Francesca T. Barbini's Blog, page 2

C4P: A J Dalton - Embodiments of evil and reflections of social change in second-world fantasy

Luna's third Call for Papers, A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction will be released on Wednesday the 14th of August, at Dublin Worldcon. Explore the 21 brilliant papers you will find in the book.Today, we would like to introduce you to A J Dalton (UK). PhD Creative Writing. Fantasy author with Gollancz.Presenting the paper: Embodiments of evil and reflections of social change in second-world fantasy.Adam says:"It was the New Testament of the Bible that first presented us with Satan as ‘the Dark Lord’, a malign figure who sought to suborn and corrupt innocents, thereby to create widespread social upheaval, destroy the existing establishment and become the absolute ruler of the kingdom himself. For two millennia, this dark lord was considered to be an entirely real, imminent, and serious threat to humanity and any possibility of the establishment of God’s holy kingdom on earth. There was nothing entertaining about him whatsoever, as he imperilled our very souls.However, towards the end of the nineteenth century, with the emergence of science fiction and fantasy (SFF) as distinct literary genres, the Dark Lord became enshrined in popular works of fiction. From Bram Stoker’s Dracula, to Tolkien’s Sauron, to Donaldson’s Lord Foul, to Lucas’s Darth Vader, the Dark Lord was ever present in SFF. Sometimes he was a mad god, evil emperor or evil corporation, but always there was that malign intelligence seeking to thwart the goody-goody Chosen One (white knight) of the 1980s and 90s. He had servants, in the form of demon armies, alien invaders or intelligent machines, seeking to drag the unwary into the underworld, to conquer us or to make humanity entirely extinct. Yet, significantly, the Dark Lord was always defeated, and the threat to ourselves was far less real, imminent or serious than we had once thought.Come the new millennium, and the emergence of subgenres like ‘grimdark fantasy’ and ‘dystopian YA’, we tend to see everything in shades of grey far more. We still have invading hordes, be they zombies or Dothraki, but they are mindless disease-carriers and immigrants-with-a-cause rather than out-and-out followers of Satan. Our sense of evil has changed. We seem to understand that ‘evil’ is really a matter of perspective. And what has become of ‘the Dark Lord’ himself? Well, he is now the star of TV series such as ‘Lucifer’ or ‘Dracula’. Has he actually changed from antihero into hero? Has he won in some way? Or do we now recognise ourselves in him? Were we really fighting against ourselves all along?This article considers the character of the Dark Lord and other embodiments of evil within fantasy literature in order to show how our idea of evil has changed over time, to identify how the genre has shifted (via new subgenres) since its early days, to consider emerging trends and, perhaps, to help us better understand ourselves. Initially, the article demonstrates how our understanding of the Satanic (or what is ‘wrong’ with the world and ourselves) develops and evolves with each different socio-historical moment by comparing Tolkien’s ‘high fantasy’ to subsequent ‘epic fantasy’. That comparison is enabled by a summary of the difference in characterisation, literary style, plot organisation, and themes of the two subgenres, and a description of the difference in underlying personal and social values of the two subgenres.Having analysed and discussed the differing relationship to the Satanic in ‘high fantasy’ and ‘epic fantasy’, the article considers developments in the above relationship as represented in the ‘metaphysical fantasy’ and ‘dark fantasy’ subgenres of the early 2000s and the subsequent ‘grimdark fantasy’ and ‘dystopian YA’ subgenres of the 2010s. That will bring us up to now, and then we must consider where we stand… or kneel. The term originally coined and attributed to The Black Library’s Warhammer series, but which is used more widely by commentators and readerships"A J Dalton has been an English language teacher as far afield as Egypt, the Czech Republic, Thailand, Slovakia, Poland and Manchester University. He has lived in Manchester since 2003, but has a conspicuous Cockney accent, as he was born in Croydon on a dark night, when strange stars were seen in the sky. He is the best-selling fantasy author of I Am a Small God (2017), The Book of Angels (2016), The Book of Orm (2015), Empire of the Saviours (2012), Gateway of the Saviours (2013), Tithe of the Saviours (2014), Necromancer’s Gambit (2008), Necromancer’s Betrayal (2009) and Necromancer’s Fall (2010). He maintains the Metaphysical Fantasy website (www.ajdalton.eu), where there is plenty to interest fantasy fans and there is advice for aspiring authors.Follow the progress of A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction on the "Books in Progress" page!

