Fairies aren’t small, sweet, or safe. In modern fantasy, the Fae are terrifying, full-sized, and operating on their own brutal logic. From Charlaine Harris to Holly Black, this post explores the sharp-toothed truth behind the folklore—and why I prefer my fairies dangerous.
After 35 years, On Spec magazine is closing its doors—a loss not just for Canadian science fiction, but for the speculative fiction world at large. Based in Edmonton, On Spec championed stories with a uniquely Canadian voice and offered a home for emerging and established writers alike. Its final issue, The Final Voyage, marks the end of an era and raises the ever-relevant question: is this just another case of magazine churn, or a sign of the times?
Power without a price feels like cheating—and in fantasy, magic that costs nothing tends to mean nothing. Whether it’s burning memories, painful transformations, or the slow hollowing of a hero, the best magic systems leave a mark. Let’s talk about why magic should hurt—and what that says about the stories we can’t stop reading.
The Rings of Power has always been a show that rewards patience — and, frankly, rewatching. The source material Amazon is allowed to adapt is more historical chronicle than narrative, yet the series has managed to turn Tolkien’s footnotes and timelines into emotionally grounded drama that gets better each time you revisit it. With a freshly overhauled writers’ room and Season 3 diving into the forging of the One Ring, now feels like the moment the show might step fully into its potential.
The new Avengers trailers are polished, nostalgic, and carefully designed to tug at old loyalties—but this longtime fan isn’t feeling the spark. After years of overwriting storylines and ignoring emotional arcs, the magic just doesn’t land anymore. It’s not about nitpicking plot holes—it’s about wanting stories that respect their own history. Hollywood keeps hitting reset. Meanwhile, books? They remember.
A new year begins with fire. The complete Harley Firebird contemporary fantasy series is now available in one volume, bringing together eight novels and novelettes set in the remote town of Falconer—where dragons walk the streets, Old Races live alongside humans, and justice is never as simple as following the law. Meet Harley von Canmore, Falconer’s first Chief of Police, a firebird with fire in her blood and hard choices ahead of her.
Editing a thirteen-book Arthurian saga isn’t for the faint of heart. Mark pulls back the curtain on his years in the trenches with Once and Future Hearts—from navigating character continuity and protecting authorial voice to the diplomatic art of asking, “Are you sure, Tracy?” as the finale, Camlann, heads into its early-release Kickstarter celebration.
Mark takes a moment to brag — loudly and unapologetically — about Tracy’s incredible achievement: completing the thirteen-book Once and Future Hearts series and preparing its exclusive hardcover Kickstarter. From behind-the-scenes glimpses to outright spousal pride, this post celebrates the epic scope of the project and why the upcoming campaign is such a milestone.
Dark fantasy might be having a moment, but it’s not one I’m celebrating. I don’t write sweetness and light — but I do believe in redemption, earned endings, and characters who grow. Here’s why stories full of “losers losing” just don’t do it for me.
In the latest season of Daredevil, Marvel trades spectacle for something stranger — a gritty, emotionally charged story that feels less like superhero fiction and more like urban fantasy wrapped in metaphysical angst. With sharp moral ambiguity, subtle symbolism, and just enough bloodied knuckles to make a point, this is a show that doesn’t just ask who’s right or wrong — it asks what right and wrong even mean.
