The New Magic is a direct continuation of Dragon’s Trail. Considering how much I liked Malik’s first novel, I was looking forward to this one! What to expect An epic fantasy (technically portal fantasy, as the protagonist started on Earth in the first novel), with all the trappings – warring houses, enemies within and without, […]
News / Blog
Crypto Saturnalia, or: How to Celebrate Saturnalia, When No-one Else Does
It’s the time of the year when every Romanophile secretly wonders how they could celebrate Saturnalia, without looking like a weirdo to everyone who celebrates the more acceptable holidays of midwinter in these modern times. Well, fear no more! Here is a tongue-in-cheek list to help you crypto-Romanophiles celebrate the grandest of holidays, without looking […]
TV Series Review: Roman Empire: “Reign of Blood”, and “Master of Rome”
Unlike the previous series I reviewed (Chelmsford 123 and Plebs), this is a docudrama. Or rather, dramatised scenes in between documentary commentary by notable historians and classicists. The series is produced by Netflix, and it’s nice to see them tackle real history: this isn’t Starz’ Spartacus, which was very entertaining with all the blood and […]
The State of Writing
Some interesting articles about writing in these modern times. (And no, it has nothing to do with NaNoWriMo — though my best wishes to anyone surfacing for air from that 🙂 Instead, this article deals with several aspects of writing — from the story-telling to the actual chicken-scratching-on-dead-trees. First, an inspiring and encouraging piece from […]
Book Review: The Rules of Supervillainy, by CT Phipps
I’ve heard a lot about this series, and have sampled CT Phipps works before. Besides, who doesn’t like superheroes? This was a quick, fun read with lots of situational humour and fast paced action. Recommended to fans of the genre – if you’ve enjoyed Deadpool, The Boys, and the like, you should add this to […]
World-building Historical Fantasy (or, of Unicorns and Icebergs)
The Historical Fantasy Book Club is one of my favourite FB groups (shocking, I know), and back in June they invited me for an “author takeover”. I thought rather than talking about my usual topics (Romans, and their obsession with fantastical beasts and how to cook them), I’d try to create a broader discussion, one […]
Book Review: The Good Audit, by C.P. Aiden
The Good Audit is one of the funniest, wittiest satires I have read in recent years, with humour and social criticism. A must for anyone who ever worked in the corporate world! What to expect A story about a team of accountants auditing a manufacturer’s financial records. Sounds boring? It’s anything but! In a brilliant […]
Special Announcement: OMG!
For those unaware, SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) is the indie equivalent of Thermopylae — 300 entrants and only one winner. It’s rough, brutal, and very prestigious. There are 10 blogs (some with multiple bloggers) judging 30 books each, and then the 10 finalists are judged with the help of Mark Lawrence for a single final […]
My Execution
This is a short piece I wrote when I wasn’t in a good mood… On the other hand, it suits the general October spookiness quite well. You’ve been warned. Today I will be executed for my crimes. The guard banged his truncheon on the bars, and I obediently kneeled at the back of the cell. His mate pushed […]
Fighting Rhythms and other rants
I’ve recently finished The New Magic by Joseph Malik (review to come soon — but his first book, Dragon’s Trail, was half of what prompted me to start writing advice on writing action scenes, as an example of how to do them right). Anyway. You often hear the advice about writing fight scenes to “use […]
FELIX THE FOX MYSTERIES 