Marc Aplin's Blog, page 195

Irregularity edited by Jared Shurin

I recently began some writing projects into what I thought was a thus far unexplored genre: historical science fiction. Steampunk touches on this but is largely attached to the Victorian era and seems to be more about the spectacle than about the science, and speculative fiction, while an accurate title, is rather broad for my […]

Fantasy-Faction Anthology Ebook – Now Available!

Looking for that last minute gift? Have someone that’s impossible to buy for because they already have everything? Well, here at Fantasy-Faction, we have the perfect gift for that fantasy fan you’ve been struggling with! Announcing the Fantasy-Faction Anthology DRM-free ebook! From award winning website, Fantasy-Faction, comes an anthology of short stories and articles celebrating the […]

Dreamer’s Pool by Juliet Marillier

I’ve long been a fan of New Zealand-born author Juliet Marillier. I read the first book in her Sevenwaters series, Daughter of the Forest, many years ago and have followed each new release ever since. For those who aren’t familiar with her work, Marillier writes what’s usually classed as historical fantasy. She situates her stories […]

Brandon Sanderson Updates World on his Ongoing Projects & Provides Mistborn Release Dates

Some exciting news came out of the Gollancz towers today: Brandon Sanderson will be releasing two new Mistborn books in 2015/2016 and they’ve got release dates. Mistborn: Shadows of Self will be coming in October 2015. Mistborn: Bands of Mourning will be coming in January 2016. Although not too many details of the books have been released, we know that […]

The Vagrant by Peter Newman – Cover Reveal & Competition

Every year hundreds, if not thousands, of genre books are released. Generally the most looked forwards to of these are by authors who have had previous successes. For début authors you generally have to trust that the person in your publisher’s press department is skilled at their job. You see, what typically happens is that a […]

Diary of a NaNoWriMo Virgin

NaNoWriMo, ah yes. To some, it is just a baffling not-quite-word that clogs up the Twitter trends every November. To others, it is a golden chalice; to partake from its wine is to enter a nirvana of creative solitude. For a month, the belly of the whale is home to you, your laptop, and your […]

Interview with Jonathan Oliver

Here in the UK we have some of the very best Editors and today I feel incredibly privileged to interview one of my favourites and one I truly look up to – as someone who recently published their own anthology and first short story – Jonathan Oliver. For those unfamiliar with Jonathan, he is Editor-in-chief […]

Shadowmarch by Tad Williams

This review’s been a long time coming. It’s almost a year to the day since a friend loaned me his copy of Shadowmarch and suggested I read it and, in a year where I’ve been averaging a book a week, it’s taken me almost a month to complete. It’s as if I’ve been avoiding the […]

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave is the first in an ongoing trilogy by Rick Yancey. The second book, The Infinite Sea came out in September, and the third book is expected in 2015. It combines the recent trend toward young adult apocalypse and dystopian fiction with a good, old-fashioned alien invasion. This makes me happy. Alien invasions […]

The Secret Atlas by Michael A. Stackpole

I have not yet met a fantasy fan who isn’t into maps, at least when it comes to those printed within the newest book they just picked up. Detailed maps permeate our favorite genre far more than dragons, elves, and hero princes. There is something about seeing the land your about to explore fleshed out […]