Monthly Archives: November 2018

Why does fantasy have to be so long?

Posted on 24 November 2018 by Barbara Howe

Why is so much speculative fiction so long? In the past year I have read several stories that were more than 500 pages: Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (782 pages), Brandon Sanderson’s Well of Ascension (763 pages), Eric … Continue reading →

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Armistice Day

Posted on 10 November 2018 by Barbara Howe

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the guns stopped. That was one hundred years ago today. Out of a population of one million, New Zealand sent nearly one hundred thousand (100,000) men—and a few … Continue reading →

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Uprooted

Posted on 4 November 2018 by Barbara Howe

Uprooted, the Nebula-award-winning novel by Naomi Novik, is one of the most captivating fantasy novels I have read in several years. I was hooked within the first page, from the fairytale-like opening paragraphs, and although there are a few things … Continue reading →

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