Realms of Fantasy Accepting Submissions

Realms of Fantasy, the bimonthly publication, announced recently that the door has just been opened to writers and artists for submissions.

The magazine has had quite a year. It was announced in January that the publication would be closing after its April 2009 issue. But then in March, a new announcement revealed that Tir Na Nog Press purchased Realms of Fantasy from Sovereign Media and would keep the magazine alive. They opened a temporary splash page at http://www.realmsoffantasymag.com.

I was lucky to receive a review copy but I’m embarrassed to admit, the issue got lost in my stack of books to be read. Sorry guys. But I found it and here I am.

My first impression of the magazine was that it is beautiful. The artwork is high quality and the publication is printed on nice stock. According to the official description, the magazine covers fantasy, Arthurian sagas, ancient myths, contemporary fantasy, and features fantasy artists, movie reviews, new computer games, board, card, and role-playing games.

However, in terms of content, I found a mixed bag. The game, movie and book reviews were informative, but I found some of the nonfiction articles were just a little odd, particularly an article entitled “Folkroots.” This article was a wandering assessment of “mystic rhythms” that seemed to drift from one religion to another in its attempt to trace the roots of music. Meanwhile, the fiction was comprised of solid speculative works.

I’m not sure how long Realms of Fantasy has been published, but it undoubtedly has a loyal fan base. And the truth remains (as pointed out in an editorial by Fiction Editor Shawn McCarthy), that publications like this have helped to give a leg up to many talented, aspiring writers and artists. In that regard, I wish them the best of luck.

If you are an artist or writer interested in submission details, see the details found in this blog post by Nonfiction Editor Doug Cohen:
http://douglascohen.livejournal.com/206482.html

It’s Here! The Gathering Storm Hits Shelves Today

It’s finally here! Today is Release Day for The Gathering Storm, the twelfth book in the Wheel of Time Series. This could arguably be the biggest release of the year in fantasy fiction. It will be interesting to see what sales figures are come this time next week. For now, this will have to do. Here’s the official product description:

Tarmon Gai’don, the Last Battle, looms. And mankind is not ready.

The final volume of the Wheel of Time, A Memory of Light, was partially written by Robert Jordan before his untimely passing in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of the Mistborn books, was chosen by Jordan’s editor—his wife, Harriet McDougal—to complete the final book. The scope and size of the volume was such that it could not be contained in a single book, and so Tor proudly presents The Gathering Storm as the first of three novels that will make up A Memory of Light. This short sequence will complete the struggle against the Shadow, bringing to a close a journey begun almost twenty years ago and marking the conclusion of the Wheel of Time, the preeminent fantasy epic of our era.

The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.

Several retailers are offering deep discounts off the book’s $29.99 retail price. For example, you can currently purchase the book from Amazon for $16.49. For more details, click here.

Amazon Giving Away 10 Kindles

This week only Amazon is giving away 10 Kindles. All you have to do is add to or create a new wish list on Amazon’s web site between today and Nov. 1. No purchase required. For details, see:

http://www.amazon.com/b/?node=2223323011&ref_=pe_1130_13167180

Servant of a Dark God, by John Brown

One book I’ve been hearing a lot about lately is Servant of a Dark God by John Brown. This book, Brown’s debut novel, is published by Tor Books and was just recently released in mid-October. I looked him up on the web and found the author is offering the first 60 pages or so as a preview.

I haven’t read the entire novel, but based on the sample pages, I found the novel a bit gruesome and dark, but the writer in me can appreciate the fact that, wow, this guy can write. He definitely knows how to evoke the reader’s emotions. Before long, I found myself forgetting I was trying to critique the book and instead was caught up in the story. Books 2 and 3 in the series are: Curse of a Dark God (to be released in 2010) and Dark God’s Glory (to be released in 2011).

You can find the sample pages here: http://johndbrown.com/novels/
The author’s website is here: http://johndbrown.com
You can find more info on the book here.

Bid for a Chance to be in a Terry Brooks Novel

Terry Brooks is auctioning off the opportunity for the winner to appear in a future novel. The proceeds go to benefit the World Association for Children and Parents child assistance charity.  The auction is the WACAP’s 4th Annual Children’s Hope Auction.

A link to the Terry Brook’s character auction is here. As of today, the leading bid is $175. Here’s the blurb from that page:

Item Description: Would you like to be immortal?  For more than 30 years, Terry Brooks has been a highly influential force in fantasy fiction. His first book, The Sword of Shannara, was published in 1977 and made publishing history, becoming the first work of fiction to appear on the New York Times Trade Paperback Bestseller list, where it remained for over five months.  His Shannara, Landover and Word & Void books have made him one of the top picks of fantasy readers worldwide.  His works have been compared to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings.  Now you can be a character in one of his books.  With over 50 books currently in print, you can be assured that any book he writes will be read by thousands and become a part of book collections in home and libraries around the world.  In addition, you will receive an autographed copy of the finished book on publication.

Special Instructions: The author, of course, retains the right to decide if you will be a hero, a villain, a human, a monster or something even stranger.  The more you bid, the better your chances of being cast in a favorable role and being given a larger part in the story.

Marcher Lord Press Now on Scribd.com

Yes, Marcher Lord Press has another news flash. The publisher’s books are now available on Scribd.com, which describes itself as a social publishing company. Scribd.com is a website where anyone can publish any type of PDF, Word, PowerPoint or Excel file, thus making it a web document that can be accessed by any registered members.

To celebrate its launch on the Scribd.com website, Marcher Lord Press is offering the novel Starfire by Stuart Vaughn Stockton for only $5 until next Tuesday.

Here’s the official blurb on Starfire:

Rathe is a late-hatch saurn with something to prove. Someone born into such a low caste has no hope of achieving much of anything in this life–unless he can prove himself as a warrior. Through his own skill and a fortuitous encounter with a massive creature, Rathe seeks to rise through the trials to secure a position within the imperial army.

But larger forces are at work in the world, and Rathe has been chosen for a grand and terrible destiny. Through an enemy invasion, revitalized technology from an ancient civilization, and supernatural entities beyond his understanding, Rathe is presented with an unfathomable choice. No matter what he decides, it seems an empire–or a world–will be destroyed.

And the only things informing Rathe’s decision are affection for a small saurin under his care and the admonitions from the mystical representative of a god Rathe doesn’t believe in.

Stuart Vaughn Stockton’s website: http://www.ritersbloc.com

You can find Marcher Lord Press on Scribd at http://www.scribd.com/marcher%20lord%20press