I’ve been reading a fair number of gaming magazines recently, foremost among them being Electronic Gaming Monthly, in a quest to find new games to review. As I’ve paged through them, one thing’s become obvious: these magazines weren’t written for me. They’re aimed at people who live to game …rather than gamers who have lives. … Read more
Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian: Historical naval fiction set in the waning years of the 18th century, this novel follows the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and his enlightened ship’s surgeon, Doctor Stephen Maturin as they wages war against foes of the British Empire. This book inspired half of last year’s movie Master & … Read more
Here’s a rundown of everything I’m reading right now (March 8), from audio books to comic books to good ol’fashioned novels. Audio A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (Amazon): A tale of political scheming set in a world in which the summers and winters can last for years. So far I’m enjoying it, … Read more
A rundown of everything I’m reading right now (March 8), from audio books to comic books to good ol’fashioned novels.
I’ve always loved going to the bookstore, even more than going to the library. As a kid in middle school, my mom would leave me at Encore Books in Chester, N.J. while she went grocery shopping in the nearby Shoprite. I’d happily sit on the floor, browsing my way through the science fiction and humor … Read more
I bet the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is making a heck of a lot of school administrators very, very nervous. And if they’re not … they should be. The latest Harry Potter book — the fifth in the series — is a story of quiet rebellion and passive-aggressive resistance against the … Read more
The gunslinger is not a whole man. For years he quested after the man in black, whom he thought was his key the Dark Tower. Along the way, he lost bits of his humanity. First, he sacrificed his hawk David to earn his guns by defeating his teacher, Cort. Then he lost his friends Cuthbert … Read more
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” That’s one of the great opening lines in speculative fiction — or hell, any kind of fiction. It immediately evokes mystery, drama, adventure and an entire Old West mythology. It doesn’t merely tug at the mind — it rends. It compels. It forces … Read more
Once some fans encounter J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, they never truly leave it, choosing instead to keep exploring the myriad, mystical depths of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. The rest of us though, could use some help staying in touch with the land of Frodo. The Guide to Middle Earth 2003 calendar does exactly that.’,NULL,8,NULL,’ … Read more
Jim Lee penciled the story that got me hooked on comics. Oh I’d read comics a few times before to be sure — I had a G.I. Joe subscription one year, and I remember my grandparents buying me a few when I’d stay with them during the summer, but I was never hooked until the … Read more