james_admin, Author at James T Kelly

Great Fantasy Novels: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

james_admin August 10, 2014 No Comments

Surprise, surprise, eh? Seems we can’t get away from Game of Thrones no matter where we go. But there’s a reason for that: it’s a very good fantasy novel. The…

Great Fantasy Books: Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb

james_admin August 4, 2014 No Comments

Quests seem as integral to the fantasy genre as eggs are to cake. But while I know at least one person who bakes without eggs, Robin Hobb didn’t break with…

Writing Lessons from Short Stories

james_admin June 17, 2014 No Comments

Anyone who has met me or frequented this site has probably guessed that brevity is not my greatest strength. I have a habit of over-thinking things, which means I like…

Writing Lessons from Calvin & Hobbes

james_admin May 9, 2014 No Comments

I love Calvin & Hobbes. I was introduced to it at, I believe, the age of 11. Up until that point I’d read strips like Garfield and, to a lesser…

Writing Lessons from Empire Strikes Back

james_admin April 9, 2014 No Comments

I loved Empire Strikes Back as a kid so much that I wore out the tape. Don’t get me wrong, I love all three films of the original trilogy, but…

Writing Lessons From Gravity

james_admin March 12, 2014 No Comments

I often say that Avatar was the first film I saw in 3D but that’s not true. It was a space documentary narrated by Tom Cruise in the London IMAX.…

11 of Matt Smith’s Best Doctor Who Moments

james_admin January 4, 2014 No Comments

I’ll miss Matt Smith. I make no bones about that. I’ve said before that he’s my favourite Doctor. He’s a young actor but played the Doctor very old. And very…

Super Review: Woman in Black by Susan Hill

james_admin June 11, 2013 No Comments

You’ve probably heard of The Woman In Black, no doubt thanks to the film starring Daniel Radcliffe. That’s how I heard of it. I saw a trailer for it that…

Review: Legend Unleashed by M. Latimer-Ridley

james_admin March 5, 2013 No Comments

Temperance Levinthal is a regular girl who finds herself caught up in a conflict between wizards and werewolves and finds out more about herself than she expected. Maybe that sounds…

Review: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

james_admin February 13, 2013 No Comments

It’s time to ‘fess up: I have an English Literature degree. That means I know what the meaning of words like “mimesis” and “bildungsroman” and “post structuralism”. They mean “I…

Writing Lessons From The Hobbit

james_admin January 30, 2013 No Comments

I wasn’t a fan of The Hobbit. There, I said it. I loved Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films, but The Hobbit felt bloated, poorly paced and, quite…

Review: Terry Pratchett’s Nome Trilogy

james_admin January 12, 2013 No Comments

“They say things like ‘How are you?’ and ‘Have a nice day’ and ‘What do you think of this weather, then?’ What these sounds mean is: I am alive and…

Writing Lessons from One Fan at Hard Rock Calling

james_admin July 18, 2012 No Comments

There were plenty of banners at Bruce Springsteen’s concert at Hyde Park, song titles held above heads in an effort to persuade him to play them. He’s known to do…

5 Books Every Fantasy Writer Should Read

james_admin July 4, 2012 No Comments

Aren’t you tired of coming across lists like this one only to find the same old books on them? Don’t you wish, just once, that someone would recommend something that…

Writing Lessons from Joss Whedon

james_admin June 13, 2012 No Comments

There was a time when Joss Whedon was hailed as king of the geeks, a feminist, and even something of a hero to many. I certainly admired his writing, following…

Interview with Crime Fantasy Author Dave Sivers

james_admin May 2, 2012 No Comments

One of the things I love about genre fiction is its lack of fear for new ideas. I recently came across an author who embodied this fearlessness. In his debut…

Author: james_admin