Discover New Worlds
I just finished giving my old article on “Everything ‘Punk” a facelift. It’s polished up, reorganized, and includes more examples than before. Find out what makes a genre “punk” and learn about cyberpunk, biopunk, steampunk, dieselpunk, dreampunk, elfpunk, and more!
As part of the complete overhaul of this website, I just finished updating my essay on The History of Science Fiction Literature. Learn what science fiction is, explore the past of this massive genre, and speculate on where it’s going from here.
A short excerpt from the essay:
Exploring all that is encompassed by the name science fiction can be a daunting proposition. Like daring explorers setting out to discover uncharted worlds, this essay takes the first steps into the beyond by first delving into the past. After all, they say you can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.
Our five-part exploration of fantasy literature is now complete! Originally presented five years ago as a three-part exploration, I’ve gone through and completely revised and rewritten most of the series and greatly expanded on it. In this part, you’ll find short descriptions and examples of eighteen different subgenres of fantasy literature! This includes dark fantasy, grimdark fantasy, military fantasy, flintlock fantasy, urban fantasy, paranormal romance, gaslamp fantasy, and more! Below is a snippet of the introduction to this new essay, along with a link to the full piece:
One of the fascinating things about fantasy literature is how many different types of stories fall under this massive umbrella genre. Everything from elves and goblins in a medieval setting to witches and vampires in the modern day can be considered fantasy. This has led to a plethora of subgenres that help us communicate and identify what kind of fantasy a story is. The number of these is growing all the time, so it’s hard to even count them all. In this essay, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most enduring, popular, and interesting of these.
Or, if you want to start from the beginning and read through the whole series in order, you’ll want to head over to The History of Fantasy Literature.
Great news! The total remodel of bkbass.com is steaming along, and I’m going through my old essays, articles, and musings to completely revise their contents and presentation.
Previously, I had a series of three essays on fantasy literature. They’re getting such an overhaul, though, that there will now be five!
The third of these, High fantasy and its Major Subgenres, is now live on the website. Here’s a quick preview:
If the first things to come to mind when you think of fantasy are treks across unknown realms, sword-swinging heroes, and soaring dragons, you’re probably a fan of this side of the fantasy coin (the other side being low fantasy). Encompassing some of the oldest and most famous examples of fantasy literature, high fantasy takes us on a journey to realms wholly of the imagination, which act as a playground for almost limitless storytelling possibilities. While heroic quests are the mainstay of the genre, everything from teenage romances to murder mysteries to global wars involving the gods themselves can be found under this broad umbrella of fantasy fiction.
Great news! The total remodel of bkbass.com is steaming along, and I’m going through my old essays, articles, and musings to completely revise their contents and presentation.
Previously, I had a series of three essays on fantasy literature. They’re getting such an overhaul, though, that there will now be five!
The second of these, The Fantasy Divide: Low vs High Fantasy, is now live on the website. Here’s a quick preview:
When exploring fantasy literature, there is a clear line that can be drawn down the middle of the genre. On one hand, some fantasy stories take us on journeys contained within fantastic worlds. On the other, fantastic elements encroach on our reality or we travel from the real world to a fictional one.
I feel that at the very top of the hierarchy of fantasy subgenres lie high fantasy and low fantasy. Unlike other subgenres, which authors routinely mix and match to brew up their own unique magical potions, these categories exist as two sides of a coin, and that coin encompasses all of fantasy literature.
Great news! The total remodel of bkbass.com is steaming along, and I’m going through my old essays, articles, and musings to completely revise their contents and presentation.
Previously, I had a series of three essays on fantasy literature. They’re getting such an overhaul, though, that there will now be five!
The first of these, The History of Fantasy Literature, is now live on the website. Here’s a quick preview:
If you’ve found yourself here, you probably love fantasy literature. One of the most fascinating things about the genre, I think, is where it came from and how it became what it is today. I’m also enthralled by the many fantasy subgenres and the nuances of how they explore the fantastic in different ways.
Navigating fantasy literature and its myriad subgenres can be a daunting task. In this first leg of a multi-part journey, we will discover what the fantasy genre is and explore the history of fantasy literature with notable examples of authors and works that shaped the genre.
I’m excited to share that I have a new article appearing on Campfire Learn: “The History of Speculative Fiction and How to Write It“.