C4P: Alice Capstick - The Antihero’s Journey: The Influence of Milton’s Satan on the Evolution of the Dark Hero

Luna's third Call for Papers, A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction will be released on Wednesday the 14th of August, at Dublin Worldcon. Explore the 21 brilliant papers you will find in the book.Today, we would like to introduce you to Alice Capstick (Australia). PhD student in literary studies at Monash University. Presenting the paper: The Antihero’s Journey: The Influence of Milton’s Satan on the Evolution of the Dark HeroAlice says:"John Milton’s depiction of Satan in his 1667 Paradise Lost had considerable influence on the development of antiheroic figures throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. These figures distorted the conventional dichotomy between good and evil characters in such a way that a new archetype began to emerge that was neither entirely villainous, or heroic – but instead a tragic struggle between the two. Given that the continuing influence of the antiheroic figure, who is a unique blend of the characteristics traditionally used to polarise heroic and villainous characters – sometimes referred to as a “problematic heroes” or “dark heroes” – the antihero requires a similar level of attention to what is given to the traditional heroic archetype of the “pure” hero. I argue that Satan is the first incarnation of the modern antihero, and his unprecedented sublimity, symbiotic relationship with evil, and tormented aesthetic is what makes his antiheroic character an ideal case study to understand the characterisation of the antihero and consider its evolution over time. I propose an alternative model to Joseph Campbell’s 1949 Jungian monomyth of “The Hero’s Journey”, to reimagine increasingly popular archetypal characters who do not comply with traditional heroic standards. This three-part model examines the antihero’s “rise”, “reign”, and “ruin”, a structure which focusses on the relationship between the antihero’s good and evil characteristics; in particular, their relationship with power, and the impact of their tormented and degrading infernal psychology. By examining Satan’s influential journey as a means of developing a model by which to understand the antiheroic journey, I argue that the antihero is more relevant and prominent today than ever before, and that through continued consideration of the “antihero’s journey”, we can understand the evolution of these complicated characters as a commentary of the nature of humanity’s relationship with evil."Alice Capstick completed her undergraduate degree at Monash University before continuing her interest in the figure of the dark hero in her PhD, which examines the development of the figure from the early modern period through to contemporary fantasy. Follow the progress of A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction on the "Books in Progress" page!

