Book covers are an essential element in the marketing of a book. They need to capture the reader’s attention and convey the essence of the story. With the advancements in technology, designers have access to various tools to create eye-catching covers.
Continue reading “Silvertroll: Artwork”
All myths and legends are connected to reality in some way, rooted in truth primarily as a storytelling technique employed by ancient and modern societies in an attempt to understand the universe around them, and to explain and justify things like morality, virtues, suffering, death, love, and war.
From King Perseus of Argos to Achilles, the king of the Myrmidons, politics and religion played a prominent role in mythmaking, legitimizing a leader’s claim to the throne. Whether it be asserting divine birth heritage or having heroic deeds attributed to them, a powerful ruling family can use this type of demigod hero narrative to secure their authority.
Continue reading “Demigod (Part 1 – Hera’s Wrath)”
Among all the tropes, the “Last of a Kind” concept stands out as a rare narrative device that seamlessly blends theme, plot, and character, achieving an almost mythical status with a single masterful stroke. Richard Matheson’s classic vampire novel reigns supreme as its definitive exemplar. ‘I Am Legend (1954)’ is an ingenious hybrid of two previous classics, Mary Shelley’s ‘The Last Man (1826)’ and Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula (1897)’. Vampirism and plague, a combination that captures the definitive pretext for a last man alive narrative, grounding the myth of the supernatural with the reality of pathogens.
Matheson also deploys another trope in the finale of the story, one that is more devastating in its social commentary. The vampires, the pandemic, and the last man on Earth are just the setup for the novella’s central message, and it’s the one element shunned by all the film adaptations to date.
Continue reading “The Omega Legend”
Epochs of Modern History: The Crusades – G.W. Cox
THE Crusades were a series of popular wars, waged by men who wore on their garments the badge of the Cross as a pledge binding them to rescue the Holy Land, and the Sepulchre of Christ from the grasp of the unbeliever.
The dream of such an enterprise had long floated before the minds of keen-sighted popes and passionate enthusiasts: it was realised for the first time when, after listening to the burning eloquence of Urban II. at the council of Clermont, the assembled multitude with one voice welcomed the sacred war as the will of God.
Continue reading “The Crusades (Chapter 1)”
Transitioning from your laptop to mobile devices can make novel writing a bit tricky, especially when it comes to syncing your work. However, having the right tools with robust export functionality can make this process seamless. Below are some of the best apps for Android and Apple devices to help you structure and plan your story.
Continue reading “Ideagraphy: The ultimate writer toolkit for mobiles”
Here I am, facing the nadir of my existence, and I have the need to go to work. A specialist recommended I do so. I don’t think that the psychiatrist had any inkling of who I am, or how volatile I had become, but I take the advice. Learning to live again, and going back to work is the first step.
So here I am, putting up with the hordes of commuters, the likes of whom I’ve spent a decade learning how to ignore. Somehow, I have lost this capacity. These few inconsiderate… that one per cent of self-absorbed twats simply don’t get the fact that nobody wants to be alerted of their presence. My brain inadvertently zeroes in on these annoying, meaningless one-way conversations, those beeping fucking games, and the high-pitched sibilance hissing from tiny loudspeakers stuffed inside their ear canals.
Continue reading “Neechat”
For many readers, the field of economics might seem like dry, analytical territory, a realm of graphs, supply curves, and impenetrable jargon. And let’s be honest: most literary enthusiasts, and even a fair number of science fiction fans, probably tune out at the mention of GDPs or fiscal policy. Yet, when wielded thoughtfully, economics can become one of the most fascinating and transformative tools in speculative storytelling. In fact, some of the best science fiction ever written stands out precisely because it dares to construct alternative financial systems and economic frameworks—frameworks that both challenge our current paradigm and make us question the very fabric of our lives.
Continue reading “Panology of Science Fiction: F”
The golden age is over.
Works of art are no longer produced to quench a bored populace, who thirst for the type of content that frees them from their mundane lives, enhancing their outlook on life with fascinating stories, old and new, inspiring them to understand their lives and the world they live in.
Post-2016, works of art have degenerated into force-fed garbage that nobody wants, needs or trusts anymore. Deranged by political agenda or succumbing to incompetence, producers still want your money but aren’t willing or capable of delivering what the consumer wants.
Continue reading “Gods of Wokeness”It all started with a door-to-door salesman. Circa 1980, my folks bought the set of Funk And Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, opening up the world I suspect existed yet needed the data to explore it. The A to Z articles crammed with information and pictures not only confirmed and explained what was happening in the world around me but I got to understand who I was, my heritage, and how I got to where I was.
Continue reading “Generation C”
One may readily be prepared to die.
Any punter can act bravely when faced with imminent death. Even the foolish among warriors can be willing to die for the most hopeless of causes.
Necroface knew this. He also knew that such fearlessness could potentially undermine a good, well-fought victory. So he decided to ramp proceedings up a notch. “Now we get to bounce this fucker,” he said from behind his infamous monochromatic skull mask.
Continue reading “INTERCEPT THE WET SPARROW”