Mara Franzen

Mara (They/Them) has accidentally on purpose made their entire life about books and stories. Mara graduated with a B.A in creative writing and theatre and is halfway through an MFA in Creative writing. In addition to writing for Book Riot, Mara also has written for The Independent Book Review, Wargamer, and The Other Half, to name a few. They also work as a fiction editor with The Minison Project. Nearly all of their published articles can be found here.

The Very Grungiest of Sci-Fi

If you're looking for grungy, industrial style science fiction, look no further than these books.

Fantasy Books With a Classic Magic System

Some of these books may be more recent, but they showcase fantasy's classic magic systems in fresh and exciting ways.

How Choose Your Own Adventure Books Taught Me to Be a Better Reader

Many read the Choose Your Own Adventure novels as children, but even if you didn't, they hit a little differently when read by adults.

Pathfinder vs. Dungeons and Dragons: Which Should You Play?

Wondering whether to play Pathfinder vs. Dungeons and Dragons? I'm here to help with differences in gameplay, abilities, and more.

Do My Old Favorites Still Hold Up?

There is just something so comforting about sinking back into a familiar world, but do books read in years past hold up is the question.

Dying Earth Sci-Fi Books: We Gotta Find a New Planet, and Fast!

In these dying Earth sci-fi books, humanity is in a life-or-death race to find another habitable planet before it's too late.

10 Books You Didn’t Know Were Getting Adapted

Coming soon to a screen near you: these 10 books you probably didn't know were in the process of being adapted!

9 of the Best Video Game and Audiobook Pairings

These video game and audiobook pairings complement each other for the ideal playing and listening experience.

Comic Villains You Forgot (Or Didn’t Know) Existed

Superhero comics go through a lot of villains of the week. Here are some of the comic book villains you've probably forgotten.

13 Fantasy Books That Need To Be Adapted for the Screen

From classics of the genre to brand new releases, these fantasy books are begging to be adapted for TV or film!