The Fantasy Hive - A U.K. Wonderland
A hub for all things fantasy (plus some SF). Book reviews, games, author interviews, features, serial fiction- you name it. The Fantasy Hive is a collaborative site formed of unique personalities who just want to celebrate fantasy. Btw, the SFF novel to the left by one of our members, Warwick Gleeson, was a "Top 150 Best Books" Kirkus pick in 2019.
1,954 topics in this forum
-
- 0 replies
- 222 views
The plot to Naomi Novik’s debut is essentially that, following the capture of a French frigate Novik’s hero Captain Laurence finds himself in sudden possession of a dragon egg that is on the brink of hatching. This is a parallel world where dragons – while rare – are far from unknown and indeed form an important element of most nations’ armed forces. In order to be of use to its new British owners the dragon must be harnessed and partnered with a human immediately upon hatching and – by a slightly circuitous route – Laurence ends up harnessing and naming the newly hatched dragon. I have something of a love-hate relationship with the dragons of fantasy. I like powerful, i…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 456 views
The Fantasy Hive have collaborated with award winning publisher Angry Robot Books to bring you a Women In SFF: Behind the Scenes post. Today, for Women in SFF, we wanted to celebrate the women who work behind the scenes of our favourite SFF titles – the editors, publicists, and publishers who get these amazing stories on our shelves. Firstly, here’s a little bit about Angry Robot: They’re a global imprint dedicated to the best in modern adult science fiction, fantasy and everything in between. Our mission, quite simply, is to publish the best in brand new genre fiction – SF, F and WTF?! Traditional SF and fantasy has been ploughing an entertaining furrow for many dec…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 229 views
Sammy H.K Smith lives and works in Oxfordshire UK as a police detective. When not working she spends time with her children, husband and pets, renovates her house, and inadvertently kills plants. A keen writer and lover of all things science fiction and fantasy, she’s often found balancing a book, a laptop, a child, and a cat whilst watching Netflix. Welcome back to the Hive, Sammy! Let’s start with the basics: dazzle us with an elevator pitch! Why should readers check out your work? I write fiction that focuses on human emotion and the authentic human connection. I like exploring the darker side of emotions and leave the reader asking questions and thinking ab…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 276 views
“She shook her head. She knew now how the slaves had felt as they lay chained on the bench, the slaver’s hot iron burning into their flesh. In her pride, she had denied that she was a slave. She could no longer deny it. Doro’s mark had been on her from the day they met. She could break free of him only by dying and sacrificing her children and leaving him loose upon the world to become even more of an animal.” Wild Seed (1980) is the first book in Octavia E. Butler’s Patternist series, according to internal chronology. She wrote the book second to last, after already having written Patternmaster (1976), Mind Of My Mind (1977) and Survivor (1978). In a rare case of the pr…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 214 views
Leena Krohn is one of Finland’s most iconic and inventive writers. Her novel Tainaron: Mail From Another City was written in Finnish in 1985, and when it was translated into English by Hildi Hawkins in 2004 it was nominated for multiple awards. The novel tells the story of a woman visiting a city inhabited by insect people, and is told through her unanswered letters home. Startlingly original yet reminiscent in places of Italo Calvino or Franz Kafka, it is the perfect introduction to Krohn’s idiosyncratic and powerful work. Jeff VanderMeer cites it as a pioneering work of New Weird fiction; it is the only work in translation to appear in VanderMeer’s list of crucial New W…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 230 views
We’re very excited today to bring you a guest post from authors Suzannah Rowntree, Angela Boord, Virginia McClain, ML Wang, Rachel Emma Shaw and Krystle Matar. A big thank you to Rachel Emma Shaw for arranging this guest post! Being a female indie-fantasy author is both the most exhilarating and demoralising part of my life. We experience all the usual highs and lows of writing – like stressing over plot holes and creating fantastical new worlds – but we also face many challenges exclusive to female fantasy authors, on top of the extra difficulties of being independently published. To spotlight these challenges, I spoke to some of the biggest names in indie-fanta…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 237 views
A new series by Laurell K Hamilton, featuring a male protagonist. Enter, Zaniel Havelock (Havoc), a police Detective, veteran, and former student at the cult – I mean College – of Angels. The College of Angels accepts students who have a gift of communicating with angels, but once accepted, it can be hard to leave. Havoc managed to leave the College only after some traumatic events that are hinted at, but not fully fleshed out in this first book (I’m looking forward to the full story later). In a world where most people are born with Guardian Angels they can’t see, and witches, familiars and spirit guides are common, the police are starting to actively recruit gifted co…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 241 views
