Ship of the Dead: A Review of The Bone Ships, by RJ Barker

Once upon a time, there was a genre of fiction that took the world by storm.  Following daring captains upon the high seas, engaging battles between warships, and fantastical hunts for white whales, nautical fiction was once the talk of every reader.  From Moby Dick in 1851, to the Aubrey-Maturin series in the 20^th century, nautical fiction brings the world’s oceans to the forefront of adventure.  For most of human history, sailing was fraught with danger and the sea was little understood.  Sailors knew enough to be cautious, and nautical fiction was an opportunity to take a look at their stories and show the kinds of adventures that could be found on the waves.  While nautical fiction has declined in popularity, it has never disappeared.  Occasionally, an author such as RJ Barker decides to take this fiction staple and inject it with something else.  In this way, we get The Bone Ships, nautical fiction for a fantasy world.

Throwback Thursday: Blood of Elves, by Andrzej Sapkowski: Book 1 of the Witcher Saga

While Andrzej Sapkowski published his first Witcher short story in 1986, the series certainly did not end there.  After a couple years and two collections of short stories later, Sapkowski introduced the world to what would come to be his magnum opus; the saga.  Beginning with the first fill novel set in the Witcher universe, Blood of Elves, the saga would occur across a series of five lengthy novels, all following the adventures of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Ciri as they navigated a dangerous world.  While introduced in the short stories, we spend much more time with these characters in the novels and see new sides of them.  Hinted in the final two short stories, Sword of Destiny and Something More, the saga confirms that the tale belonged to Ciri all along, and she shares equal page time as Geralt.

Throwback Thursday: Revisiting The Witcher, by Andrzej Sapkowski: The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny

In honor of the recent release of Netflix’s new fantasy series, The Witcher, I have decided to revisit one of my favorite fantasy series and its amazing stories.  The Witcher franchise began in 1986 when Andrzej Sapkowski released a short story titled Wiedźmin, or, The Witcher.  This story introduced audiences to Geralt of Rivia, the world of the Continent, the monster hunters called witchers, and the monsters they face.  After publishing several more short stories expanding the world and characters, Sapkowski released the tales in three collections.  This led into a five-novel saga, a standalone novel, a trilogy of video games set after the books, multiple comic books, one movie, two television adaptations, a card game, a tabletop roleplaying game, a board game, and more.  What was once a local Polish series has now become a worldwide phenomenon.

Immortal Cavalier: A Review of Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir

Science-fiction and fantasy may appear to be very different genres at first glance.  Once is full of advanced technologies, with a focus on scientific progress and how that works within the setting.  Fantasy focuses on magic and oftentimes breaking the rules of the physical world in the pursuit of power.  However, the two are full of more similarities than differences.  Both can take place on Earth, or on another world.  The world can have creatures other than humans, be they aliens or elves.  Fantasy can sometimes show technology powered by magic, while highly advanced technology can sometimes appear indistinguishable from magic depending on who witnesses it.  Popular franchises such as Warhammer, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, and even Star Wars, all find compelling ways to blend genres.  Gideon the Ninth, by Tamsyn Muir, blends science-fiction and fantasy in a wonderfully gruesome way.