Steven Till

South of us Xinan lies under a sickle moon.
Lanterns will soon be bright in the spring night.
Laughter and music and rich wine poured.
Far to the west where all roads end.
Cold stars shine on white bones.
Beside the stone shores of a lake.
In the valley of Kuala Nor, beside the waters of a lake, Shen Tai, the […]

Filed under: Historical Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Book Reviews on August 9th, 2010 | No Comments »

A classic retelling of Marie de France’s medieval romance, “Bisclavret (The Werewolf)” by Mark Lord is set in France during the 14th century. The story is a first-person narrative, told by the daughter of the late lord of Trigoff. Interestingly enough, Mark uses a woman as the main character to tell the story, and he […]

Filed under: Short Stories, Short Fiction, Middle Ages History, Medieval History, Fantasy on July 26th, 2010 | No Comments »

So I’m not a Harry Potter fan, never actually read any of the books, but the new theme park at Universal looks pretty cool. It opened this past weekend. If anyone had the chance to go, I’d like to hear first hand how you thought it was. Apparently, 5000 people were waiting in line for opening […]

Filed under: Fantasy on June 22nd, 2010 | 5 Comments »

Winter is Coming …

Filed under: George R.R. Martin, Fantasy, Books and Movies on June 14th, 2010 | No Comments »

I stumbled across The Fantasy Guide, which is website run by Will Kalif, who also manages other medieval-based websites. The Fantasy Guide focuses on all things fantasy (surprise) in reading and writing, and includes various topics such as: fantasy book series, fantasy worlds, fantasy themes, authors, heroes and heroines, top fantasy book lists, fantasy news, […]

Filed under: Fantasy on April 26th, 2010 | 3 Comments »

The following is the official HBO announcement that was released yesterday:
For Immediate Release April 12, 2010
EXPERT CREATES LANGUAGE FOR NEW HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES
David J. Peterson, an expert language creator from the Language Creation Society (LCS), has been chosen to create the Dothraki language for HBO’s upcoming fantasy series GAME OF THRONES, based on the […]

Filed under: George R.R. Martin, Fantasy on April 13th, 2010 | 2 Comments »

According to the Hollywood Reporter:
Chris Albrecht is building “Camelot” at Starz.
In its first series order since Albrecht took the reins as president and CEO, the pay cabler has greenlighted a contemporary retelling of the Arthurian legend from a producing team that encompasses four countries — the U.S., U.K., Ireland and Canada — and is led […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval History, Fantasy, Books and Movies on March 23rd, 2010 | 2 Comments »

If you need help creating a setting for your novel, try these fantasy world building questions. Topics include: The World (Basics, Alternate Earth, Not Earth at All), Physical and Historical Features, Magic and Magicians, Peoples and Customs, Social Organization, Commerce and Trade, Daily Life.
All of the questions may not apply to the story you’re writing, […]

Filed under: Fantasy on February 24th, 2010 | 7 Comments »

From the post: “Of course, in Alabama the Tuscaloosa, but that is entirely irrelephant…”
I went to Alabama, to Tuscaloosa.
Before I left, I was interviewed by Tuscaloosa newspapers. “What do you expect of Alabama?” they asked “What do you know of Alabama?” I was a bit puzzled by that. It’s the kind of question you usually […]

Filed under: Fantasy on February 23rd, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Neil Gaiman will be visiting the campus of my alma mater tonight, February 18. According to UA News:
Neil Gaiman, the award-winning author of the fantasy novels “The Graveyard Book,” “Coraline,” “Stardust,” “American Gods” and “Anansi Boys,” will read from his work at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18, at the Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa. The reading […]

Filed under: Fantasy on February 18th, 2010 | No Comments »