Marc Aplin's Blog, page 59
May 29, 2019
Soul Render by T. L. Branson
“Stormbringer in a stone.” Middle school marked the rebirth of my interest in fantasy, and after reading heroic fantasy stories like Dragonlance and Dragonriders of Pern, I was taken aback by Elric of Melnibone. The ability of Stormbringer to suck souls utterly horrified me: raised in a Southern Baptist household, the idea that the essence […]
May 28, 2019
Fantasy-Faction Game of Thrones Discussion: Season 8, Episode 6 – “The Iron Throne”
*Spoilers*This is the final episode. Spoilers for the entire Game of Thrones series ahead! “The Iron Throne” is a fitting title for the finale of Game of Thrones. For the past eight years, we’ve watched the characters kill and die over this MacGuffin-seat, only to see the chair itself turned into molten slag during the […]
May 27, 2019
Blade Skill, Iron Sensing and Hypnosis: Behind the Scenes Look at Shadowblade – Guest Blog by Anna Kashina
Despite being a scientist in my day job, in my writing I tend to gravitate to fantasy. This means, magic rather than technology, supernatural and mystical as opposed to rationally explained. People often ask me why I am not using my science background in my writing, and up until now I have always come up […]
May 23, 2019
40 Years of The Perfect Organism: Does Alien Hold Up?
Spoiler Warning! This article contains many spoilers! When I was about 15, Aliens had a reputation among my friends as a great film. It was part war movie, part science fiction film: futuristic in a tough, edgy way. After watching it on a battered VHS videocassette and thinking it was excellent, I settled down to […]
May 22, 2019
As I Learn: Or Why I Stopped Calling Myself A Pantser
Do you already know what type of writer you are? You may call yourself a discovery writer, an outliner or a mixture of both. We traditionally think of discovery writers, gardeners, and pantsers as writers who make up their stories as they go, and outliners, architects, and plotters as writers who pre-construct their plots before […]
May 21, 2019
Monarchies of Mau – Role-playing Core Rulebook Review
Reviewer’s Note: I follow the Onyx Pathcast podcast. This show features the three developers at Onyx Path talking about everything under the sun. Most often they discuss RPG products that Onyx Path is making or has made. Eddy Web is one of the three as well as being the creator of Pugsteady and the mind […]
May 19, 2019
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss
When we last left our intrepid heroines, they had just received word from Mina Murray, Mary’s governess, that their help was urgently needed for one Lucinda van Helsing. That’s right. If Dr. Seward and Renfield appearing in the previous book weren’t enough, it’s official. We’re in vampire territory. A quick update for those who either […]
May 16, 2019
Fantasy-Faction Game of Thrones Discussion: Season 8, Episode 5 – “The Bells”
Episode five saw the fall of one evil queen and the rise of another. Cersei finally died at the hands of Daenerys, along with a city full of innocent civilians. Almost as surprising as Dany’s descent into full-on mad Targaryen mode was the way she so casually obliterated the Iron Fleet that had forced her […]
May 10, 2019
Fantasy-Faction Game of Thrones Discussion: Season 8, Episode 4 – “Last of the Starks”
It was the best of times and the worst of times in episode four last Sunday. The show opened with tear-jerking goodbyes and some sorely needed joy and relief from the long strife that has plagued the Seven Kingdoms. Unfortunately, it included one of the most poorly staged battles in the show’s history. Nevertheless, the […]
May 7, 2019
Georgia Renaissance Festival – Opening Weekend Review
Introduction For the past few years now, I have overheard family members exclaiming on how much fun they have had at the Renaissance Festival in Georgia. When the opportunity arose for me to finally share in the fun, I made plans to get myself up to Georgia and see what all the hype was about! […]