In at the Deep End: A Newbie’s Account of London Book Fair 2019

As a rule, I’m not a fan of large cities, crowds, and high-pressure situations. It’s therefore understandable that I was somewhat nervous about attending the 2019 London Book Fair in early March. Ahead of the trip, we were given survival tips on my MSc Publishing course at Edinburgh Napier University. We were warned that people might be brusque, to wear comfortable shoes, to always carry water, and – the best piece of insider knowledge in my opinion – to not go wandering onto the publishers’ stands unless you wanted to draw the ire of overworked and dehydrated employees who had been negotiating rights deals for hours.Despite my trepidation during the four hour train journey to London, the experience of all three days was fantastic. A point in my favour was the planning I did beforehand. For example, shortlisting the panels and talks I wanted to attend using the LBF website and then the LBF 2019 app let me work out where I needed to be so I could navigate my way through the labyrinth of bookish beauty set up across two floors of the Olympia arena.I scurried from panels on Feminist Fairytales to a walkthrough of a cover design meeting steered by audience participation; I devoured Tesco meal deals between a session discussing diversity and inclusion in the workforce and one on the rising sales of audiobooks; I scribbled notes on accessible digital publishing and found a taste of home at a panel exploring the Scottish publishing landscape.However, amongst my frenetic schedule, I found it was key to factor in a certain level of flexibility. Sometimes, I skipped a panel in favour of just walking around the fair to discover new publishers. On the last day, I left the event for a good hour or more to cool down, hydrate, and get some food at one of the lovely cafes surrounding Olympia (I highly recommend Chapter Coffee Roasters if you ever attend the fair – it’s roughly a five-minute walk away). Part of the fair was simply experiencing the gathering of so many publishers, authors, illustrators, and booksellers all in one place.It says a lot that, despite my initial fears, I would definitely attend again. Moreover, for anyone thinking of going next year, here are my newbie tips for survival.Plan ahead of time: I’ve already expanded on why this is helpful but, trust me, taking a few hours to plan what you really want to attend, even if you have several panels that are all at the same time and you then choose on the day, is much less stressful than deciding which of the dozens of events you want to get to when you’re stood amongst the cacophony of the fair.Classy but comfortable: In terms of attire I chose outfits that were comfortable but also looked professional and expressed a little of my personality. The fair gives you the chance to talk to a lot of people, including people you may want to start a business connection with or who may work for the company where you just applied to work. In my experience, a sharp outfit (with pockets to keep your killer business in, of course) makes an excellent first impression. In terms of shoes, I went for a pair that looked stylish and professional, but that I also knew I could walk miles in. Miles is not an exaggeration either – I did nearly 15,000 steps one day.Food and water: Make sure you have a decent supply of both with you each day. Onsite the food it expensive and cafes in the local area are often used to host meetings by people from the fair so don’t assume you can go offsite to eat. My technique was to purchase of Tesco meal deal the night before and fill up the biggest bottle of water I could every morning. It gets hot in the fair and the water stations empty pretty fast so refill your water whenever you can. Come prepared and, like I did, leave for a bit if you need to recover.Keeping in contact: I chose to have some fantastic business cards made in preparation for the fair (I commissioned my graphic design friend Jasmin Ford to create them – find her on Instagram @jasmin_sambac) which made swapping information post-networking chats easier, but they aren’t essential. Just make sure you have your key contact info memorised and correct so you can scribble it down for your new friend/client/business contactPush yourself: Not a lot. Just a little. Do you have a question but it makes you nervous to ask in front of everyone? Write it down in your notes, so you know what you want to say and stick that hand up. Alternatively, save it till the end and ask it to the panellist one-on-one afterwards if they have time. There are also some fantastic career events and networking sessions.Stay till the end: If you want the chance to pick up some free books, wait until the very end of the last day; publishers often don’t want to leave with any proof copies and give them away much more readily than on the preceding days. This is a wonderful resource if you are a book blogger just starting out. I left the fair with 12 free proofs, several from high profile publishers such as Harper Collins and Bloomsbury. Just remember that you’ll need a way to get them all home!The most important piece of advice I can give, however, is to have fun. Yes, the London Book Fair is one of the biggest events in the international publishing calendar, where six-figure deals are not uncommon, and the place that shapes the coming year of UK publishing. However, if you’re not booked up with back-to-back meetings as part of your job, there’s so much to see and do and explore.It’s a place like no other, a forest of books in the middle of a city, where imagination and creativity run wild, and where even a little baby publisher like me can feel like she belongs.

Murmured in Dreams Enters Pre-Order!

The day has arrived! As promised, Murmured in Dreams by Stephen Bacon is officially ready for pre-order!AND, if you are coming to Cymera, this coming June, you can select this option at checkout and bag yourself a free delivery!The book will be out on the 7th of May, so if you cannot wait for Cymera, just choose your preferred delivery and you will receive the book on the release day, if not a little earlier.As always, you will find the pre-order special price on our website only, and our subscribers will also find an extra special voucher in the newsletter which goes out on the 1st of each month - which means you are still in time to join the Luna monthly newsletter group.Enjoy the harvest and visit the store now!

