Monthly Archives: November 2012

Art

Let’s Celebrate: Avatar: The Last Airbender

By Aidan Moher November 30th, 2012
Avatar: The Last Airbender

So, last weekend, I decided, finally, to start watching Avatar: The Last Airbender, after years of being pestered by my best friend. I threw a quick question out on twitter, asking for opinions on the show and was inundated by positive responses, some of which came from my favourite Fantasy authors. I couldn’t say no after that. I’m nearing the end of the first season now, and I’m thrilled by the show. It’s beautiful, it breaks down stereotypes, features an ethnically diverse cast, and manages to be thematically strong with both broad and narrow brushes.

So, to celebrate my discovery, and maybe encourage you to give the show a shot this weekend, I’ve gathered together a gallery of some of my favourite art from Avatar: The Last Airbender (and The Legend of Korra, its sequel) in a nice little gallery.

Have you watched Avatar: The Last Airbender? If so, what do you think of it? How are you enjoying The Legend of Korra?

News

Neil Gaiman is writing an American Gods pilot for HBO

By Aidan Moher November 29th, 2012
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

So, uh, this is happening:

Of course, a pilot is just a pilot, and doesn’t necessarily mean that the HBO adaptation of American Gods is any closer to being greenlit than it was last week, or last month, but it’s encouraging to know that Gaiman is so heavily involved. I guess this answers early questions about Gaiman’s involvement in the series.

News

An era ends, Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review closes its doors.

By Aidan Moher November 28th, 2012

Little by little, one travels far.

This is not Graeme, but it was the most amusing photo I found when I Googled his name.

Like many bloggers, I first entered the blogosphere by reading other bloggers and discovering the wonderful community of Fantasy and Science Fiction fans that I was always unable to discover in ‘real life.’ Among those early discovered blogs was Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review, a sharp blog edited by a lovely English bloke named, well… Graeme. It wasn’t a very long before I began A Dribble of Ink, inspired by bloggers like Graeme. He is prolific, and has a range of interests that would make any blogger jealous. Today, he announced in his final blog post that Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review will be closing its doors.

To quote:

It’s been a little while coming but it’s time to bring this blog to a close. Obviously there are a whole load of reasons (none of them particularly interesting to you guys) but the bottom line is that I’m not really enjoying it anymore and that means that it’s time to stop. That’s not to say that I won’t come back, in the future, and start something up again; just not here. I’ve got some ideas but I just want to stop and chill out for a while.

[…]

I think that’s about it. It’s been a amazing experience but you have to know when it’s time to stop. It’s time to stop :o)

The online SFF community is a vibrant and tight group of fans, and though Graeme’s blog is ceasing publication, I hope that the curator continues to be a part of the community. As a blogger who has been at it for several years myself, I can understand Graeme’s reservations and applaud his decision to decide that he’s just not having fun anymore. It can’t have been an easy decision to make. Best of luck to Graeme in his future endeavours, and congratulations on over six years of terrific service to the SFF blogging community.

Art

Early leaked images/synopsis of Destiny, Bungie’s first post-Halo game

By Aidan Moher November 27th, 2012
Destiny, Bungie's first post-Halo game

Internet sleuths, generally being videogame enthusiasts on the side, have unearthed the first images of Destiny, the first game developed by Bungie since they handed the reins of the mega-popular Halo series to 343 Industries. While not gameplay or in-engine screenshots, this collection of concept art is gorgeous and gives fans a good idea of what they might expect from Destiny, an MMORPG for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Read More ยป

News

Hear J.R.R. Tolkien sing a song from The Hobbit

By Aidan Moher November 23rd, 2012
Unexpected Party, art by David T Wenzel

Unexpected Party, art by David T Wenzel

If you’re anything like me, the songs in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings probably left you a little confused. I don’t have much of a musical talent, outside of being able to keep a bit of a rhythm, but melody has always escaped me, so I recited the songs in the novels more as spoken word poems than as actual melodies. I was delighted when I first heard the haunting rendition the dwarfs’ song in trailers for Jackson’s upcoming adaptation of The Hobbit, but this audio clip I came across on Reddit really takes the cake. Thanks to HarperCollins, Tolkien’s current publisher, we can all enjoy an audio recording of Tolkien himself singing “That’s What Bilbo Baggins Hates,” one of the most memorable songs in The Hobbit.