My Top 3 Books of 2020

2020 was a horrible year for pretty much the entire world. Like many others, I suffered a great deal of Continue reading →

Putting Politics into Space Opera: My Novel Border Crosser and the Current Unpleasantness by Tom Doyle

I enjoy politically subversive science fiction and fantasy. For me, interesting politics can be a key part of the experience Continue reading →

Guest Post: 10 Amazing Sci-Fi/Fantasy Books by Women You Need on Your Bookshelf

First, I would like to thank Dan for letting me temporarily take over his blog. It’s truly an honor to Continue reading →

On SFF, Gender, and Expanding Boundaries

Recently there was big news in SFF when author Victoria Schwab signed a million dollar deal with Tor books. This Continue reading →

The Shelf Life of Secret History During Interesting Times, by Tom Doyle

My American Craftsmen trilogy is a saga of magician-soldiers and psychic spies. It has a backstory in which Poe and Continue reading →

Writing Fiction in a Time of Genuine Crisis, by Patrick S. Tomlinson

A funny thing happened to me one year ago today. A random tweet throwing shade at the typical right-wing response Continue reading →

Novel and Interesting Magic Systems Part 2

Welcome back, readers, to the second instalment of my look at interesting and novel magic systems. The first article can Continue reading →

Novel and Interesting Magic Systems Part 1

One of the most enduring tropes in fantasy as a genre is the presence of magic in the setting. Magic Continue reading →

Top 5 Books Published in 2015

Well it’s that time of the year. The time of lists. And no review site would be complete with a Continue reading →

Top Five Books Not Published in 2015

Well it’s that time of the year. The time of lists. And no review site would be complete with a Continue reading →

The Forgotten Realms

The Forgotten Realms is a fantasy setting which was created by Ed Greenwood in the 1960s, which came to commercial Continue reading →

Ranking, Rating and Reviewing

It is pretty much a given, in the internet age, that if there is a website where you can buy Continue reading →

Five Ways to Never End Your Story

Don’t you just hate it when a book or film has so much promise? Interesting characters, a rich setting, well-paced Continue reading →

‘A Memory of Light’ A Triumph of the Will?

So I came into the final chapters of A Memory Of Light with certain opinions, expectations, and ideas about how Continue reading →

Meanwhile, Over There

When authors create an original world, especially one with a great deal of depth, it becomes tempting if not necessary Continue reading →

The Broken Empire Trilogy: A Retrospective

Having just finished Emperor of Thorns which brings the Broken Empire trilogy to a close, I’ve decided, given the breadth Continue reading →