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Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks

10. March 2010

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Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks

When I saw this book in my library, I immediately picked it up, and proceeded to blast through it in about two days. Though the book is not primarily about “gaming geeks” in a way that I was originally hoping for, it still offers an interesting trip through many avenues of fantasy fandom.

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Axe Cop is the best thing to happen to comics since sliced bread

2. February 2010

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Axe Cop is the best thing to happen to comics since sliced bread

A few days ago a huge, explosive event happened on the Internet. Loud enough to cause social sites of every stripe to sit up and take notice. Explody enough to almost trend on Twitter (an event a lot of folks are still working towards dammit). That explosion has a name: Axe Cop.

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Peter Straub’s A Dark Matter (book) sounds great, gave birth to this video

27. January 2010

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Peter Straub’s A Dark Matter (book) sounds great, gave birth to this video

I've read a few Straub books and I've never been disappointed. His newest, A Dark Matter is hitting the shelves on February 9th. It sounds really interesting in that four high school friends each recount a supernatural event to a journalist friend of theirs, many years after. Each retelling is a bit different from the others but all suggest that the event in question may be responsible for not only the downturns in their lives, but in the world at large. Click through for the trailer.

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EA and Del Ray and Dante team up to go to Hell

12. January 2010

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EA and Del Ray and Dante team up to go to Hell

In what I can only describe as a slight blow to literature everywhere but an interesting opportunity for literate gamers, Dante’s Inferno is being republished.  In book form.  By Electronic Arts.  Oh, with Del Ray (ne Ballantine ne Random House) doing the bulk of the dead tree work. Don’t worry though, the fine folks who brought [...]

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The Shield, Sword, And Crown: Great Fantasy Without the Elves

27. November 2009

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The Shield, Sword, And Crown: Great Fantasy Without the Elves

These are the best young adult (the jacket recommends the book for ages 8-12, though I would recommend it for anyone 8-120) fantasy books I have read since Artemis Fowl or Harry Potter. I would hasten to add, however, that the trilogy is meant for more than just fans of fantasy/sci-fi, as the fantasy elements are extremely subtle, especially in the first two books. It is fantasy like the Princess Bride is fantasy, good clean fun for everybody.

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New Moon, a review from a non-(rabid)-fan

21. November 2009

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New Moon, a review from a non-(rabid)-fan

So, I just got back from watching New Moon with my family, (it’s my Sister-in-law’s birthday) and I have to say, it was better than I thought it would be. Is it worth seeing, assuming you didn’t hate Twilight? Yes, I’d definitely say it is. Overall it improves on its predecessor, and certainly it is better than most of the other movies currently out. New Moon is an entertaining romp of romantic fancy with enough action to keep the guys happy. It’s not high art, but then, high art is rarely fun.

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Castle on TV: Hyper-reality blurs with reality a little bit more

26. October 2009

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Castle on TV: Hyper-reality blurs with reality a little bit more

Castle is an ABC crime show, in the more humorous vein of shows like the Mentalist and Psych. The shows titular lead, Richard Castle, (Nathan Fillion of Firefly and Dr. Horrible fame) is a mystery writer on par with Patterson or Cannell, fresh off killing his main character out of boredom. Meanwhile Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic, The Spirit) is looking at two seemingly unrelated murders with one odd thing in common: Both were killed almost exactly like murders out of Castle’s books. She brings him in for questioning, leading to him volunteering to help with the case because of his familiarity with the crimes, which turns into a more permanent partnership as he decides to base his new book on her. But that's not why I've writing on the show, great as it is. I'm writing about Castle because they actually wrote the book he finished about Beckett last episode. So what is it when you have a book purporting to copy a book that doesn't exist? Welcome to third order simulacra and the blurring of reality.

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HALO Encyclopedia hits the shelves in October

23. September 2009

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HALO Encyclopedia hits the shelves in October

If you love the HALO universe so much that you must experience it both online and offline - this book is for you. Welcome to the first official guide to all things HALO.

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Harpe: America’s First Serial Killers throws the wild into wild west

8. September 2009

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Harpe: America’s First Serial Killers throws the wild into wild west

In from left field completely comes a graphic novel that looks pretty darned sweet. Harpe: America's First Serial Killers is a black and white book written by Chad Kinkle with Artwork by Adam Shaw. It follows the story of the Harpe brothers, often considered America's first documented serial killers. Sounds like a gritty and interesting place for a graphic novel to go.

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Sandman Slim a magic noir revenge novel that contains no effing elves

28. August 2009

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Sandman Slim a magic noir revenge novel that contains no effing elves

Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim kicks ass. I mean, the protagonist literally left the text and physically kicked me in my ass. Yeah, it’s that much fun. James Stark spent 11 years killing monsters in Lucifer's arena for the entertainment of fallen angels, but now he's back in seedy, magic-riddled L.A., trying to avenge his girlfriend's murder and hunt down Mason Faim, the black magician responsible for getting him sent downtown. After that it really starts to get interesting.

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