Today, we’re thrilled to welcome back sci-fi author Amanda Bridgeman to the Hive. Amanda’s most recent novel, The Sensation, is the much-anticipated sequel to the sci-fi murder-mystery The Subjugate. Both are currently available from Angry Robot Books: A series of brutal murders has the homicide division of San Francisco’s Hub 9 working overtime. But as the bodies mount, they begin to question whether the attacks are random or somehow connected. When one of their own falls victim, Detective Salvi Brentt and the Hub 9 homicide team join forces with the narcotics and cyber divisions to track down those responsible. They soon discover a volatile new drug-tech experience, …
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 290 views
We’re very excited today to bring you a guest post from authors Hadeer Elsbai, E. J. Beaton, Kritika H. Rao, Rowenna Miller, and Sam Hawke. A big thank you to E. J. for arranging this Q&A! Fantasy novels offer us opportunities to imagine the word differently, and not only in respect to magic and warfare. When it comes to the structure of society, authors can take a different approach to social norms and storytelling priorities. This includes fresh approaches to gender, whether that means focusing more on women’s struggles, valuing women’s work differently, or creating a world with gender equality. In this Q&A, five authors – Hadeer Elsbai, E. J. Beaton, Kritik…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 233 views
Today, we’re thrilled to bring an excerpt of Susie Williamson’s The Warder, her exciting sequel to Return of the Mantra. Blood Gift Chronicles is character-driven, epic fantasy encompassing themes of wildlife and the environment, social justice and exploitation, animism, magic, dragons and being true to one’s self. Return of the Mantra (Blood Gift Chronicles #1) What if everything you’re taught to hope for depends on you? In a land ravaged by drought and greed, where the gifts are forbidden and the old ways outlawed, Suni, a young woman, searches for justice and her own identity. The Warder (Blood Gift Chronicles #2) is the sequel and also works as a standalone. The s…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 240 views
Welcome intrepid adventurers to Tough Travelling with the Tough Guide to Fantasyland! That’s right, we’ve dusted it down and brought back this feature (created by Nathan of Fantasy Review Barn, revived by our friends over on Fantasy Faction, then dragged kicking and screaming to the Hive). It is a monthly feature in which we rack our brains for popular (and not so popular) examples of fantasy tropes. Tough Travelling is inspired by the informative and hilarious Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones. Fellow bloggers are absolutely welcome to join in – just make your own list, publish it on your site, and then comment with the link on this article! It’s Women…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 517 views
Welcome to our Women In SFF Read-along! If you caught our Read-along Announcement, you’ll know that for Women In SFF, the Hive are hosting a read-along of S. A. Chakraborty’s The City of Brass. Although it’s been on our TBR’s for some time, it’s the first time reading Chakraborty’s magical debut for Nils and myself (Beth). We’ll be sticking to a reading schedule, which I’ll post below; we’ll be posting discussion points and questions every Wednesday via social media, and then Nils and I will be sharing our responses to these every Saturday. Be sure to follow our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to catch our Wednesday posts. You can also now join us on Discord! Week 1:…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 226 views
Another week down, and we’re three weeks in to this year’s Women In SFF, so let’s see what’s been happening in the feature this week! Firstly, Robin Hobb (Megan Lindholm) received the Lifetime Achievement World Fantasy Award – and we’d like to offer her a HUGE congratulations from all of us here at the Hive. We’ve been completely floored by the incredible response from the community; we can’t tell you how much we love seeing all your responses to our photo challenge prompts, or how properly excited we get to see blog posts inspired by them! Each week, we’ll try and round up all this wonderful content into one summary-wrap-up post – if we’ve missed you, please comment an…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 214 views
When sixteen-year-old Ekata wakes up to find that her entire backstabbing royal family has been cursed into unconsciousness, she’s forced into the role of Grand Duke of Kylma Above, a tiny, icy duchy set above the magical underwater world of Kylma Below. She grew up in constant fear for her life, with her twelve siblings plotting to murder each other and shorten the path to the throne, but she never wanted to rule, and was looking forward to escaping to university to study medicine. Now she has to avoid being forced to marry the boorish other potential heir, try to solve the curse on her family, and keep Kylma Above from falling apart. It’s part mystery, part coming of ag…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 252 views
Francis Deer and Mika Hunter have been friends for over 30 years, at one point deciding to join forces and become co-authors. They both live in Munich with their respective families: two husbands, two girls, two boys, two cats and the occasional nest of hornets. Francis Deer holds diplomas in theology and adult educational science. Currently, she works as a software tester for an IT company. In addition, Francis trained as a baby-wearing consultant and runs her own small business. Over the years, she acted in various theatre groups, always striving for the romance part, yet ultimately ending with the comedy role. Francis is an avid collector of tarot cards as they offer…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 250 views
