Marc Aplin's Blog, page 215
August 4, 2014
So What’s The Fuss About Scrivener?
If you’re a writer, whether you are unpublished or a bestseller, it’s likely that you’ve heard of the writing software called Scrivener. It’s possible that you’ve heard some of your favourite writers sing its virtues. But it can sometimes be unclear just what is so wonderful about Scrivener. So here is an overview of the […]
August 3, 2014
Thieftaker by D. B. Jackson
Thieftaker by D. B. Jackson, takes place in Boston ten years before the start of the American Revolution, after the Stamp Act but before the colonists’ opinion turned against the British Crown. As such, the colonists who do support revolution are viewed as little more than rabble, especially by the protagonist of the novel, Ethan […]
The Tolkien Archives at Marquette: A Glimpse At His Original Manuscripts
Through a stroke of luck and the foresight of their one-time curator, the Marquette University libraries house the original manuscripts for J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. We’re talking original type-written and hand-written items, donated by Tolkien himself (and some later items donated by his son, Christopher Tolkien). I’m lucky enough […]
You’ve Got Your Romance in My Fantasy! – You’ve Got Your Fantasy in My Romance!
Continuing my series exploring subgenres of fantasy, in this post I’ll compare and contrast—the best I can since this one confuses me—romantic fantasy and fantasy romance. Regardless of how we use those terms, romance works well with fantasy. Novels must have conflict to engage a reader. Love is filled to the brim with conflict. Maybe […]
August 2, 2014
Fantasy Book Club – August 2014: Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan
For August, our members voted to read Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan. There are a number of great reviews for this one, including one here on Fantasy-Faction where it earned a 9 star rating. I really enjoyed it as well and am quite looking forward to the discussion on it! The Age of Kings […]
George R.R. Martin’s ‘The Ice Dragon’ Preview
Like Terry Pratchett, George R.R. Martin quite enjoyed writing stories for younger readers early on in his career. One of these, The Ice Dragon, is soon set for a rerelease by TOR books and to mark the occasion is getting an incredible new cover. For those unfamiliar with the story, here is the blurb: In the world […]
August 1, 2014
The Fantasy-Faction Anthology Is Coming…
Those of you who have been with us for a while will already know a bit about this, but back in 2012 we ran our first international writing contest. People were asked to write an 8,000 word or less fantasy story. Six winners would be chosen out of the entries. This would give budding writers somewhere […]
July 31, 2014
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Quentin Coldwater is a genius. His GPA is a higher number than most people know a GPA can be, his prospects for college entry are just about limitless, and he’s entirely unhappy with his lot in life. He’s been searching for some extra level of fulfillment for as long as he can remember. Time and […]
‘Dragonriders of Pern’ Movie?
With the success of the Game of Thrones TV show, television studios have been optioning and piloting a number of our favourite fantasy novel series over the last few years. The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, the Shannara books by Terry Brooks, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, to name but a few. And now it seems Hollywood […]
July 30, 2014
The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter by Rod Duncan
The Bullet-Catcher’s Daughter is a detective story with a difference, the biggest being that the detective himself, one Mr Barnabus, is not all he seems. So much so, that his real name is Elizabeth; she masquerades as her own brother, enabling her to get into places where a woman normally couldn’t, while still being able […]
