Book Review: Blood of Assassins by RJ Barker. The Good: A return to one of the most relatable POVs in fantasy, development that breathes life into characters-plot-and-world alike, more twists and turns than a maze of mirrors, with a heart at its centre that beats with the life of a full fleshed-out fantasy favourite for … Continue reading Review: Blood of Assassins
Tag: RJ Barker
Update: What’s going on, and what’s coming up.
A lot can happen in a year. Or half. And as I’ve been blogging (again) for somewhere between that, I thought I’d do a little recap/update. So firstly, before I look back, I want to take a look around at the present. Today marks the release day of RJ Barker’s phenomenal debut Age of Assassins. … Continue reading Update: What’s going on, and what’s coming up.
Edge-Lit & the David Gemmell Awards 2017
What does bang-average shampoo, a ‘babby’, and a Swedish horse have in common? Derby, apparently. (Or, if you’re Sadir, ‘Daaaaar-by’.) This weekend I’ve been lucky enough to attend Edge-Lit, an annual science-fiction, fantasy and horror event, held in Derby. It was my first ‘convention’, having previously attended smaller get-togethers for author panels/book signings in bookshops. … Continue reading Edge-Lit & the David Gemmell Awards 2017
Guest post: RJ Barker on Everyday Inspiration
Wrapping-up the mini-series on RJ Barker and his phenomenal debut 'Age of Assassins', I invited RJ to talk about anything he wanted. This being RJ, the guest post could have been about antlers, or taxidermy, or his editor-cat. Now, not to spoil your fun, because those would've all been brilliant topics (and RJ if you're … Continue reading Guest post: RJ Barker on Everyday Inspiration
Author Interview: RJ Barker, ‘Age of Assassins’.
To follow up my review of ‘Age of Assassins’, I invited the author, RJ Barker to talk a little bit more about the book, and himself. To me, the story was one of the best kinds, in that you could see the little bits of the author shining through. In reading AoA, I felt as … Continue reading Author Interview: RJ Barker, ‘Age of Assassins’.
Review: Age of Assassins
Age of Assassins by R.J. Barker My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Good: Loveable first person POV, worldbuilding that weaves into the plot and the systems within the story, plenty of twists to keep you guessing, a grand reveal in the finale, and an intriguing combat style that in the hands of another would … Continue reading Review: Age of Assassins
The Gemmell Awards for Fantasy: Shortlist 2017
Voting on the shortlists closes on Friday 2nd June. Cast your votes on the David Gemmell Awards official website HERE. The awards will be presented on the 15th July 2017, at the Edge-Lit 6 event in Derby. Be there or be…not there? Elsewhere? Somewhere? Blood has been spilled. Blades have been dulled. Bones have been … Continue reading The Gemmell Awards for Fantasy: Shortlist 2017
The Truth Behind a Legend…
Please note: voting on the David Gemmell Awards for Fantasy closes on Friday 2nd June. The awards will be presented on the 15th July 2017, at the Edge-Lit 6 event in Derby. Cast your votes HERE. Have you ever met a legend? I have. I've stood on the walls of a doomed-to-fall fortress with men too … Continue reading The Truth Behind a Legend…
Editor Editorial: Interview with Lindsey Hall
To finish this mini-series of interview with editors, I wanted to jump back in to the publishing houses, after speaking with Julie Crisp and John Jarrold - both are now independent, having worked for houses previously. Both are also big names in the industry. So I wanted someone on the inside, in the here and now, someone a … Continue reading Editor Editorial: Interview with Lindsey Hall
What does it take to become a traditionally-published debut fantasy author in 2017?
What does it take to become a published author? Or, more specifically, what does it take to become a traditionally-published debut fantasy author in 2017? In a roundabout way, this is the big question I asked five traditionally-published, fantasy debut (in 2017) authors in a recent interview mini-series. More than a few things stood out for me … Continue reading What does it take to become a traditionally-published debut fantasy author in 2017?
