Marc Aplin's Blog, page 57
July 31, 2019
Monsters, the Monstrous, and Reclaiming the Other
Monsters—or, in the very least, the monstrous—show up fairly frequently in most speculative fiction. Whether under the guise of dragons and creatures from the deep (ocean or space) or by way of vampires and the fickle, often cruel fae, monsters and the absolute other of evil is a mainstay of much of our fiction. Casting the net […]
July 29, 2019
Writing Fantasy Saved My Mental State
Fantasy is sometimes referred to as “escapism” and it comes in many forms—whether that be reading a novel, getting immersed in a movie, or even playing a video game. That escapist state also comes while a writer is penning new stories—crafting new worlds, interesting magic, fun creatures, and adventurous plotlines. This is especially true when […]
July 25, 2019
As I Learn: How Your Story-Beast Moves
In the wild, lions live and hunt in prides. An adult male can weigh as much as 200 kg (mostly muscle), and an adult female can reach top speeds of 80 km/h—fitting since they do a lot of the hunting in the pride. These are creatures built for power and speed. Yet, these “Kings and […]
July 21, 2019
Uncanny Collateral by Brian McClellan
Alek Fitz is a collection agent. Not the most pleasant or glamorous of professions. Especially when your clients are corporations controlled by supernatural creatures who aren’t interested in repossessing cars or houses. Fairies and devils have desires that go beyond money. Though neither cruel nor heartless, Alek has little sympathy for his targets. The way […]
July 18, 2019
Worldbuilding Through Characterization
When somebody mentions worldbuilding the first thing you’ll think of is probably a lavishly detailed map, something filled with interesting geography, the locations of important cities, and maybe a dragon in the far corner. Or perhaps what springs to mind is a family tree of noble houses that lists their connections and feuds. Maybe you’ll […]
July 15, 2019
One Way by S. J. Morden
Frank Kittridge is a middle-aged convict, doing time for killing his son’s drug supplier. His wife has divorced him and moved away with their son; he hasn’t heard from either of them since he went inside. He’ll never see them again and will die in prison serving his 120-year sentence. He’s not a typical murderer; […]
July 10, 2019
#SPFBO 5 Cover Contest
Last year’s cover contest was splendid. Each of the ten bloggers nominated the top three covers from their batch before voting for their favorites from the final pool of thirty. There were some truly stunning gems fighting for the title, which eventually went to Benadict Patrick’s entry Those Brave, Foolish Souls from the City of […]
July 4, 2019
SFF and Queerness – We Need To Do Better
We’ve just said goodbye to June, month of queer visibility and pride (and gender-nonconforming visibility and pride, too—which many people (but not all) feel belongs under the umbrella of “queer”, and for sake of conciseness, I’m going to group the terms together here), in 2019, and I’m still standing here, yelling into the void about […]
July 2, 2019
5th Annual Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off: An Introduction
Hello, to all the followers of the SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) the competition that began with an idle thought in the shadowed recesses of Mark Lawrence’s mind and is now in its fifth year. Some of the previous winners and finalists have been picked up by traditional publishing houses and some authors have turned down […]
June 30, 2019
One Word Kill by Mark Lawrence
In January 1986, 15-year-old Nick is told that he has cancer. He begins chemotherapy and struggles to maintain as much of a normal life as he can. But a girl has joined his Dungeons and Dragons group, and a mysterious man has started following him around—a man who looks curiously familiar. Nick is drawn into […]
