It’s New Year’s Eve, the day when we not only wave the old year farewell but reflect on all that happened within it. From a blog point of view, there can be no better day to look at the ten posts that really grabbed your attention—as “…On Anything Really” friends and readers, regular followers and visitors—during the course of 2018.

As with past years, I shall order the most-read ten posts chronologically from the year’s beginning to its end. So without further ado, listward ho!

1. January 1 — Looking Back, Looking Forward; Farewell 2017, Welcome 2018

In which I reflected on the nature and origins of the new year celebration, as well as my overall experience of 2017 and my hopes for the year ahead — all of which clearly “spoke” to quite a few of you, as well, which is nice.

2. January 29 — Ursula K Le Guin, 1929 – 2018

“Ursula K. Le Guin passed away last week at the age of 88, after a long and prestigious life in letters…” These words mark my personal tribute to this great author, in my view one of the most accomplished writers and significant voices of her time. I am not surprised, therefore, that this post was among the most-read of the year.

Why this cover, you may ask, which is among the oldest for this novel? For me, it has always best captured one of Ms Le Guin’s most significant works.

3. March 5 — Fab Spaceships Of SFF

I had a great deal of fun writing this post, so am glad you seem to have enjoyed reading it just as much. The post was sparked by UK author, Gareth Powell’s “Top 10” — a timely reminder to me of how much I love spaceships in literature and film/television. [Coughs] That would be a LOT!

4. April 28 — The Wall Of Night Series Map

I’m always pleased when a post on an aspect of my own writing takes your fancy, in this case The Wall Of Night series’ map. Although I put together the original, the professional rendition of my hand-drawn ideas was the work of artist PJ Fitzpatrick.

As the next three entries show, it’s pretty clear what sparked your interest in the mid-part of the year. This post series, which is currently ongoing, turned into a bit of a monster, but it seems to be a monster that you liked, so it’s all good. 😉

5. May 7 — Having Fun With Epic Fantasy Tropes #1: A Farm Boy/Gal Goes On a Journey

This may just be the most deeply embedded of all the epic fantasy tropes, which have their roots deep in myth, folklore, and fairytales, so it seemed the right one to kick off the series. It’s probably a reflection of the series’ overall popularity, with several more of the posts crowding on the heels of the top ten, that this first post is also one of the three that made it onto the most-read list.

6. May 28 — Having Fun With Epic Fantasy Tropes #4: Apocalypse Now

Who doesn’t love a good apocalypse? From Ragnarok to Station Eleven, apparently “…on Anything, Really” readers do, because this is one of your “big three” instalments of the post series. 🙂 Yours truly had a lot of fun writing it, too, though maybe not quite as much as…

7. July 9 — Having Fun With Epic Fantasy Tropes #7: Fortunately, There Was A Portal

From fairy hills to the wardrobe and Platform 9 ³/₄, and the Gates of the Dead to the Gate of Ivrel, portals are one of the great staples of both Science Fiction and Fantasy — which may also explain why y’all were very much on board for this post. 😉 And yes, they do feature in my own writing, because you can never have too much of a good thing, right? Right! 😀

8. August 27 — About That Book Then: Time For A WALL#4 Update

I believe the title of this post says it all, but I was and am grateful for your interest in the post and the support shown via the comments. Thank you.

9. November 19 — Inside Middle Earth: Driving To Edoras

Again, you appear to enjoyed my account of driving to the site of Edoras, in the hinterland of the Hakatere Lakes and on the road to Erewhon and the Southern Alps, as much as I enjoyed the actual adventure—which was fabulous. Just sayin’

10. December 3 — Meetings With Remarkable Trees: Peel Forest

I suspect my “true colours” as a tree person are pretty well nailed to the blog mast by now, but just in case anyone missed the memo, I shared my meeting with the marvelous giants of the remnant Peel Forest earlier this month. Long may they continue to stand tall.

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And there we have it, the ten most-read posts of 2018. Thank you all for dropping by and reading what I have to post; thank you, too, for reading and supporting my books. I hope you continue to call in, and maybe even leave a comment or two in 2019. I also hope that it may be the year when I bring you the Very Good News that I have typed “the end” on WALL#4. In fact, I’ll raise my glass to that, as well as to all of you. 🙂

Happy New Year!