Call for Papers 2019: Ties That Bind

3 years have now passed since Luna's first CfPs. Our first one, Gender Identity and Sexuality in Current Fantasy and Science Fiction, won the British Fantasy Award for Best Non-fiction in 2018. We've also received two BSFA Awards nominations and one shortlist. The second call for papers, The Evolution of African Fantasy and Science Fiction, was published in August 2018, with two of the papers being nominated for the BSFA Awards.It’s time for a new challenge! We are very proud to announce our fourth Call for Papers 2019:Ties That Bind: Love in Fantasy and Science FictionWriters are invited to explore the concept of love in all its shapes (romantic, platonic, filial, familial, obsessive, friendship, virtual, etc.) and developments in SFF literature, games, movies and TV.Here is some food for thought, though it should not restrict your own ideas:The development of a specific archetypal nurturing, loving character who, over the course of the centuries, has undergone a transformation – historical and socio-political influences that brought about this transformation.The evolution of love through the ages, in a medium of your choice.Changes in Technology, Culture, Society, Politics, Religion, History: their effects on relationships as a trend or in specific SFF outlets.Game-changing moments in books, movies or TVLove Trends in SFF - time for change?Other representations of love, e.g. architecture, environment, world building, etc.Music as a tool to emphasise love in performances.Inter-species love, human-machine love, virtual love: A look into the present and future of humanity and relationships in SFFLGBT representations in SFF: advances, setbacks.Asexuals, Aromantics: is SFF ready to be fully inclusive?Creating love – the methodology behind creating a successful positive relationship in SFF mediumsRomantic love, Familial love, Obsessive love: how these impact on character and plot developmentLovers as villains or heroesFocus, and analyse, on a specific character which, in your opinion, has embodied the concept of loveFocus, and analyse, on a specific author/director which, in your opinion, has excelled in capturing loveDo not fear if this is your first non-fiction work or if you don’t have a PhD: if you love research you need a chance to start somewhere. Get in touch if you have any questions.Closing Date: 30th October 2019.All details and Harvard referencing guides are on our website, under Academia Lunare.

C4P: Octavia Cade - “Spring Again”: The Problem Of Evil And The End Of Winter In C.S. Lewis's Narnia

Luna's third Call for Papers, A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction will be released on Wednesday the 14th of August, at Dublin Worldcon. Explore the 21 brilliant papers you will find in the book.Today, we would like to introduce you to Octavia Cade (New Zealand). PhD in science communication.Presenting the paper: “Spring Again”: The Problem Of Evil And The End Of Winter In C.S. Lewis's Narnia.Octavia says:"In The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, evil is perceived as directly resulting from personal choice. Each individual is solely responsible for their own moral decisions, and these decisions both impact the continuing ethical development of the self and influence how the individual addresses the problem of evil. This is particularly well illustrated in the case of Edmund Pevensie, and this paper argues that it is his willingness to accept and atone for the evil within himself that directly leads to the end of the enchanted winter imposed on Narnia. In this sense, evil is not only present within the individual, but is externalised in the land that that individual inhabits."Octavia Cade is a New Zealand writer. She's had over 40 short stories published, in venues such as Clarkesworld, Asimov's, and Strange Horizons. A non-fiction collection on food and horror was published in 2017, and several papers on speculative fiction have been published in Scandinavica, Horror Studies, and the BFS Journal. She's won three Sir Julius Vogel awards, and has been shortlisted for a BSFA award. She attended Clarion West 2016.Follow the progress of A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction on the "Books in Progress" page!

