Marc Aplin's Blog, page 26

Fantasy-Faction’s Top 50 SFF Books of 2021

Happy New Year fantasy fans! We made it through another one. Amazing, isn’t it? And yes, I know it’s February. But I think we need more pats on the back for making it through 2021 than other years. (Also, for making it through 2020. Good job on that too!) For those who have been following […]

Richard’s 2021 SFF Media Round Up

[Editor’s Note: This is a month late. My fault.] It’s been another tumultuous year, but science fiction and fantasy books, games and shows have been there to get us through once again. Here’s a look back at my year in SFF. Anything mentioned here has my personal recommendation. These books and other products weren’t necessarily […]

Monster of the Dark by K. T. Belt – SPSFC 1st Place Semi-Finalist

Carmen Grey always knew she was different. None of the other children seemed able to read minds. None of the other children were able to manipulate their toys without touching them. On the morning of her sixth birthday, three men dressed in black arrive to remove her from the loving care of her parents. She […]

Captain Wu by Patrice Fitzgerald and Jack Lyster – SPSFC 2nd Place Semi-Finalist

Captain Wu’s the name. Smuggling’s her game. To be fair, they only started shooting after she started insulting them. She was just about to hand off the package—Wu didn’t know what was inside, and she didn’t want to—when three tentacle-faced strangers attacked. Wu loves a good fight and lives for a good heist. The Captain […]

What Branches Grow by T. S. Beier – SPSFC 3rd Place Semi-Finalist

A quest through post-apocalyptic America, where human nature is torn between the violent desperation to survive and the desire to forge connection. Thirty-five years ago, the world was ravaged by war. Delia, driven from her home in Savannah by loss, travels North in search of a future. Gennero is tortured by his violent past and […]

1st Annual Self-Published Science Fiction Contest – Our Semi-Finalists

Good day Factioners! 2021 certainly was a thing wasn’t it? Let me answer my own question. This post was supposed to go up at the beginning of December. So, yeah we’re a bit behind. But! I have some exciting news to share with you! Our judges in the First Annual Self-Published Science Fiction Contest (SPSFC) […]

Empire of Shadows by Alicia Wanstall-Burke

Toxic mother-daughter relationships are uncommon in fantasy. All too often, mothers are already dead on page one, or if Mama lives, she’s warm and nurturing. Even Cersei Lannister dotes on her children, and many—if not most—of her evil deeds are motivated by a mother’s love. In the Coraidic Sagas, the mothers are not so nice, […]

Dune (2021) directed by Denis Villeneuve

Dune (2021) is an adaptation of the first half of Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel. The film, directed by Denis Villeneuve, tells the story of Paul Atreides, the son of Duke Leto, who is the head of a powerful clan in the far future. When House Atreides is sent to the desert planet of […]

Vote Now for Fantasy-Faction’s Best SFF Books of 2021

It’s that time of year again! Time to vote on the best books of 2021! I decided to push this back, both because December is always crazy because of the various holidays and end of year preparations. But also, because I always felt bad for all the books that come out super close to the […]

Dune (1984) directed by David Lynch

Back in 1984, David Lynch made an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic Dune. It was a troubled production, and Lynch’s original version ran to three hours, which was then edited down to a two-hour film, resulting in a dense and awkward film being released in cinemas. Lynch would later distance himself from Dune. […]