A Moratorium On The Monomyth
Ryan Howse
Of all genres, fantasy is generally closest to mining the heroic journey archetypes for its inspiration. For some authors, the intent is to uphold these ideals; others wish to subvert…
history
Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis
Paul Wiseall
What is the greatest evil in modern history? Because it might not be the Nazis… We all know that the Nazis were monsters (and I did a history degree so…
Historically Accurate
Laura Graham
Writers who set their stories in the future? Those guys have got it easy; they can see everything happening in the world around us, and use that to inform their…
Fantasy Influences: Ancient Greek Mythology – Part Two
Victoria Hooper
You can read part one of this series here. In the last article, I looked at Greek mythology’s influence on fantasy, including the hero’s quest and what he or she…
Pirates: Fantasy’s Forgotten Scoundrels
I’m going to start you off with a quiz this month. Nice and simple, five questions, just to see what you really know about pirates. 1. Apart from as a…
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…
Dragons: An Introduction
Dragons: Why do they permeate fantasy fiction, and moreover, what are they supposed to be? Despite the varied literature in which they appear, the appearance of a dragon—with a little…
Perceval: The Story of the Grail by Chrétien de Troyes
Nyki Blatchley
So far, my series about fantasy classics has been mainly about 20th century works, occasionally straying back as far as the 19th. This time, however, I’m going right back to…
A Feast of Ice and Fire by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel and Sariann Lehrer
Elloise Hopkins
Having spotted this on the Inn at the Crossroads blog, I was utterly intrigued and decided I simply had to add it to my reviews list. Firstly because it was…
Elements of Fantasy: Owls
Janie Bill
Of all the bird species, owls have a unique talent for scaring the dickens out of people. They hide during the day and bellow haunting hoots throughout the night. Owls…
Arsenic and Old Leaves: The Art of Poisoning Your Fantasy Characters – Part 2
Faith M. Boughan
If you missed part one of this series, you can check it out here. So… poisoned anyone lately? Based on the comments on Part One, it seems that subtle murder…
Fantasy-Faction World Tour of Wonderment: The Philippines – Part One
Paolo Chikiamco
Welcome back to the Fantasy-Faction World Tour of Wonderment! This is where we shine the spotlight on different parts of the world and their unique contributions to and traditions of…