Marc Aplin's Blog, page 179
June 3, 2015
The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker
In The Darkness That Comes Before, R. Scott Bakker (in a style reminiscent of Steven Eriksson’s Malazan series) presents us with a vast world that is undeniably epic in scope and proceeds to thrusts our heads into its mind-numbing magnitude with abandon. The scope is wide, the details complex, the characters numerous, and each of […]
Editorial Director Susan Allison Hangs Up Red Pen
We’ve just had news that Berkley Publishing Group’s Vice President and Editorial Director of Ace Books Susan Allison is putting down the red marker pen later this year. Since becoming editor-in-chief in 1982, and vice-president in 1985, Susan has edited work by many of the Fantasy-Faction community’s favourite authors. So, although we know she’s truly earned her retirement, we […]
June 2, 2015
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Back in the 1980s, when the Cold War was at its height, the spectre of nuclear war loomed large, and this was reflected in the fiction of the time. Some TV shows – the UK’s Threads and The Day After in the US spring to mind – were downright terrifying, enough to keep my teenage […]
June 1, 2015
Fantastical Biology – Part Seven: Fantasy Biologists
So far this series has focused on animals and habitats, exploring anything from the relationships between predators and prey to the deepest parts of the ocean. But what is fantastical biology, without a fantastical biologist? This article takes a look at the people who study science in our world, and how the real world study […]
May 31, 2015
A Crown For Cold Silver by Alex Marshall
A CROWN FOR COLD SILVER hits a lot of notes that fans of epic fantasy will recognize and appreciate: generals fighting one last war using a mercenary army; a colorful band of killers who hail from the far corners of the world, each bringing a different specialty to the party; wizards; priests; royalty; foppish nobles; […]
May 30, 2015
The pros and cons of the voting processes behind major SFF awards: Part 2
Hugos: Nominees are chosen by anyone who is either a supporting or attending member of the current annual Worldcon, and the Worldcon in the years before and after i.e. 2014, 2015, 2016. Instant run-off voting system. Top five nominations per category are the final choices. Winners chosen by ballot of members of current Worldcon only. […]
Writing Contest Winner: Science Fiction
We’re as far in the future as we’ve ever been – what a good reason to write a science fictional story. wikipedia: Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginative content such as futuristic settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, time travel, faster than light travel, parallel universes and extraterrestrial life. It […]
May 29, 2015
The Least Worst Option – Democracy, the Hugos and other Sci-Fi & Fantasy awards: Part 1
With more than two weeks since the election in the UK, the usual politics fatigue has taken over conversations across the country. Social media has shouted itself hoarse (no matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on), and those who are still passionate about the issues are waiting for the consequences of a bitter […]
May 28, 2015
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
If you’ve ever read anything by Holly Black you will know that when it comes to fairy tales, she does not mess around. She takes every trope you’ve ever heard about fairy tales and turns it on its head. Then she finds some you’ve never heard of and tosses them in for good measure, and […]
May 27, 2015
Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan
Unspoken made me fall in love with the most remarkable cast of characters I’d ever encountered in a young adult novel. Kami Glass, intrepid high school reporter (and girl who has had the voice of a boy named Jared in her head since she was a little girl), is brave without becoming a stereotype and […]
