Marc Aplin's Blog, page 22

Let’s Make Fantasy Dwarves Interesting!

When people think fantasy, they think elves and dwarves (maybe orcs and goblins too). And they think of them in that order. Elves are beautiful, magical, and melancholy (or eerily joyous). They have been endlessly reinvented—Blood Elves, Poison Elves, Night Elves, Iron Elves, cat-like fey sociopathic elves, soul-eating sea-elves, Zen mountain elves, wolf elves, plant […]

Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher

The reason we decide to read any book can vary from school assignments to personal interests to recommendations. Then, there are the books that do not receive as much attention compared to other titles, yet everyone who has read the book can’t help but say continuously how “excellent the book is,” “everyone needs to read […]

Vote Now for Fantasy-Faction’s Best SFF Books of 2022

It’s that time of year again! Time to vote on the best books of 2022! You have until January 31, 2023 to cast your vote, either here in the comments, in our Facebook group, on our Twitter, or on our Instagram. Please only vote in one place. The top 50 books will be announced the […]

The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel

Elder Scrolls fandom, it’s time to celebrate! Have you ever wanted to feast on the unique cuisines of the Argonians, Imperials, Khajiit, and more? Well, now you can! The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel is a fun immersion into the games you hold dear. And really, even if you’ve never set virtual […]

The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu

Cradle meets Game of Thrones (if GRRM wrote it in a lighthearted tone). I have read hundreds of epic fantasy and Asian-inspired fantasy books; and up to now, nothing has been quite like Wesley Chu’s Wuxia story, The Art of Prophecy. Like Game of Thrones (GoT), it features struggles between viewpoint characters that will determine […]

A Song For The Void by Andrew C. Piazza – Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #8: Round One 1st Place Winner

Today we come to the end of our Round One in the 8th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO) with our pick for the winner of the semi-finals! Congratulations to Andrew C. Piazza and A Song For The Void! This book will go on to the finalist and compete against nine other books to be the […]

Burning Bright by Melissa McShane – Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #8: Round One 2nd Place Semi-Finalist

After much deliberation we have come to our picks for our 8th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off Round One semi-finalists! Today we are announcing our 2nd place semi-finalist, out of our 30 original books! You can see the list of finalists and their scores here. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can […]

An Altar on the Village Green by Nathan Hall – Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #8: Round One 3rd Place Semi-Finalist

After much deliberation we have come to our picks for our 8th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off Round One semi-finalists! Today we are announcing our 3rd place semi-finalist, out of our 30 original books! You can see the list of finalists and their scores here. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can […]

Sacaran Nights by Rachel Emma Shaw – Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #8: Round One 4th Place Semi-Finalist

After much deliberation we have come to our picks for our Round One semi-finalists! Today we are announcing our 4th place semi-finalist, out of our 30 original books! You can see the list of finalists and their scores here. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can learn more about the contest […]

In the Shadow of Ruin by Tony Debajo – Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off #8: Round One 5th Place Semi-Finalist

After much deliberation we have come to our picks for our 8th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off Round One semi-finalists! Today we are announcing our 5th place semi-finalist, out of our 30 original books! You can see the list of finalists and their scores here. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can […]