I don’t really have much to add, but this makes me smile.
Monthly Archives: June 2011
From Ahmed’s blog:
The Crescent Moon Kingdoms, land of djenn and ghuls, holy warriors and heretics, Khalifs and killers, is at the boiling point of a power struggle between the iron-fisted Khalif and the mysterious master thief known as the Falcon Prince. In the midst of this brewing rebellion a series of brutal supernatural murders strikes at the heart of the Kingdoms.
Doctor Adoulla Makhslood, the last real ghul hunter in the great city of Dhamsawaat, just wants a quiet cup of tea. A fat old man who has grown weary of hunting monsters and saving lives, he’s more than ready to retire from his dangerous vocation. But when an old flame’s family is murdered, Adoulla is drawn back to the hunter’s path.
Adoulla’s young assistant Raseed, a hidebound holy warrior whose prowess is matched only by his piety, is eager to deliver God’s justice. But even as Raseed’s sword is tested by ghuls and manjackals, his soul is tested when he and Adoulla cross paths with the tribeswoman Zamia.
Zamia Badawi, Protector of the Band, has been gifted with the power of the Lion-Shape, but shunned by her people for daring to take up a man’s title. She lives only to avenge her father’s death. Until she learns that Adoulla and his allies also hunt her father’s killer. Until she meets Raseed.
When they learn that the murders and the Falcon Prince’s brewing revolution are connected, the companions must race against time – and struggle against their own misgivings – to save the life of a vicious despot. In so doing they discover a plot for the Throne of the Crescent Moon that threatens to turn Dhamsawaat, and the world itself, into a blood-soaked ruin.
I written before about Jason Chan and his artwork. I appreciate how he’s able to straddle that thin line between fun/serious without falling into looking like a cheap comic book. I like this, though Doctor Adoulla Makhslood (who I’ve enjoyed since first discovering Ahmed’s short fiction), doesn’t look nearly as down-in-the-gutter ragged and imposing as I always pictured him. It’s fun and reminds me of old Sword & Sorcery novels from Lieber, Howard and their ilk (which, from what I can tell, is accurate of the novel, too). It’s also nice to see DAW embracing the Middle Eastern roots, rather than painting it with a more ambiguous image (as we’ve too often seen).
From Publishers Weekly (via The Wertzone):
A few images recur in the enormously complex fifth installment of Martin’s massively multicharacter epic: the chess-like game cyvasse, small rivers flowing into larger ones, ships and armies battered by terrible storms. These themes suggest that readers should think strategically, be patient as the story grows, and brace for a beating. Martin’s fans, however, are hungry for more action and purpose, their appetites whetted by a six-year wait and the recent HBO adaptation of A Game of Thrones. Dance was originally the second half of 2005’s A Feast for Crows, sometimes criticized for shifting from battles and intrigue to slow trudges through war-torn, corpse-littered Westeros. The new volume has a similar feel to Feast and takes place over a similar time frame; Martin keeps it fresh by focusing on popular characters Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and Jon Snow, all notably absent from the previous book.
[…]
Even ostensibly disillusioned fans will be caught up in the interweaving stories, especially when Martin drops little hints around long-debated questions such as Jon’s parentage.
It’s concerning, I suppose, that Publishers Weekly likens the ‘feel’ of the book to A Feast for Crows, a novel regarded by many readers to be (far and away) the weakest volume of the series. Of course, many of those readers feel that way because the novel lacks their favourite characters; A Dance with Dragons sees the return of Dany, Jon and Tyrion, which should allay those concerns. So, A Dance with Dragons might not feature the brutal, frenetic plot of A Storm of Swords (which was, in its way, a climax novel, wrapping up the first act of the series), but that’s alight with me. If pieces are falling into place (and they sound to be, based on the PW review), then I’m okay with another novel similar to A Feast for Crows (frankly, since it covers the same timeframe as A Feast for Crows for half the novel, it’s hard to see how this could be otherwise), because, well… I like A Feast for Crows, contrary to popular opinion.
And as long as we find out what happens to Bran and Coldhands, I’ll be a happy man.
I’ve avoided quoting the entire (short) review, for spoilers abound. There’s nothing major, but the general plotlines of the Big Three™ are revealed (and sound awesome). I could suppose about the spoilers, but they’d be nothing more than ill-informed guesses; feel free to share your theories in the spoiler section, though! If you’re curious about getting an early peak at some of the novels broader secrets, check out the full review of A Dance with Dragons.
There are no ARCs of A Dance with Dragons being produced, but I’ll be reading and reviewing it as soon as I get a copy (which, if the gods smile on me, should be a short while before release). Can you believe it’s right around the corner? I can’t.
Do you cringe when you hear the term ‘Fan Art?’ Does horrible ecchi, or amateurish fantasy mash-ups come to mind? Well, it doesn’t all suck. In fact, there are some wonderfully talented artists out there inspired by many of the books, movies and videogames that I love so much. I’ve gone ahead and collected some of the artwork that’s impressed me most to prove one thing: fan art doesn’t suck.
Calvin and Hobbes by Jaime Posadas
April by Dave Rapoza
Dirty as Hell by duss005
Retro Mario Poster by Unknown
What The…? by adonihs
The key to great fan art, in my opinion, isn’t to emulate the original art, but to capture the spirit and the essence of the subject and cast it in a different light. All of the above pieces do that wonderfully. There’s a whole lot more where this came from. So expect a series of similar posts to pop up in the near future!
I like to post Olly Moss artwork. He’s awesome. His art is awesome. Here’s some more, via GameSetWatch:
Many, many more of Olly Moss’ papercuts can be found HERE. Which are your favourites?
- Hugo Award
Winner
- About Aidan Moher
- Bibliography