Marc Aplin's Blog, page 33
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 […]
June 2, 2021
SFF Authors of Asian and Pacific Islander Descent: An Incomplete List
Good day Factioners! It’s June! I’m sure most of you know this already. I however thought I still had a week of May left. For some reason May always gets away from me. I don’t know why, but it does. This is to say, I meant to post this article last month. And I did […]
May 30, 2021
Fate of Madness by Jesse Teller
In the 1990s and 2000s, my reading tastes shifted from fantasy to historical fiction, and consequently I not only didn’t read but hadn’t even heard of authors like Steven Erickson and his Malazan Book of the Fallen series. I had grown up reading fantasy, and even though I loved it, I’ll admit to thinking of […]
May 24, 2021
The 7th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off – Introductions
It’s that time of year again Factioners! In the north spring is coming to an end. In the south winter is on its way. And it is time for the 7th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off to begin! We at Fantasy-Faction have been judging the contest since its inception way back in 2015. Along the way […]
May 18, 2021
Shadow and Bone: Netflix vs. the Books
The book isn’t better. With one huge caveat. Sucked in by the Grisha with their magical powers and vibrant worldbuilding equal to Game of Thrones, I binged Netflix’s adaptation of Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone in two days. In the aftermath, I couldn’t help but to pick up the audiobook. And you know that adage, […]
May 13, 2021
Rolling Fun in Lockdown
In the UK, throughout the pandemic (which is still going on though cases are declining and vaccinations are being pushed out rapidly), we’ve been through a few “lockdowns” – schools closed, work places closed, people working from home, children learning from home while parents try to keep them on-track (no easy task). A year, just […]
May 10, 2021
The 7th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off – Call for Submissions
[EDIT: Submissions for SPFBO #7 (2021) are now closed! Check back next year if you’d like to enter.] Hello everyone and welcome to 2021’s Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO)! If you’ve been following our site for awhile you probably know about this awesome contest started by author Mark Lawrence. But for those who don’t, let me […]
