Fantastical Biology – Part Six: Symbiosis
Shambralyn Baker
Nature is often depicted as being brutal, where only the strongest survive, and fantasy novels often follow this idea. But, predator versus prey is not the only way animals interact…
worldbuilding
Militaries and Fantasy or How to Build an Army
B. Pine
Author’s Note: I did my best to refrain from using military and army interchangeably in this article. To clarify a bit, by army I mean one specific body of fighters.…
Symbols: A Vital Worldbuilding Tool
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…
The Start Of All New Things
Nicole Singer
With the New Year not long gone in our rear-view mirrors, it’s a perfect time to ponder “fresh starts” in fantasy. Usually, they signal a momentous turning point in the…
Fantastical Biology – Part Five: Fantasy Creatures in Flight
A dragon soars through the clouds; a fairy flutters through the woods; a gargoyle flexes its stone wings—flying creatures are a staple of fantasy literature. There are the traditional ones…
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 Worldbuilding – Ideas for Designing a Civilization
The period in history between the fifth and fifteenth centuries, the period we call the Middle Ages, seem to go hand in hand with epic fantasy. Of course, there are…
Fantasy at the Fair
Victoria Hooper
Over at the Fantasy-Faction Book Club we’ve recently finished our October read: Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury. This is a story about two boys and one father…
Fantastical Biology – Part Four: Deep Ocean
The ocean covers 70% of the Earth’s surface, and yet humans have explored less than 5% of them. No wonder the deepest parts of the ocean have inspired and played…
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…
Art Imitates Life, Life Imitates Art: Where will SFF Go Next?
Genre has a strong history of leading to invention in the real world. From Star Trek’s influence in a whole myriad of ways, to Iron Man’s suit (Yes, this is…