Marc Aplin's Blog, page 118
February 24, 2017
The Core US & UK Cover Reveal
So, I can’t tell you how much of an honour it is to host the cover reveal for not only the UK version of The Core by Peter V. Brett, but also the American version! The Painted Man (The Warded Man to you in the US) was the first book I reviewed for Fantasy-Faction and […]
February 22, 2017
A.F.E. Smith Interview
Fantasy-Faction is delighted to welcome our very own A.F.E. Smith! A.F.E. (aka. ‘Afe’) is celebrating the recent release of her third Darkhaven novel, Windsinger. Published by Harper-Voyager on 23 February 2017, Windsinger continues the tale of dark magic and darker political conflict that began in Afe’s previous novels: Darkhaven, and Goldenfire. She writes for Fantasy-Faction; […]
February 21, 2017
Will Fantasy-Faction Shut Down?
What do Ranting Dragon, A Dribble Of Ink, Staffer’s Book Review, SF Signal and Fantasy Review Barn have in common? They were all fantastic SFF blogs that have shut down over the course of the past few years… and I understand why. When you start a blog, you dream of the day you get a reader, then […]
February 19, 2017
Society in Story
There are a number of elements fantasy writers focus on during worldbuilding, traditionally they pour over decisions like mapping locations, designing a magic system and setting empires/species against one another – big, obvious things that shape the story. Yet this can mean they overlook an important aspect that helps to bring all the different elements […]
February 18, 2017
The Kingfountain Trilogy by Jeff Wheeler – Spoiler Free Series Review
Some of the best series I’ve read are series that have snuck up on me—ones that I’ve gone into cold, either based on a random cover, a sale or some other arcane reason. The sense of discovery that comes with unearthing a diamond in the rough adds to the reading experience in myriad ways, not […]
February 16, 2017
The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson
Tor’s novella series was started in 2015, with the aim of promoting this shorter medium. The line includes both established authors and those just making their debut, and has included a number of authors from diverse backgrounds. The resulting line is full of interesting and different stories from authors both familiar and new. This column […]
February 15, 2017
Quotes: Making or Breaking
My 46th article for Fantasy-Faction. I have now written more of these than I have years of life and not many to 50. And always the eternal question; what to write about? Easy. On Saturday night I was moved to tears. I cried. Not a snotty, snuffling, huffing, heaving cry, but a tear or three […]
February 13, 2017
Heart Blade by Juliana Spink Mills
Urban fantasy is absolutely my bag. I write it. I read it. I openly pine to live in a world where I can punch a troll in the face on my way home from work. Or to work. Honestly, I’m not picky about when my troll punching gets done. The idea that something big and […]
February 9, 2017
Darkhaven by A.F.E. Smith – Series Review
You could be forgiven for assuming A.F.E. Smith’s debut is a tame, fluffy tale about a magical unicorn. I assumed the same. But trust me when I say that there’s *nothing* tame or fluffy about Darkhaven. Firstly, let’s get one thing straight: that’s not actually a unicorn. It’s an alicorn; a hybrid of the ‘pure’ […]
February 6, 2017
A Wizard Abroad by Diane Duane
Can any self-respecting fantasy author write a series about magic in our world without mentioning Ireland? The answer, of course, is yes, but facts are beside the point. The point is Ireland has a place in the popular imagination (particularly the popular imagination of the sorts of people prone to reading fantasy and thinking about […]
