This article originally appeared on Tor.com. Warning: this post contains no deep interpretations of animal companions and their impact on story. I won’t philosophize on the essential nature of furry, fuzzy, or squishy familiars or ask why they exist in the first place. Bottom line: they’re cute as hell, and sometimes that’s enough. I’m writing…
Between work, grad school, and reading, it’s a miracle I consumed any additional media in 2022. It was a busy year, and I had to prioritize the content I wanted to enjoy. But life finds a way, and I always find a fantasy realm to escape into. The media that moved me this year includes…
On top of all the enormous thicc books we read, we also read a number of novellas that we would love to talk about. Novellas tell intriguing and often very specific stories, and with such a treasure trove of short(ish) fiction out this year, we want to recognize some of the amazing stories that emerged.…
Okay, so my list will probably be a little bit different than the others. Don't worry, I confirmed with Cole that I didn't need to include necessarily new things from the year, only things I engaged with this year. Which is good for me because I am not usually one to keep up with the…
Continue reading ➞ Media That Moved Me – Autonomy and Failure
This article originally appeared on Tor.com. Places have power. In science fiction and fantasy, they have actual, magical power more often than not. SFF settings are often big by necessity. Locales need to hold entire casts of characters, sweeping civilizations, the flora and fauna flourishing in myriad biomes. Most settings function as they’re meant to,…
Continue reading ➞ Five SFF Settings That Feel Like Characters
This year, our cadre of Quill To Live writers decided to do individual posts in a “Media That Moved Us” series. The only rule: no books! We have plenty of those! Instead, we want to ruminate on the things we watched, played, and experienced that made an impact on us. When I thought about the…
Continue reading ➞ Media That Moved Me: Stories Within Stories
What a year for science fiction and fantasy books. The Quill to Live has been around for almost 8 years and I have been making these lists like clockwork for that entire span. Since I started doing this, I think 2022 is the strongest year for SFF I have ever seen. We struggled to cut…
Sometimes, our favorite fantasy characters need a break—an escape from the woes of brutal, unforgiving worlds and a safe space to ruminate on life, or simply exist in peaceful solitude. Or perhaps characters just need a warm and welcoming atmosphere to encourage a few hours of friendship and laughter, insulated against the stress and harsh…
Picking up any epic fantasy series can be an intensely intimidating experience. With their huge page counts, multiple volumes, expansive worldbuilding, and intricate magic systems, fantasy epics can easily overwhelm readers. These enormous series are often recommended by fantasy fans as “must-reads,” but how can you tell if you will like something that big before…
Continue reading ➞ Seven Epic Fantasy Series Worth The Time Investment
There is no wrong way to read (mostly), and any reading is good reading. People should feel free to spend their time the way they please, but sometimes talking to nonreaders can be frustrating. That’s where we come in. Welcome, agent, to non-reader interaction training. As a field agent in the Quill To Live SFF…
Continue reading ➞ Field Agent Training: Interacting With Non-SFF Readers
