The Fireside

George had a quick trip 'back out East' as he announced back in the summer, I believe. He did some family visits, promo for the newly-released World of Ice and Fire  concordance history book. It can all be detailed here:  http://grrm.livejournal.com/386645.html However, in that entry he mentions a few things: "....had dinner with my editors and publishers at Bantam... " "...breakfasts with friends from DC Comic, Barnes & Noble , and Simon & Schuster..." What do you think they discussed?? Again, I firmly believe that George wants to have the manuscript for Book Six in the hands of those who would need it on the publishing side of things sometime during January. I am of course, guessing that the words 'Book Six' and / or 'The Winds of Winter' had to have come up at least once during these meals.  I remain hopeful and positive that the book will be published next year. 

So Game of Thrones  will get a season seven. Which is great news, because I want this show to end on a story note, not it being canceled or not renewed or any of that.  It is my hopes that Game of Thrones Season Seven is split into two parts, with each part containing seven episodes each .  If you want the details, head over to The Hollywood Reporter:  http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-cast-signs-season-744314

Wow. Take that  DC!  In all honesty, aside from Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight  Trilogy, I have not been too impressed with DC's movies on the whole.  Not long ago, I posted about WB's upcoming films, including the DC ones.  Well, today, Marvel strikes back.

Fantasy fans are in for another treat today, as a new Kingkiller Chronicle story by Patrick Rothfuss (this is not  Book Three!) is released in hardback (and ebook).  Since i have the first two books in (trade) paperback, I will also get this one in that format, so I have about 6-12 months before this is released in likewise. I'm hoping by then, there will be an update about Book Three. In the meantime.... Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place. Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries."The Slow Regard of Silent Things" is a brief, bittersweet glimpse of Auri's life, a small adventure all her own. At once joyous and haunting, this story offers a chance to see the world through Auri's eyes. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things th...

Today is finally the day.  Most likely the most long-awaited of George's 'projects' (not counting the main A Song of Ice and Fire  series, of course) is The World of Ice and Fire . It is a world history book about the realm in which the book series takes place. After many years of George talking about it (and working on it), it is finally out today.  George (or rather, his minions) posted a blog entry entry, in which they describe it better than I could:  The long anticipated release of the official untold history of Westeros happens TODAY. It boasts 300 pages of back story and original artwork by the some of the world's top fantasy illustrators. This one-of-a-kind coffee table book contains maps, folk lore, detailed family histories, and endless insider information dealing with the world of Westeros. Providing vividly constructed accounts of epic battles tackled by famous heroes, and their journies before becoming important figures in the Song of Ice...

Here is the cover artwork for  The Hobbit (Part 3)  Special Edition soundtrack. I am pleased that Water Tower music has provided us with Special Editions of the soundtracks throughout the entire trilogy, in a matching format / cover style.  The Special Edition soundtrack will be released on December 16, 2014, and will be 2 discs on CD, and will be available on itunes as well. There will also be a standard edition, featuring less music.  Since there is a cover art reveal (as well as release date) but no track list released yet, here are some possibilities for track names: Confirmed:  - "The Last Goodbye" (performed by Billy Boyd)  Chapter Titles from the Book: - "Not at Home"  - "Fire and Water"   - "The Gathering of the Clouds" - "A Thief in the Night" - "The Clouds Burst" - "The Return Journey" - "The Last Stage" Guesswork On My Part:  - "The Worm of Dread" - "Gold a...

Tonight on HBO is the final episode of Boardwalk Empire. Here is a 'Final Shot' video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2NqtIq3U64&list=PLO79iP69FaZOYtjEpHb2OMIQgzu4qRduM   Hard to believe that the end has come for this HBO prohibition drama. I admit, I have not yet seen season 4 or 5, but I shall get to it - shortly. At least they knew going into season 5 that it would be the final season. I was hoping that the show would run from 6-8 seasons. It seems to have had a decent run, however.   To me, Boardwalk  was one of those shows that was pretty good (from what I saw) but the vast majority of people were watching other shows on TV, or just did not watch it / like it.  Here is a look at the poster for the final season, which seems fitting:

Yesterday during the Nintendo Direct, we learned 50 things about Smash Bros. U,  which will be out in just under a month. Here are some notes.  

