Peter Haynes Interview – The Willow by Your Side
Jonathan Thornton
Peter Haynes’ debut novel The Willow by Your Side has just been published by Unsung Stories. It is a haunting exploration of British folklore, mythology and landscape set after World…
historical fantasy
Frances Hardinge Interview – A Skinful of Shadows
Frances Hardinge is one of the finest fantasy authors around. Her inventive and beautifully written YA novels, the most recent of which is A Skinful of Shadows (2017), are widely…
The Poppy War by R. F. Kuang
JC Kang
Today is May 4, coincidentally the 99th anniversary of the first popular protest in China’s history. Due to the somber tone of The Poppy War, I am eschewing my usual…
Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay
Pippa
Under Heaven is the first book in the Under Heaven duology. It is set in a fictionalized version of the Tang Dynasty of 8th Century China and contains a masterful…
Ruthanna Emrys Interview – Deep Roots
Ruthanna Emrys is the author of Winter Tide (2017), first book in The Innsmouth Legacy series, a wonderful subversion of H. P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth (1936). The series…
Jade City by Fonda Lee
Aficionados of Hong Kong Cinema, hear me out: Imagine Chow Yun-Fat in one of his classic ‘90s Triad movies, but give him the superhuman martial skills from the Show Brothers’…
Tiger Lily by K. Bird Lincoln – SPFBO Review
Geoff Matthews
Lily isn’t supposed to hunt game in the Daimyo’s woods. She’s just the cook’s daughter. It isn’t her place to talk to nobility. And she definitely isn’t supposed to sing…
The Tale of Shikanoko by Lian Hearn – Spoiler Free Series Review
Depending on which edition of these books, you will either have four books or two bind ups containing two books each. The four books are Emperor of the Eight Islands;…
Miles Cameron Interview – The Fall of Dragons
Rakib Ahmad Khan
Five years ago The Red Knight came into the world to high acclaim. This year The Traitor Son Cycle concluded with The Fall of Dragons. We at Fantasy-Faction have been…
Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer
Eric Christensen
When I first heard of Creatures of Will and Temper, I read descriptions calling it a gender-swapped, lesbian The Picture of Dorian Gray with swords and demons. While that was…
The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden
Richard Bray
Katherine Arden’s debut novel, The Bear and the Nightingale, was as charming and magical a debut novel as you could hope to find in 2016. Drawing comparisons to Neil Gaiman,…
MJ-12: Shadows by Michael J. Martinez
Dan Hanks
Following an outstanding start to his new superhero spy series with last year’s MJ-12: Inception, Michael J. Martinez is back to continue the thrilling adventure with MJ-12: Shadows—and it’s a…