Satan, Dracula, Sauron, Lord Foul, Darth Vader. The motif of the Satanic Dark Lord is ever-present in science fiction and fantasy, a malign intelligence seeking to thwart the Chosen One.In the literature of the 1980s and 90s, the Dark Lord is always defeated. However, post-millennium, there are signs that he has finally begun to get the upper hand, as we witness his change from anti-hero to hero.In this enthralling study, prize-winning author A J Dalton considers how our un...

Nominated for the BSFA Awards 2017 for non-fiction and cover art!'This is an essential guide to help readers and writers of fantasy know their grimdark from their urban, dark, epic, high and metaphysical fantasy. International fantasy author A J Dalton explains how each of the sub-genres of fantasy literature is a response to their own social and historical period. Each sub-genre thereby describes a distinct political and philosophical outlook. Fantasy is far more important than ma...

WINNER OF THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARDS 2018 - NON-FICTION.2 of the papers have been nominated for the BSFA Awards 2017: Kim Lakin-Smith and Juliet McKenna.JULIET MCKENNA'S PAPER SHORTLISTED FOR THE BSFA AWARDS 2017SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD NON-FICTION 2018!“Gender identity and sexuality in Current Fantasy and Science Fiction” is the first Call for Papers of Academia Lunare, the non-fiction arm of Luna Press Publishing.The papers explore...

How do you write a novel?Practising novelists and teachers of creative writing reveal their working methods and offer practical advice. Subjects covered range from magic realism to characterisation, surrealism to historical fiction, via perspective, plot twists and avoiding being boring, among many others.This book is forcreative writing studentswriters and readers of novelsteachers of creative writingWith co...

We don't need to 'save the planet.'The planet doesn't care; it's been through this before.Earth will survive and crack on with or without us.But as things currently stand......it'll be without usThis exciting and relevant new collection inspired by climate change, nrings together the writing talents of Gabriela Houston, Mark Kirkbride, Nadine Dalton-West, Michael Conroy, Gabriel Wisdom, Jamie Bear, Amie Angele Brochu, John J Ernest, Jodie Hammond, St...

In the Empire of the Saviours, the People are forced to live in fortified towns. Their walls are guarded by an army of Heroes, whose task is to keep marauding pagans out as much as it is to keep the People inside. Several times a year, living Saints visit the towns to exact the Saviours' tithe from all those coming of age - a tithe often paid in blood.When a young boy, Jillan, unleashes pagan magicks in an accident, his whole town turns against him. He goes on the run, but what hop...

Ancient Gods begin to stir and demand resurrection...A naked and crazy holy man leads a young warrior into the realm of the dead...In fear for his life, a young member of an evil race flees his home...An uneasy peace has settled upon Jillan's remote corner of the Empire, but he cannot return to his previous simple life. Tricked into a bargain with the manipulative God of Mayhem, he is forced to embark upon a journey that will leave his hometown undefended. Unsure of...

The gods will see you brought down...The spirits of your ancestors will have their revenge upon you...The Saviours will drain you of your very soul.In claiming a place in the world, mortals have won many enemies for themselves. The ancient gods are jealous and conspire against them. The King of the Dead looks to lead his armies into the land of the living. In their own realm, the mighty Declension watches and waits, as events begin to unfold...

FROM THE RUINS, A HERO WILL RISECondemned as a murderer for killing the man who dishonored his sister, Blaine McFadden has been banished for years to a penal colony in the frigid northern wastelands of Edgeland. Military discipline and the oppressive magic of the governor's mages keep a fragile peace, as colonists struggle to survive in the harshest of conditions. But now the supply ships have stopped coming, and this bodes ill for the kingdom that banished the col...

This first adventure in a dark fantasy series follows the war between the warriors of Fellein and the mythical people of the Blasted Lands, who worship 7 gods of war . . .Captain Merros Dulver is the first in many lifetimes to find a path beyond the great mountains of the Seven Forges and encounter, at long last, the half-forgotten race who live there. And it would appear that they were expecting him. But when he returns home, an entourage of strangers in tow, he s...

Mordecai's simple life as the son of a blacksmith is transformed by the discovery of his magical birthright. As he journeys to understand the power within him he is drawn into a dangerous plot to destroy the Duke of Lancaster and undermine the Kingdom of Lothion. Love and treachery combine to embroil him in events he was never prepared to face. What he uncovers will change his understanding of the past, and alter the future of those around him.

Seven years have passed since Mordecai's battle with the Shining God, Celior, and since that time his control of his abilities has vastly improved. He has at last envisioned a use for the 'God-Stone', but the gods want vengeance and now seek to destroy everything he has built. The secrets of the past threaten the future of his kingdom, his family, and perhaps humanity itself, unless Mordecai can discover the meaning of 'Illeniel's Doom'. How far will a desperate wizard go to protect his ch...