Image (C) Campfire Technology, LLC, 2023
A multiverse of possibilities may spring to mind when considering the term speculative fiction, from dragons soaring over verdant meadows to massive starships exploring the cosmos.
By contemporary reckoning, it comprises many genres and has a lineage that far predates its name.
To better understand speculative fiction, let’s go on a journey through its rich history and discover what its exciting future may hold.
Be sure to check out the full article here, and discover more amazing writing and worldbuilding advice on Campfire Learn!
After a long hiatus of waiting to be revised, then being revised, the second edition of Warriors of Understone is finally here! Embark on a heroic fantasy that tackles surprisingly deep themes, including class struggle, social mobility, bullying, discrimination, and women’s empowerment. Become immersed in a dwarven kingdom that’s lovingly crafted to bring these fantasy side characters to the center stage and give them a vibrant culture and rich history. Along the way, root for a budding will-they-or-won’t-they romance.
“I was immediately immersed into the detailed society and caught up within the caste structure and setting completely. Each character spoke with their own unique voice and pursued a grounded agenda. Their interactions wove seamlessly into a rich tapestry of visceral reality.”
“This book takes you deep into a setting rife with tradition and the stuffy winds of change. The culture is done well and the flavor it is written in is fresh. If you like fantasy at all you will love this book!”
“This book was amazing, and I would recommend it to anyone.”
The kingdom of Understone is enslaved to tradition and stagnates in isolation.
When an incident in the quarries drags Durgan away from the only life he knows, he becomes entangled in webs of political intrigue, domestic turmoil, and romance.
He must struggle to overcome his common birth and the prejudices of a stagnant society to become one of the warriors of Understone — a sprawling dwarven city deep beneath the mountains, at the heart of a kingdom that has not changed its ways in centuries.
Durgan may overcome opponents with axe and shield, but can he change the values of his people with the same tools?
Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Heroic Fantasy
Tags: Dwarves, Urban, Subterranean, Social Justice, Political Intrigue
Length: Novella (Approx 125 pages)
(Paperback coming soon.)
As we go through this journey called life, we all have wildly different experiences, but there are common threads—things that we can all relate to no matter what our journey has been like. The most prevalent of these unifying factors of the human experience is, unsurprisingly, interacting with other humans. As social animals, our relationships often define our entire existence, and the foundation upon which we build all relationships—be they personal, professional, or societal—is trust.
In Vivi Anne Hunt’s latest novel, To Trust and to Touch, the author gets to the heart of this matter using two characters who are fantastic foils for each other. One is trusting, perhaps to a fault, while the other is unwilling to trust at all.
Disclaimer: As the editor of To Trust and to Touch, I am unable to give an unbiased review on the book. However, I still wanted to share my thoughts on this wonderful story.
Once again, Vivi Anne Hunt managed to draw me into the kind of story I wouldn’t normally read if it weren’t for work. I’m not the type to pick up a romance novel off the shelf. Despite this, I was drawn into and engaged with the story of Cyrill and Alex. It was clear why this was: I could relate to the challenges the characters were facing. Again, something we can all relate to is having to trust others, and this book is all about trust.
I mentioned the characters act as foils for one another, so let’s dig into that further. The first I’d like to discuss (but not the first we see in the book) is Cyrill. On the surface, he’s a typical divorced, middle-aged single father. A couple of things shake up this formula. On one hand, he’s bisexual, though he’s not hiding this from anybody. Also, he’s part owner of an adult club, though a hands-off partner. Once we dig further into the story, we find that Cyrill is a very trusting person and even runs a charity to give abandoned LGBTQ+ youngsters a chance to get back on their feet. He’s quick to invite people into his life, even trusting others outside the family to help care for his young daughter, and is open about his past. In some ways, he might be too trusting, which is why he’s such a great foil for…
Alex, an enigma of a young man who has shuttered himself off from human contact. Something happened to cause this, though what this is remains a mystery for much of the book. He fends off unwanted contact with equal parts disinterest and hostility. He uses an abrasive attitude as a defense mechanism, and has done this for so long that he has acclimated to it being the norm. He can’t imagine himself trusting somebody by the time we catch up with his story, and he even surprises himself simply by sharing his phone number with Cyrill when they meet.