C4P: Teika Bellamy - Bluebeard – The Eternal Predator

Luna's third Call for Papers, A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction will be released on Wednesday the 14th of August, at Dublin Worldcon. Explore the 21 brilliant papers you will find in the book.Today, we would like to introduce you to Teika Bellamy (UK). Ph.D. in Chemical Research from University of London. Managing Editor of the independent press, Mother’s Milk Books. Writer of science fiction, fantasy, and poetry (under the pen-name of Teika Marija Smits). Presenting the paper: "Bluebeard – The Eternal Predator"Teika says:"I cannot recall when or where, as a child, I first came across the fairy tale ‘Blue Beard’ by Charles Perrault, but what I can still remember is the film-like imagery that I conjured in my mind on reading the story. I am in a castle, climbing a wide stone staircase in search of the forbidden chamber. At the top of the staircase there is a door to my right. I look down at the ring of keys in my hand. Should I or shouldn’t I go in? Blue Beard has expressly forbidden entrance to the room, but I have to know what’s behind the door. Curiosity pulls me to it and yet I am gripped by fear because for all his flattering words I know, deep down in my heart, that Blue Beard is a predator.Years later, when I began to edit The Forgotten and the Fantastical series of anthologies, my interest in fairy tales and their re-imaginings grew, and I found myself once again captivated, yet horrified, by the power of this predatory figure. My pile of books featuring Bluebeard – fiction and non-fiction – grew and grew until I had to admit that my interest was more than just passing. During the composition of my essay on Bluebeard I found my night-times haunted by him – further evidence, surely, of his archetypal nature; the applicability of this timeless tale. Inspired by the research for my essay, as well as the haunting of my imagination, in snatched moments I rewrote the tale to my own liking several times.My essay was probably one of the most challenging pieces of writing I’ve done since I wrote my Ph.D. thesis, but it was certainly worth all the hard work. With references to the works of writers such as Angela Carter, the brothers Grimm and Tolkien, as well as the fiction and non-fiction of contemporary writers – Margaret Atwood, Clarissa Pinkola Estés, E. L. James, Adam Roberts, Maria Tatar and Angela Topping – I hope my essay will be of interest to those who relish “dark” fairy tales and want to know more about the eternal predator, Bluebeard.Dr Teika Bellamy is the award-winning managing editor of Nottingham-based independent press, Mother’s Milk Books, which publishes books that celebrate femininity and empathy, with a view to normalising breastfeeding. As the editor of the popular series of dark fairy tales, The Forgotten and the Fantastical, she is constantly delighted by the fact that ‘Teika’ means fairy tale in Latvian. Her poetry and short fiction, published under the pen-name, Teika Marija Smits, has appeared in various places including Mslexia, Brittle Star, Strix, LossLit, Shoreline of Infinity and Reckoning. She can be found online at: https://marijasmits.wordpress.com and: https://twitter.com/MarijaSmitsFollow the progress of A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction on the "Books in Progress" page!

Francesco Verso Joins the Luna Family!

Francesco Verso (born in Bologna, 1973) is one of the most interesting authors of contemporary Italian Science Fiction, and we are delighted to welcome him into the Luna Family.Luna Press has obtained English Worldwide rights for his award winning novel, Bloodbusters, winner of the Urania Mondadori Award 2009.We absolutely loved his dystopian view of Italian society, and, as a Roman, I was engrossed as I read about the streets where I grew up, seeing them in such a new light. What if taxes were paid by citizens through blood withdrawals? What if tax evasion was a crime punishable with imprisonment and enforced by the Bloodbusters? What if donating blood was an illegal procedure? And what if Ematogen, a delicious snack derived from blood, was everyone’s favourite food?Francesco has published: e-Doll, Livido, Bloodbusters and I camminatori. Livido – translated by Sally McCorry as Nexhuman – as published by Apex Books. With Bill Campbell, he co-edited Future Fiction: New Dimensions in International SF (Rosarium Publishing, 2018). He works as Editor of Future Fiction, a multicultural project, publishing the best SF in translation with authors like James P. Kelly, Ian McDonald, Ken Liu, Liu Cixin, Pat Cadigan, Vandana Singh, and others. You can see his full biography on the Luna Family page.For now, though, let me give you a glimpse into the world of Bloodbusters..."I tighten the strap around my arm and it digs into the skin. I’m dripping sweat, bent in two on the sofa. I hit the muscle twice with my fist and open the nickel-plated box. Inside is my Pravaz, my beautiful shiny chrome hypodermic. I take it out and choose a medium-sized needle, I don’t want to hit the same tired old vein that doesn’t cooperate anymore.I scrabble about amongst the gadgets strewn over the table, looking for the iPod remote control, and touch the play button. The first song on the playlist is The Specials with “A message to you, Rudy”.I like the way the rounded edges of the grip fit into my hand; it feels like an extension of my arm. In comparison, all those single-use plastic syringes, including the latest silicon models with their Quick-Fit hook/unhook needle bayonet systems, are no more than toys, cheap disposable rubbish, a sign of our lazy and comfortable times.Another scrabbling hunt, another remote found and I attempt to switch the air-conditioning on. Again and again. Nothing. I get up and thump it, but it wants nothing to do with cooling the thick hot air. It doesn’t work and I’ve found out in the worst way possible, on a suffocatingly hot day, my back wet with sweat and beads of perspiration dripping into my eyes. I give up.I grab a 450ml plastic bag from the coffee-table drawer. Liquid gold, so to speak. A guarantee of happiness, satisfaction in the safe.I’m ready to stick the needle in. I’m ready to go."Bloodbusters will be out in 2020 - You can check for updates on our "Books in Progress" page.

