Smiler’s Fair by Rebecca Levene
Lucy Hounsom
With Smiler’s Fair, Levene has done something very clever. No one can deny this is fantasy on an epic scale: we have five protagonists, each with a distinct voice, a…
mythology
Symbols: A Vital Worldbuilding Tool
B. Pine
A few days before writing this post, an old acquaintance reached out to me by text to wish me a happy new year. I texted her back, asking how her…
Underground Fantasy – Part Three: Tunnels and Secret Passageways
Steff Humm
So far in this series we’ve wandered through caves, dungeons, tombs and enclosed mazes to find out what makes underground fantasy settings so atmospheric and alluring. In the third and…
Elements of Fantasy: Elves
Janie Bill
Ever glimpsed a spark of light moving around fertile trees? You experienced the sight for picking up on elf activity. Elves are angelic tree-spirits that reside side by side with…
Underground Fantasy – Part Two: Dungeons, Tombs and Mazes
The first part of this series on underground fantasy looked at caverns as settings and pathways to worlds below. Next we will explore dungeons, tombs and underground mazes to ascertain…
Fantasy Makes History Cool
Nicole Singer
I’m a history major at heart, so one of the things I love seeing in fantasy is how authors draw on real-world history to fuel their worlds. Whether it be…
Faeries and Folklore – Part Three: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Leo Elijah Cristea
Last time we looked at how faeries have evolved, through some of their integral folklore as well as the genre as a whole. Some changes have been marked, others more…
Underground Fantasy – Part One: Caves
The name Dungeons and Dragons sums up the appeal of the fantasy genre perfectly. Giant magical creatures and dark, mysterious settings create images of mythic adventure and enchantment that provoke…
The Sword – Fantasy’s Weapon of Choice
Samuel S. B.
If you open a fantasy book, or even think of watching one of the fantasy epics on TV, you will know that fantasy is not complete without some form of…
Trees in Fantasy – Part Three: Trees as Setting
So far in our exploration of trees in fantasy we have looked at trees as both symbolism and characters across a range of mythic and modern fantasy tales. We discovered…
Elements of Fantasy – Frogs
For a dame seeking a handsome, wealthy husband who has an affluent family, all she needed to do was kiss a lot of frogs. Simple and foolproof. The Brothers Grimm…
Fantasy Rings: The Ultimate Power Accessory
Raymond K. Rugg
We all know THE Ring. The One Ring to Rule them all. (And if you don’t, then shame on you.) The Ring is so well-known in popular culture that it…