Marc Aplin's Blog, page 25

In April of last year, the Twitterverse erupted with charges of cultural appropriation in Jay Kristoff’s debut, Stormdancer. I took the accusations with a grain of salt, since the term is bandied about with knee-jerk abandon, and decided that one day, I’d dig Stormdancer off the slopes of Mount TBR to find out for myself. […]

* Disclaimer * Everyone is different and likes and dislikes different things. Reading is no exception. One person’s all-time favorite might seem too bland or too high stakes for another. That being said, the opinions of our judges in this contest are just that, opinions. Just because we let a book go, doesn’t mean it […]

The Hand of the Sun King by J. T. Greathouse tells the story of one boy, growing to be a man, trapped between two worlds, struggling to please both, and consumed by an ambition that sets him on the path to save or destroy everything he holds dear. Told in the first person, The Hand […]

In recent years, the fantasy genre has become more expansive with new narratives written by diverse and multicultural authors. Some of these narratives led to the emergence of new subgenres (i.e., historical fantasy) and other narratives present insight into the author’s heritage and their history—most of which is unknown to the general public. C. L. […]

Happy New Year fantasy fans! We made it through another one. Amazing, isn’t it? And yes, I know it’s February. But I think we need more pats on the back for making it through 2021 than other years. (Also, for making it through 2020. Good job on that too!) For those who have been following […]

[Editor’s Note: This is a month late. My fault.] It’s been another tumultuous year, but science fiction and fantasy books, games and shows have been there to get us through once again. Here’s a look back at my year in SFF. Anything mentioned here has my personal recommendation. These books and other products weren’t necessarily […]

Carmen Grey always knew she was different. None of the other children seemed able to read minds. None of the other children were able to manipulate their toys without touching them. On the morning of her sixth birthday, three men dressed in black arrive to remove her from the loving care of her parents. She […]

Captain Wu’s the name. Smuggling’s her game. To be fair, they only started shooting after she started insulting them. She was just about to hand off the package—Wu didn’t know what was inside, and she didn’t want to—when three tentacle-faced strangers attacked. Wu loves a good fight and lives for a good heist. The Captain […]

A quest through post-apocalyptic America, where human nature is torn between the violent desperation to survive and the desire to forge connection. Thirty-five years ago, the world was ravaged by war. Delia, driven from her home in Savannah by loss, travels North in search of a future. Gennero is tortured by his violent past and […]

Good day Factioners! 2021 certainly was a thing wasn’t it? Let me answer my own question. This post was supposed to go up at the beginning of December. So, yeah we’re a bit behind. But! I have some exciting news to share with you! Our judges in the First Annual Self-Published Science Fiction Contest (SPSFC) […]