Marc Aplin's Blog, page 229

Is It Time To Rethink Your Bio?

“Jonny Author has been writing since he was a boy. His deep love of the elven language together with a slightly unnerving interest in all things undead saw his High School vote him ‘most likely to become a serial killer’. When not writing, Jonny spends his days practising taxidermy. Jonny likes cats and children. His […]

Witches: Wicked, Wild and Wonderful edited by Paula Guran

“Don’t get in a witch’s path. Especially if you are the weaker witch. If you do, be prepared to face her.” – “Bloodlines” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Witches are represented in different ways throughout cultures. In this anthology they take various forms – powerful women, young, old, poor, influential, timid, rich, classic fairy tale hags etc. […]

Science Fiction and Fantasy Author Jay Lake Has Passed Away

Author Jay Lake passed away this morning surrounded by family and friends. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in April 2008 and went through multiple treatments to try and beat it, some of which were funded by the SFF community. In his life he wrote multiple short stories and novels. He was a quarterly first […]

Dark Souls II: Of Pigs and Men

Fans of fantasy are, more often than not, gamers. And when those two worlds meet, it can be a sublime experience. The Legend of Zelda, Baldur’s Gate, The Elder Scrolls series—all these games, and scores of others good and middling, combine two things we love: epic fantasy stories and video games that are, at their […]

Tor Looks to bring back the Novella Market with ‘The Imprint’

There was a time when short stories and novellas were the preferred format for Fantasy and Science-Fiction stories. However, as years have gone by, the physical versions of SFF stories have got larger and larger; so much so that it is now rare to see a published novel in either genre under about 500 pages. Part of […]

‘The True Story of Douglas Adams’ coming soon

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy is one of the most read and well-known Science-Fiction novels of all time. Fans of the book and Douglas’s subsequent work will be delighted to hear that later this year a biography of Douglas Adams is being published which will include all new, never previously published material. The author of […]

Alternative History’s Distorted Mirror

If the discussion panel on Alternative History (AH) at this year’s Octocon was an exercise in navel gazing, I can only say that the view proved illuminating. Like every other sub-genre, AH has evolved an intimidating jargon – Points of Departure, Jonbar Hinges, Butterfly Effects and, lest we forget, Alien Space Bats – so elaborate […]

Faeries and Folklore – Part Two: The Evolution of Fae

Last time we looked at the faeries as a whole, a genus. But to really get to grips with the fae and just who and what they are, we need to be more specific, we need to go deeper. If we arm ourselves with Purkiss’ list (refreshed below) we can begin to look at some […]

Fantastical Biology: Fantasy Creatures and Their Habitats

Fantasy novels often include magical creatures. Peruse the fantasy section of your favorite bookstore and you’ll see plenty of dragons, vampires and other impossible things on the front covers. Dragons can fly because they’re magic, and this is enough for many fantasy stories. But what if you want to create a fantastical creature that’s a […]

New Harry Potter Children’s Edition ‘The Chamber of Secrets’ Cover

As part of Bloomsbury’s rereleasing of the Harry Potter books with the slogan ‘IT’S TIME TO PASS THE MAGIC ON…’, the publishing giants have just revealed their latest new ‘children’s jacket’ – this time for The Chamber of Secrets. The cover has been illustrated by award-winning artist Jonny Duddle and depicts Harry’s battle with the […]