Layers of Reality
Max Edwards
As an English Undergraduate at a UK university, I often feel an obscene sense of guilt and embarrassment when asked what, specifically, I enjoy reading. When I respond with “science…
fantasy
Trinity Rising by Elspeth Cooper
Mike Shackle
A year ago, I reviewed my first book for Fantasy-Faction. It was for Songs of the Earth by Elspeth Cooper. It was one of my favorite books of 2011. Fast-paced…
Hybrid Fantasy
Eric Christensen
Once upon a time, fantasy stories had a relatively simple format. Typically, a hero fought a monster, and there was often some magic involved. This format goes as far back…
Raiders of the Lost Art
Dan Hanks
It was always a dream of mine that once my book was published, and the film deal secured, Drew Struzan and Ralph McQuarrie would step into Bespin’s carbon-freezing chamber and…
Video Games: Thank You, Fantasy.
R.T. Kaelin
$17 billion. In 2011, US consumers spent $17 billion on video games. That is $54 for every man, woman, and child in the country. And that’s actually down from the…
The Book of Transformations by Mark Charan Newton
Dominic Stevens
The Legends of the Red Sun series has been compared to the Book of the New Sun, and it’s not hard to see why. In both series, a dying red…
The Evolution of Sexuality, Homosexuality and Gender in SFF – Part One
Leo Elijah Cristea
One of the most exciting and vast elements of modern SFF is the presentation of alternative sexualities and genders. There is as vast a wealth to mine regarding sex, gender…
Sinbad: Worth the Price of Admission?
Faith M. Boughan
…which, if you’re watching on cable, is probably anywhere between $60-$200 per month. But who’s counting? If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard of the new show,…
God’s War by Kameron Hurley
“Nyx sold her womb somewhere between Punjai and Faleen, on the edge of the desert.” As opening lines go, they don’t come much better. It sets the book’s grim tone,…
Raising Heroes: Fantasy Role Models for Our Kids
Matt Maenpaa
Six months ago, my daughter Freya was born during a snowstorm. It was one of the strangest and most surreally amazing moments in my life, holding her in my arms…
Snuff by Terry Pratchett
Alister Davison
Snuff is Terry Pratchett’s 39th Discworld novel, almost thirty years after writing his first. The series has been a huge success, with worldwide translations, audiobooks, conventions and ceramic figurines worthy…
Read, then Heard Again: Why Audiobooks Make the Re-Read Feel New Again
Zachary A. Matzo
More so than most other genres, fantasy aficionados live and die by the “re-read.” Sure, fans of mysteries, thrillers, horror, chick lit, etc. re-read their favorite books. But how often…