Julian Barr

Yeah, I don't regret banning it in our house!

That's very kind. Thank you Sparrow.

This all sounds very promising Sparrow! But if you need to make space for your own stuff, make that a priority over reading mine.

Games have come a very long way since then, but the story is excellent.

It's very, very good.

On the plus side, the Khan audio drama is legit good. I love Kirsten Beyer's writing and would love her to be a showrunner. This may be as close as we'll get?

The other day Akiva Goldsman and Henry Alonso Myers said that because of the time constraints imposed by the Writer's Guild strike, a lot of season 3 was done on the fly. Which makes so much sense, as this season hasn't been the best.

One nice thing about self contained episodes is that it's easy to skip the plonkers and the story doesn't get stuck in that place for the rest of the season. So that's... something? But yeah, that felt like a bad episode of Enterprise. And that's saying something.

I have a short story in this brand new fantasy anthology! It's called The Stranger's Gift and I'm rather proud of it. It's definitely the most unsettling thing I've written! You can grab an e-book here:

books2read.com/u/4jjpzY

Bookish on HBO Max is really top notch. Very cleverly written, great production values, excellent performances, stylish direction and a score that zings.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds isn't for everyone, and I respect that. But it is such a welcome respite from difficult real-life stuff. A show to watch with a nice cup of cocoa and a bowl of cereal.

I want to like HBO's Dune: Prophecy, but it's...

*deep breath*

A sequel to a sequel to a prequel to a prequel which precedes another prequel to FH's original Dune, tying into BH and KJA's tie-ins plus the recent films.

And they say modern media is getting too complicated!

This is a quality thread about writing for IP!

Just delivered the script for Slayhemn Issue 2!!

I hear that.

I'm very grateful to my local library for providing a place to charge my phone when I had no power in the aftermath of Cyclone Alfred! Huzzah for libraries! Huzzah!

So glad you are enjoying it!

A lot of Avatar fans tell me I remind them of Tenzin. I appreciate it, as Tenzin is a wise and kind man who does his best for his community and his family. But the story of Prince Zuko never fails to move me on every rewatch.

Julian Barr Author, Editor, Itinerant Bard

It took a Herculean effort, but I redesigned my website to look a bit more modern and make my books easier to find, and to include my recent releases!

jbarrauthor.com

I've read these and they're great! Excellent cosy fantasy crossed with British folk horror.

Yeah... Remember when they used to show pilots on TV as a "movie of the week?" That's what it felt like. Didn't hate it, didn't love it. Would love to see what the cast could do with more character development, but don't think we'll get the chance.

My hot take on Star Trek: Section 31? It's three acts that never quite cohere into a movie.

(I do also have an illustrated YA trilogy retelling the Aeneid, if that is of interest!)

Sorry for my late reply! I think the best one I can recommend is Rosemary Sutcliffe's retelling, illustrated gorgeously by Alan Lee.

(Yes, I say 'Huzzah!' too much, but there are worse vices!)

Just sent The Flame of Excalibur off to @saperebooks.bsky.social! Huzzah!

My first book is free. scgowland.com/contact/

“Epic fantasy at its best…”

“A fantastic read, full of snappy dialogue and emotional resonance.”

"Honestly it's a breath of fresh air in fantasy. Highly recommend."

My youngest: "I'm confused, Dad. Didn't you write the Odyssey?"
Me: "God bless you, son."

My epic fantasy, World Breaker, is out in the world! "Proper old-school high fantasy with a heart." Many thanks @markstay.bsky.social for the wonderful pull quote!

mybook.to/worldbreaker

Just finished drafting the first book of my Arthurian Chronicles. Just over 100k words, 345 pages. The working title... THE FLAME OF EXCALIBUR! It goes off to @saperebooks.bsky.social at the end of the month. Huzzah! 😀