Category Archives: Fantasy

The Latest from Carolina Book Beat

Bull Spec publisher Samuel Montgomery-Blinn (broadcast 1-2-2012)  Sam talks about the importance of fantasy and science fiction in the world of literature and about the why and how of his involvement in the world of publishing.  Bull Spec is a magazine of speculative fiction devoted largely but not absolutely entirely to local Carolina writers.  published quarterly from Durham, North Carolina.  A very attractively put together magazine featuring some great reading.  Explore a little at  http://www.bullspec.com/

Best SciFi/ Fantasy of 2011

Here is a link, Fired Up,  to Lev Grossman’s picks for the “best of….” for 2011.  Looks like some good reading to me.  What do you think?

He modestly didn’t put his own book, The Magician King, on the list but you can find out more about that by going to the Fantasy heading on this blog’s podcast and listening in to the interview we did with him.

The Latest from Carolina Book Beat

Kingdom in the Balance/The Source by Debra Killeen/Diana Bastine (broadcast 9-19-2011)  Sister authors, Killeen and Bastine, have each come up with good reading fantasy novels that fit into the young adult category.  Kingdom in the Balance, by Killeen, is the final and very satisfying installment in The Myrridian Cycle.  This series of five books takes place in a medieval kingdom discovered by accidental visitors from our time who become actively involved, as does the reader, in a world where Magic works and who controls it intensifies the intrigue.  The Source, by Bastine, also takes us into another world but this is one hidden in ancient caves deep below the magic terrain of Ireland.  The story begins when a young girl discovers a strange-looking man who she first suspect is a vampire but soon learns something about him even more fantastic.  This is Bastine’s first novel and gives promise of a lot more enjoyable reading to come.   Find out more at http://www.myrridia.net/    and http://www.fairycatmother.net/

The Latest from Carolina Book Beat

The Magician King by Lev Grossman (broadcast 9-5-11) Here is an invitation to enter another world, a world of magic, challenging, oft times dangerous, but always offering the possibility of achieving all one might wish for.  The Magician King continues the story of very human individuals who happen to have rare and special gifts.  How these gifts effect their lives, their humanity and the worlds they live in forms the basis of the literary fantasy series that began with the  bestselling The Magicians.  Listen in as Grossman talks about the difference between Fantasy and Science Fiction, writing and why we need the printed page.  Find out more at The Magician King