Marc Aplin's Blog, page 31
July 9, 2021
How to Create Fantasy Villains
Fantasy villains. Either you love them or you hate them, but good villains are memorable either way. But writing good villains is hard! I know. I’ve written two fantasy books out through Desert Palm Press and the whole time I was writing, I kept going back to the villains. Why was the big bad, the […]
July 6, 2021
The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner
When an author writes their second book, fans of the first one wonder whether or not the next one will be similar to its predecessor. In most cases, the themes and the characters remind readers of what they’ve read before. Then, there are the authors whose second book moves in a different direction from their […]
June 28, 2021
Forging A Nightmare by Patricia A. Jackson – Cover Reveal
Today we’re really excited to reveal the cover of Forging A Nightmare by Patricia A. Jackson! A new urban fantasy, “with a black-led cast, this biblical, mythological retelling, is Rivers of London meets American Gods.” What is it about? Let’s take a look! FBI agent Michael Childs is tasked with tracking down a serial killer […]
June 21, 2021
Seven Deaths of an Empire by G. R. Matthews
“They claim we are trying to become a god, that we have too much power.” G. R. Matthews newest novel delivers in all the best ways, that is, if you enjoy political intrigue, magic, and battles nestled within a dark plot. A plot that, I felt, borrowed from Tacitus’ Germania, that is, if the Roman […]
June 20, 2021
Spidertouch by Alex Thomson – Cover Reveal + Excerpt
Today on Fantasy-Faction we are excited to reveal the cover for Alex Thomson’s Spidertouch from Angry Robot. Even better, we have an exclusive preview of Chapter One! But who is Alex Thomson and what is Spidertouch about? Let’s find out! Alex Thomson is the author of Death of a Clone, published in 2018. He lives in […]
June 19, 2021
Liminal – Role-playing Game Review
Concept and Writing: Paul Mitchener Additional Writing: Guy Milner Art and Layout: Jason Behnke Rules Wrangling: Neil Gow Logo and Cartography: Stephanie McAlea Editing: Guy Milner and Elizabeth Behnke Liminal is a slick British urban fantasy RPG, inspired mainly by the Peter Grant series (Rivers of London) by Ben Aaronovitch and the Dresden Files by […]
June 15, 2021
Seven Deaths of an Empire by G. R. Matthews
History and fantasy have always been easy bedfellows. Rather than just cuddling up under the covers however, Seven Deaths of an Empire wears its influences and heritage proudly, presenting the evidence as a golden standard at the head of a marching legion. Imperial Rome is the template for GR Matthews’ first foray into epic fantasy, […]
June 13, 2021
On Character Voice
As many of you know, I love science fiction. I originally got into sci-fi through the world of television: Star Trek, Stargate, Firefly. Then when I finally dove into reading sci-fi, I gravitated toward the Hunger Games, the Firefly Serenity comics, and all of Becky Chambers work. Like fantasy, it was inevitable I’d start writing […]
June 10, 2021
A List of LGBTQIA+ SFF Authors for Pride
June is Pride Month! And we at Fantasy-Faction are celebrating our favorite LGBTQIA+ authors in SFF! I’ve grouped them by genre, and we hope you can find your next favorite in our list! There are so many amazing authors in this community that I’m sure we’ve missed a bunch. If we’ve missed your favorite let […]
June 3, 2021
In Solitude’s Shadow by David Green
A while back on the Fantasy-Faction Facebook group, I posted a question asking people to name books with endings that were so good they raised the overall rating of the novel. At the time, I had just finished The Lost War by Justin Lee Anderson, which won the 6th Annual SPFBO and which has a […]
