Marc Aplin's Blog, page 223
June 25, 2014
Giant insects attack post-apocalyptic Berlin in new series
We’re all keen to find out how Guardians of the Galaxy turns out. Some are predicting that it will be new-era Marvel’s first flop, where as others are championing it as proof that Marvel’s future holds more than simply run-of-the-mill superhero movies. For one of writers of the comic book series that the Guardians of the Galaxy […]
June 24, 2014
Eleri Stone Interview
A couple of months ago I reviewed the excellent Reaper’s Touch by Eleri Stone. It was a cracking read, with a brilliant couple of protagonists, and while this follow-up interview to delve deeper into the author’s story is a little late (entirely my fault—thanks to Eleri for her patience!), I think it’s worth the wait. […]
Queen Elizabeth II passes on the Iron Throne
The opportunity for what could have been the best photo… ever has been lost. From the moment it was announced that The Queen of England would be visiting the set of The Game of Thrones, the British Media and fans were debating whether or not she would sit on that famous Iron Throne (as so […]
Adam Christopher’s ‘Robot P.I. Series’ Snapped Up
I remember, a few years back now, there was an unusually large buzz around an – at that point – unpublished author named Adam Christopher. All I really knew about him at the time was that he had a kickass Twitter handle (GhostFinder) and an equally cool avatar (something similar to that one on your right). […]
June 23, 2014
Fantasy-Faction’s “Grim Gathering” in London, August 13th 2014 @ 6:30pm
A few years ago Fantasy-Faction held an event in Blackwell’s, London. Peter V. Brett and Myke Cole were coming over from America and Joe Abercrombie was in town too, so we all thought ‘why not?’. Around 100 people turned up to the relatively small bookshop in the centre of London where we held a 45 minute […]
Fantastical Biology Part 2: Predators
There are lots of friendly fantasy creatures to write about, but sometimes you want something dangerous, with sharp claws and sharper teeth. Real animals can provide inspiration for writing believable and scary fantasy predators, and give insight into how some popular fantastical predators work. As discussed in the previous Fantastical Biology article, using biology to […]
June 22, 2014
Fantasy Book Club – July 2014: Red Rising by Pierce Brown
For July, our members voted to read Red Rising by Pierce Brown. The war begins… Darrow is a Helldiver, one of a thousand men and women who live in the vast caves beneath the surface of Mars. Generations of Helldivers have spent their lives toiling to mine the precious elements that will allow the planet to […]
June 21, 2014
Open Letter to Former Strange Chemistry Authors
Dear Former Authors of Strange Chemistry, Many of you would not have heard of me, but my name is Marc Aplin and I run a website named Fantasy-Faction. Fantasy-Faction is a website developed to promote the fantasy genre, its books and its authors. Our community website has grown over the years and we find ourselves […]
June 20, 2014
Skin Game by Jim Butcher
This review contains some minor spoilers. Read with caution if you have yet to finish the story. You would expect that after fourteen books a fantasy writer might start to run out of ideas – their writing might start losing originality and flair. However, Skin Game, the fifteenth book in Jim Butcher’s acclaimed series the […]
Angry Robot Shuts Down YA & Crime Fiction Imprints
I was saddened to hear that Angry Robot Books will be shutting down their Young Adult (Strange Chemistry) and Crime Fiction (Exhibit A) imprints. Angry Robot is probably one of the boldest, most innovative publishers releasing titles in SFF today and I’ve always loved how they ensure they and their authors engage with bloggers and the […]