Hearken mere mortals to the words of one so much greater, and infinitely more humble. Tis I, returned to thee once more. Ulesorin the Green, restored to my verdant finery, restored to a mighty tower overlooking the free kingdoms and restored to a state of moderate peace. For when all the great evils that plague this world have been slain and all that remains are minor impediments that plebs like you can tackle, then wherefore goeth the mightiest wizard in all the realms? What use is a puissant archmage when there is no more villainy to smite? I shall tell you now what purpose I still serve, while you look upon me with doubt and derision simply because I take a momentary …
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 281 views
It’s a Women in SFF Five Words! To celebrate Women in SFF, we thought it would be a great idea to bring you another 5-Star Books in Five Words feature – this time focusing on books by BAME female authors. Whether you want to celebrate with us, or you want to diversify your reading, we highly recommend the following! We’d love to add to our list, so if you have any recommendations for us, please let us know! GD Pristine Very regency lesbian fantasy Cinderella of fantasy manners retelling Deconstructing Love One colonialism your intense in starfish story, spaaaa- alien but aaace invaders fractured Fallen Vampires angels…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 287 views
Calder Szewczak is writing duo Natasha C. Calder and Emma Szewczak, who met while studying at Cambridge. Natasha is a graduate of Clarion West 2018 and her work has previously appeared in The Stinging Fly, Lackington’s and Curiosities, amongst others. Emma researches contemporary representations of the Holocaust and has published work with T&T Clark and the Paulist Press. Welcome to the Hive, Calder Szewczak! Let’s start with the basics: dazzle us with an elevator pitch! Why should readers check out your work? Our first novel, The Offset, is about a dying world where, on your eighteenth birthday, you have to choose one of your parents to die as a carbon offset…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
“Bees can sense electrical charges in the air and feel magnetic fields. It’s pretty obvious that if there are such things as portals, doors, thin places between parallel worlds bees are perhaps better equipped to find them than any other creature. They’ve probably found myriad gateways over man millennia, endless untouched worlds, and colonized them without humans. Their own Elysian Fields where angels’ blood is never shed. Immortal, forever young. There’s more to these little winged creatures than meets the eye.” The Blood Of Angels is Johanna Sinisalo’s third novel to be translated into English, although it is her sixth in her native Finnish. And for my money, it …
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 264 views
This book is the sequel to A Deadly Education, which was flat-out amazing if you like slightly dark and broody sarcastic protagonists and unique world building. It’s not often a sequel matches the epic-ness of a really fantastic first novel, but let me say to all of you Deadly Education fans: you will not be disappointed with The Last Graduate. The sequel picks up right where the first book leaves off. Galadriel – ehm, El – has actually acquired friends, and a not-boyfriend-but-kind-of in Orion. Things could be looking up, but this is the Scholomance and it only moves down. El has possibly the worst senior class schedule ever, and the school seems to be setting her up t…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
We’re joined today by self-publishing author JA Andrews for a celebratory post about fellow authors Andrews has met in the SFF community. Before we launch into her article, and discover this new Egyptian Goddess, let’s find out a little about Andrews’ latest novel, Raven’s Ruin, book two of The Keeper Origins: The growing power in Sable’s words nearly changed the world. Until she was betrayed and silenced. A year ago on the land’s biggest stage, Sable’s voice nearly burned down the carefully constructed lies of the Kalesh Empire. Now, Sable’s skills are merely tools in High Prioress Vivaine’s desperate negotiations with the new Kalesh Ambassador, who’s denounced Sable …
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 225 views
Susan Dennard has come a long way from small-town Georgia. With a masters degree in marine biology, she got to travel the world—six out of seven continents, to be exact (she’ll get to Asia one of these days!)—before she settled down as a full-time novelist and writing instructor. She is the author of the New York Times bestselling Witchlands series as well as the Something Strange & Deadly series. When not writing, she can be found slaying darkspawn on her Xbox or earning bruises at the dojo. You can learn more about Susan on her website, blog, newsletter, Twitter, or Pinterest. Welcome to the Hive, Susan! For those who may not know, can you tell us a little bi…
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 96 views
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 87 views
Last reply by EditorAdmin, -
- 0 replies
- 105 views
Last reply by EditorAdmin,