I think we’ve all been there to some degree. We’ve either trusted somebody too much and been hurt, or if lucky, we’ve had the opportunity to look back with relief that nothing bad came of it. If we were hurt, we probably shut ourselves off to a certain degree, putting up walls to prevent that pain from happening again. Life can be a cycle of this. Trusting others until somebody betrays that trust, putting up barriers, then adjusting over time to a healthier balance between openness and defensiveness.
To Trust and to Touch places a microscope over this journey by inflating it to the extremes. Cyrill’s trusting nature opens the door for Alex to start bringing down his barriers and simultaneously acts as a contrast to show just how different these two approaches to life—completely open or completely shut off—can be. It’s this cycle of trust, betrayal, and healing that I think we’ve all been through that makes this book one that I believe anybody can relate to, be they a fan of romance or not.
If you are a fan of romance, I can assure you—objectively—that is has that as well!
You can watch, but you can’t touch.
Alex performs at the infamous adult club, Kink World. He’s only in it for the money, and he has one rule: no touching. He doesn’t trust anybody that much. However, a chance encounter with a man who is the very epitome of the word safe may change all that. A man who runs a charity for abandoned queer kids, who has a five-year-old daughter, and who is unlike anyone Alex has ever met.
After years of focusing on raising his daughter and running his charity, Sigh’s status quo is shaken up when he meets a man covered in vine tattoos outside his brother’s club. The young man stirs a longing he has ignored for far too long. However, he seems unwilling to let anybody in, so Sigh faces an insurmountable challenge to overcome these barriers and find some way to connect.
Will Alex ever let someone touch him? Will Sigh find somebody to fill the emptiness? Will the men find a way to heal together?
To Trust and to Touch is available now. Find out more about the book below:
Meet Vivi Anne Hunt, the author of To Trust and to Touch.
Vivi Anne Hunt writes steamy m/m romance books about men who love and protect each other fiercely. She’s a big fan of age difference and hurt/comfort, so you will often find those elements in her books.
As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, she advocates for more diverse representation in books. As a proud self-published author, she supports the indie author community however she can.
Vivi lives with her cat and her bossy muse. You can find her tweeting obsessively @ViviAnneHunt. Come say hi.
Did you find this interesting? Check out “The Emotional Power of Kai’s Healing Smiles” for my reflection on Vivi’s first novel, Kai’s Healing Smiles.
The second book of The Burning Sands is now available! The story of Brego, a desert nomad and escaped slave, continues, along with his companions: Apa, a disgraced magi on the run from justice, and Khag, the kind-hearted orc. The story picks up a short time after the end of Blood of the Desert, and we find our trio of unlikely friends settling into a new life among Brego’s people, the Taerwyn, in the Great Sand Sea. However, an unexpected raiding party of orcs turns an idyllic night into one of fire and strife. In the ashes, they find the chieftain’s son, Timik, has been abducted by the orcs. In search of the boy and answers, they set out Into the Red Wastes.
War looms on the horizon, and the chaos centers around the fate of one boy. Timik, son of of a Taerwyn chieftain, has been taken by the orcs of the Red Wastes.
As his people prepare for battle, the Taerwyn nomad Brego sets out across the unforgiving desert to find the boy with his two brothers-in-arms: the Cressian magi Apa and the orc warrior Khag. They hope to find the boy and rescue him to prevent further bloodshed and discover what sinister plan led to his abduction. However, they may discover things are not as simple as they expected as they journey into the Red Wastes.
Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, High Fantasy
Tags: Desert, Bronze Age, Nomads, Orcs, Action Adventure
Length: Novella (Approx 125 pages)
Great news for members of Kindle Unlimited is that not only is Into the Red Wastes available to read for free on the service, but the first book, Blood of the Desert, is also now available on Kindle Unlimited for the first time! For those without Kindle Unlimited, the first book will be temporarily free for everybody starting tomorrow, from December first through the fifth! If you haven’t read the first book yet, now is the perfect time to venture to the desert world of Erimos.
“I was thrilled at the level of world building that went on in this book. The setting is every bit as I imagined it would be with a dashing title like that, and the characters jump off of the page and into you head like you’ve known them all your life.”
“I could not put this book down. I finished it in one sitting. If you like a great, fast read, this is for you. The characters came alive, and their adventures have you wishing for more.”
Brego, Apa, and Khag’s journey will continue. Keep an eye out for more news about the third book in the series, Empire of the Scale, in the future!
B.K. Bass, Author and Editor 