors. Although a pseudonym,…
Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill
Idlewilder
Think you know fairy tales? Think again. Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill is initially the story of Jared and Tiffany Thatcher and their life together, from high school…
Serial Obsessions
Zachary A. Matzo
“Less is more.” The old adage runs true in many situations, but when it comes to fantasy fiction I find myself firmly in the “more is more camp.” There is…
Fantasy Book Club – March 2013: Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding
Lisa Taylor
Our theme for nominations and voting for March was set to Pirates, and Retribution Falls (Tales of the Ketty Jay #1) had a decisive win. I have already read this…
The Last City by Nina D’Aleo
Dan Hanks
The Last City by debut author Nina D’Aleo is marketed as Blade Runner meets Perdido Street Station. Two undoubted classics. Told by two critically acclaimed storytellers. It’s quite the set-up…
YA Science Fiction & Fantasy – Part One: The Introduction
This is the first in a series of articles talking about YA science fiction and fantasy. In the coming months we’re going to look at YA as a sub-genre of…