Review: Apexology Science Fiction and Fantasy

Apexology: Science Fiction and Fantasy by Maurice Broaddus My rating: 4 of 5 stars The Apex Book Company are known for producing some of the best new fiction out there. This anthology is no different, though many of the stories seem to be reprints. The writing is tight, the plots are intriguing and the characterization […]

Legacy

My son turned 4 this week. I bought him a World War Hulk action figure (he’s a big Hulk fan). He played with it all day and went to sleep clutching it in his hand. But as my children get older, so do I (33 at the time of writing this post). Only a […]

Review: Will Hill’s Department 19

Department 19 by Will Hill My rating: 4 of 5 stars Department 19, a covert government agency, was set up by Van Helsing and the small group of men who survived the destruction of Dracula. A fresh spate of killings across Western Europe alerted them to the fact that Dracula had made three other vampires, […]

Review: Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Hunger Games is based in a post-apocalyptic USA, where only one city remains standing, the Capitol. Around the Capitol are 13 districts, each producing an important resource for the people who live in the Capitol. The districts tried to rise up against […]

Where’s It Going?

Where’s what going? Fiction. What nepw mediums are going to evolve in the coming years to provide new ways of consuming stories? I’ve just finished playing through Mass Effect 2 on the PS3 and found myself thinking ‘that was a well told story’. A rare handful of games transcend the restriction of their medium to […]

Review: Tracie McBride’s Ghosts Can Bleed

Ghosts Can Bleed is an eclectic collection of short stories and poems, in fantasy, horror and sf genres, by New Zealander, Tracie McBride. The titular story is about a chap called Maurice, who believes he is dead and is trying to convince his wife of this fact but all is not as it seems. The […]

Review: John Lenahan’s Prince of Hazel and Oak

The Prince of Hazel and Oak is the sequel to Shadowmagic. Conor’s return to Earth wasn’t as joyful as he expected. His home looks like a disaster movie set, his girlfriend isn’t interested in him anymore and besides, doesn’t measure up to his Tir Na Nogian girlfriend Essa and the Police have questions about his […]

The Pendulum of Hope and Despair

There are days when you feel you can conquer the world with nothing but your good intentions and willpower. Other days, you could have the world’s collective might at your fingertips and think, ‘Oh, what’s the point?’ As a writer, especially a self-published writer who is struggling to raise his head above the quagmire of anonymity, […]

Review: John Lenahan’s Shadowmagic

Shadowmagic by John Lenahan My rating: 3 of 5 stars I’m gonna come clean on this one. I downloaded this book for two reasons, it was for 49p and it sounded similar to The Changeling King. Initially, I didn’t like it. The hero is supposed to be in his late teens or something, but his […]

Sweet Talk – Writing Good Dialogue Part 2

Knowing the why and what of dialogue is all good and well, but just as important is the how of weaving it into your narrative. Whether we like it or not, writers are influenced by what we watch or listen to, just as much as what we read. I know I am. Snappy dialogue from […]