Marc Aplin's Blog, page 165
September 20, 2015
Harper Voyager’s 20th Anniversary Documentary
Harper Voyager is one of the UK’s finest publishers. Need proof to support that statement? Well, look no further than the master works of Mark Lawrence, Robin Hobb, George R.R. Martin, Raymond E. Feist, Kim Harrison, David Eddings, Joe Abercrombie, Guy Gavriel Kay and Peter V Brett that they’ve published over the course of the past […]
September 19, 2015
Sinking Into The World
In the fantasy genre, many writers love to indulge in worldbuilding, they may have produced stacks of files, papers and (of course) maps before they’ve written the first chapter. While this gives them an invaluable resource for reference, the writer is left with a new problem, translating that information into the novel without it bogging […]
September 17, 2015
Fool’s Quest by Robin Hobb
This is a spoiler-free review of Fool’s Quest. However there are spoilers for all prior Realm of the Elderling books. What a privilege it is to review Robin Hobb’s sixteenth offering in the Farseer/Liveships world. There’s a real sense of time passing in her novels, and we are gifted again with another rounded, descriptive and […]
September 16, 2015
The Rise of Unlimited
It was the music industry first, wasn’t it? Napster (I had to drag that name from the deep recesses of my mind), Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and all the others that have since popped up and been successful, or just popped. Here was a chance for consumers, those of us that listen to music, to access […]
September 15, 2015
Star Wars: Aftermath – A Discussion
Star Wars: Aftermath is a good book. You should read it. Let’s get that out of the way right now, because in the days since it was released, Aftermath has taken an undeserved beating. Despite what the naysayers would have you think, it is most definitely a Star Wars novel. It is true to the […]
September 14, 2015
The Thousandfold Thought by R. Scott Bakker
So this is it, the climax of R. Scott Bakker’s The Prince of Nothing, with (the impossible to pronounce) The Thousandfold Thought. What we witness in this final volume is the Holy War’s further ventures into the land of the Fanim, the climatic battles that are a part of this, and the culmination of many […]
September 13, 2015
Top Ten Fictional Pirates
Avast, matey! Talk Like a Pirate Day be coming up, so pull up a barrel and help yerself to some grog as I be running through a list of my favourite fictional pirates! Pirates are characters that lend themselves to a fantasy setting really well. Even those pirate tales that couldn’t strictly be called fantasy […]
September 12, 2015
Two Characters Walk into a Bar…
What is it about bars, pubs and taverns that makes them so darn fun to read about in fantasy? I don’t know about you, but I get a gleeful little kick when authors create the perfect watering holes where characters can wander in and grab a drink. The right bar setting can become iconic: Mos […]
September 11, 2015
The Sequel Philip K. Dick Couldn’t Write
We are excited to hand you guys over to Peter Tieryas who has kindly agreed to stop by Fantasy-Faction and tell us a bit about the inspiration for and motivation behind his upcoming book, United States of Japan. It’s a spiritual sequel to Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle, and explores many […]
September 9, 2015
Armageddon Bound by Tim Marquitz
If you happen to be Lucifer’s nephew you should expect life to be a little bit tough. Luckily for the ‘hero’ he does not have the horns (though a horn of sorts is alluded to on many occasions throughout the book), tail or trident of a devil. In fact, Frank (or Triggaltheron), as he is […]
