The Creatures We Base Aliens On
Nicola Alter
One of the interesting things about fictional aliens is that they’re almost never completely alien. We have no real idea what extra-terrestrials would look like, and it’s nigh impossible to…
science fiction
The Death and Life of Schneider Wrack by Nate Crowley
Laura M. Hughes
I first encountered the mad genius that is Nate Crowley via an article on Tor.com last year. In it, the author spoke of how the ocean inspired in him a…
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – Book Review
Eric Christensen
When I kicked off the Fantastic Literature column, I mentioned that Hulu was producing a series based on Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. And that television show has helped spur…
Monthly Short Story Winner: 1750
Xiagan
Imagine you or someone from our time is transported back to the year 1750 (the start of the industrial revolution) with everything you/they know. There’s no going back. What is…
The Rift by Nina Allan
Jonathan Thornton
“Remember when we were small, Selena, the worlds we made? I was happy then, at home in the world in a way I’ve never been since. Perhaps it was my…
Monthly Short Story Winner: Pirates
Ahoy, me beauties!!! Be prepared and polish up your pirate lin’o! Pirates have a tradition on this here site, so get your hooks polished and start spinnin’ some yarn! Only…
Putting It Right, At Last: Must Read Women Authors in Fantasy
Geoff Matthews
My first article, sent ‘on spec’ to Fantasy-Faction, and written when I was feeling my mortality quite keenly, was a simple affair. I’d written The Stone Road and put it…
Urskuul’s Reading Circle: Parasitology by Mira Grant – Series Review
Dan Sutcliffe
Spoiler Warning: This review contains some spoilers for the Parasitology series. Please read with caution if you have yet to finish the books. “Our story opens where countless stories have…
Monthly Short Story Winner: Apocalypse
The Apocalypse. For real this time. And one none of the conspiracy theorists saw it coming. The world is going to end in a day. What will to happen until…
Self-Published Fantasy: How the SPFBO is Revitalising SFF
With the exciting kick-off of the THIRD Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (#SPFBO) already underway, I thought I’d share some thoughts about the complexities of self-publishing and how Mark Lawrence’s SPFBO initiative…
Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
Charlie Hopkins
Spoiler Warning: This review contains spoilers for book one. Please read with caution if you have yet to finish Sleeping Giant. Waking Gods is the sequel to Sleeping Giants, which…
Star Wars: Thrawn by Timothy Zahn
Zachary A. Matzo
Timothy Zahn’s first foray into the New Star Wars EU sees him return to his most beloved character, the enigmatic and sorely missed Grand Admiral Thrawn. In a pseudo-origin story…