Ragnarok Publications was kind enough to share a short little essay by me on my favorite misunderstood monster in fantasy: the orc. Who doesn’t love those green-skinned ne’er-do-wells? Well, apparently the gods of fantasy don’t because they always get the short end of the stick. But what is “evil” in fantasy and why must it always be the pug-looking tusked warrior races? I don’t get into it in-depth but my article talks a little about how it ties into my upcoming book Wraith Knight.
I’m pleased to say Grimdark Magazine, a great fanzine I have a lot of respect for, has seen fit to include two articles by me in their latest publication. These are, “WHO IS THE GRIMDARK VILLAIN?” which is a sequel to a similar article by in Grimdark Magazine 5#. I also do a review of the Dishonored Definitive Edition. There’s a really great interview with Aliette de Bodard plus a round table discussion of grimdark with Tim Marquitz, Geoff Brown, Katie Cord, and Shawn Speakman. This is in addition to all the usual goodies like short stories and book reviews.
Purchase Grimdark Magazine 6# at Grimdark Magazine’s website or on Amazon.com.
I’m pleased to say GRIMDARK MAGAZINE, a great fanzine I have a lot of respect for, has seen fit to include two articles by me in their latest publication. These are, “WHO IS THE GRIMDARK HERO?” which analyzes what sort of protagonist is found in those types of books as well as a review of THE WITCHER 3. There’s also some really great interviews with folk like PETER ORULLIAN and JAMES A. MOORE.
Hilariously, Peter Orullian references our review of BLACKGUARDS: TALES OF ASSASSINS, MERCENARIES, AND THIEVES. Why is it hilarious? He was one of the few negative reviews I gave about the short stories therein. Oh well, Peter, we still love you and your work.
The second part of my essay discussing the difference between Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, and Grimdark. The essay is a bit rough in places due to italicization issues but I think it’s really-really fun and well-written. I mean, hey, I wrote it after all.
Hehe.
I had a good discussion with James R. Schmidt on his blog about the subject of grimdark and its various manifestations. We jokingly called this our “Round Table” discussion of the a subject and got to tackle the idea of grimdark as a subject, what it means to the genre of fantasy, and whether it’s here to stay or not.
Good stuff.
Urban Fantasy Investigations was kind enough to do an article with me called, “Is Dark Urban Fantasy a genre?” Which is my analysis of whether or not urban fantasy has gotten to the point it can be divided into different subgenres. Sadly, the article misspelled the title of my book in the intro but that’s a small deal.
C.T. Phipps 