C4P: Steph. P. Bianchini - The Inquisitor's creatures: the historical roots of the witch trope and its evolution over the centuries

Luna's third Call for Papers, A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction will be released on Wednesday the 14th of August, at Dublin Worldcon. Explore the 21 brilliant papers you will find in the book.Today, we would like to introduce you to Steph. P. Bianchini, (Italy), Academic and social scientist based in Scotland. Historian by education and economist by profession, she also writes/reviews speculative fiction. Presenting the paper: “The Inquisitor's creatures: the historical roots of the witch trope and its evolution over the centuries”.Steph says:"Very few tropes in fantasy are as powerful and evocative as the witch, whether the intention is to portray them as a powerful sorcerer commanding the power of nature and/or resorting to magic to influence human destinies, or as an evil creature connected with, or possessed by, demons.There is no shortage of literature and movies that portray one or more sides of this popular myth. Yet, the figure of the witch has a long and complicated history, beginning in antiquity, leaving a trail of blood and suffering over the centuries.This paper aims to explore the historical and philosophical roots of witchcraft --which is something more specific and time-defined than sorcery -- as it emerged in Medieval and Modern Europe. Carrying out a brief exploration of magic in the Western world, from its beginnings up to the last public executions for witchcraft in the 18th century, it highlights the often elusive and changing character of the phenomenon, depending on the society and the period it took place in. It shows that, while "witches" (as generally intended) have a long and distinguished presence in the Western world as a whole, witchcraft itself, with its paraphernalia of pacts with the Devil, black masses, and so on, is a more modern concept linked to philosophy (mainly Scholasticism) and to the Inquisition's practices, which eventually led to witch-hunts and widespread persecutions."Steph P. Bianchiniis an Italian academic based in the UK. She's an Associate Professor and has been working over the last ten years on projects in social sciences, international relations, and humanities.She blogs about sciences, speculative fiction, and history at her blog earthianhivemind.net and has a book coming out in 2019 with Macmillan about the space sector.She is a member of HWA and writes fiction under the byline Russell Hemmell. Her short stories and poetry have appeared in 70+ publications, including Aurealis, New Myths, The Grievous Angel, Space and Times, and others.Follow the progress of A Shadow Within: Evil in Fantasy and Science Fiction on the "Books in Progress" page!

Tolkien's Library - A Glimpse at the Cover Art

Author Oronzo Cilli was understandably very excited to hear that Jay Johnstone would be responsible for the cover art of his much awaited "Tolkien's Library: An Annotated Checklist". Hanover born Jay Johnstone is one of the most influential Tolkien artists and his work has taken him all around the world.We are delighted to share with you the following clip, a glimpse at the cover art from the original painting, "Tolkien's Library".Enjoy!