Artesia Afield: The Second Book of Dooms

Mark Smylie's Artesia graphic novels are excellent military fantasy, perfect for fans of George RR Martin, Steven Erikson, Glen Cook, or Joe Abercrombie. The second volume, Artesia: Afield - The Second Book Of Dooms, is a rich, complex, challenging story, as detailed as Mark's artwork, that pushes the boundaries of narrative in comics. The world-building and invented culture is on a par with the best of prose fantasy. And Artesia is a tremendous heroine. Not light reading, but highly recommended.


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Fair Coin nominated for Andre Norton Award

The 2012 Nebula Awards Nominees have been announced, and with them, the Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy. We are delighted to report that E.C. Myers' youth adult novel, Fair Coin, has made that list!



Congratulations to E.C. And to all the Nebula and Norton nominees.

Hell's Pawns

Pathfinder Tales: Hell's Pawns by Dave Gross

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Dave Gross is garnering quite a reputation for his Pathfinder Tales novels staring half-elven aristocrat Varian Jeggare and his devilish bodyguard Radovan, a sort of hybrid of Holmes & Watson and Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser. Hell's Pawns is an early tale, set before the novel Prince of Wolves, unique in that it is narrated by Radovan. The story (a long novella or short novel in length) takes place in Cheliax, a nation that forged a pack with a devil, and sees Jeggare and Radovan drawn into investigating a series of noble murders. Dave has a good eye for detail, really bringing the people and places of Cheliax to believable life. And I was delighted to see a nod to a favorite 1970s espionage film in the plot. A good introduction to a pair of characters making an impact on the current fantasy field.



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Beck Reimagines David Bowie's "Sound and Vision"

Beck and 160 musicians "reimagines" David Bowie's "Sound and Vision." The results made me gasp.

What Makes a Hero?

A Great TedEd video from Matthew Winkler, summarizing Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey. Well worth your four and a half minutes.