I just got word about a series of The Elder Scrolls  books coming out next year. No, these are not strategy guides, maps etc. but rather more about the histories, lore and in-game mythos that the games are so full with. Let's just say that these will be useful and entertaining for me when it comes to research and inspiration of my book series....   Here is the info from Bethseda's blog: Not since Encyclopedia Britannica’s heyday have volumes of books looked this cool and demanded to be on your bookshelf. With  The Elder Scrolls Online , two volumes covering “The Land” and “The Lore” feature never-before-seen art and extensive lore surrounding the game. Meanwhile, by popular demand, the  Skyrim  series offers the first opportunity to get all of the game’s in-game text across three volumes. The first volumes of these books are expected to release in March of 2015. For more information, read the full press release below… TITAN BOOKS ANNOUNCES TWO N...

Today, after many years of being unavailable, out of print etc, George R.R. Martin's The Ice Dragon  is being re-issued and re-published.  The Ice Dragon is an enchanting tale of courage and sacrifice for young readers and adults by the wildly popular author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Song of Ice and Fire series, George R.R. Martin. Lavish illustrations by acclaimed artist Luis Royo enrich this captivating and heartwarming story of a young girl and her dragon. In the world of A Song of Ice and Fire the ice dragon was a creature of legend and fear, for no man had ever tamed one. When it flew overhead, it left in its wake desolate cold and frozen land. But Adara was not afraid. For Adara was a winter child, born during the worst freeze that anyone, even the Old Ones, could remember.  Adara could not remember the first time she had seen the ice dragon. It seemed that it had always been in her life, glimpsed from afar as she played in t...

I discovered that Harper Collins is re-issuing one of Tolkien's books for younger readers / children in the pocket hardback format: Smith of Wootton Major . Read for more, including cover art, ISBN etc. The release date is early 2015. 

Chipset 1.8GHz Quad Core, Intel® Atom™ Imagination PowerVR Series 6 Graphics 2D/3D Engine Memory 1GB RAM 8GB storage Ports 18W DC power HDMI out (1920×1080@60Hz) Micro-USB 2.0 Wireless 802.11ac 2×2 (MIMO) Bluetooth 4.1 Weight 235g Dimensions 120mm x 120mm x 20mm The console will sell at about $100, and the controller will go for about $40 and will be released Nov. 3rd. 

As strange as it may sound (and I agree, it sounds strange!) at the moment, I have no interest in seeing any of these movies! Of course, a still or picture, casting announcement or a trailer could very well change my mind.  Nevertheless, here are some of Warner Bros. big upcoming films..... - "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," directed by Zack Snyder (2016)  - "Suicide Squad," directed by David Ayer (2016)  - "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Part 1)" (2016) - "Wonder Woman," starring Gal Gadot (2017)  - "Justice League (Part 1)," directed by Zack Snyder, with Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Amy Adams reprising their roles (2017)  - "The Flash," starring Ezra Miller (2018)  - "Aquaman," starring Jason Momoa (2018)  - "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Part 2)" (2018) - "Shazam" (2019)  - "Justice League (Part 2)," directed by Zack Snyder (2019)  ...

From Dropbox: Recent news articles claiming that Dropbox was hacked aren’t true. Your stuff is safe. The usernames and passwords referenced in these articles were stolen from unrelated services, not Dropbox. Attackers then used these stolen credentials to try to log in to sites across the internet, including Dropbox. We have measures in place to detect suspicious login activity and we automatically reset passwords when it happens. Attacks like these are one of the reasons why we strongly encourage users not to reuse passwords across services. For an added layer of security, we always recommend  enabling 2 step verification  on your account. Update: 10/14/2014 12:30am PT A subsequent list of usernames and passwords has been posted online. We’ve checked and these are not associated with Dropbox accounts.

There are new editions of the Harry Potter books that have recently been released. What with occasions in the fourth quarter (the biggest being Christmas), here is a look at them.

There is another edition of The Hobbit  out there. Which is always a good thing when it comes to gift giving occasions such as Christmas. Especially for those that consider The Hobbit to be a 'children's book.' 

It seems a couple months late with this, but luckily, still the same year.  This year, John Steinbeck's masterpiece classic, The Grapes of Wrath , turns 75. First published in 1939, Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize–winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads, driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into haves and have-nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity. A portrait of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless, of one man’s fierce reaction to injustice, and of one woman’s stoical strength, the novel captures the horrors of the Great Depression and probes the very nature of equality and jus...

At long last, one of the most anticipated games for the wii u has a release date! Smash Bros.  for the wii u will be releasing (in North America and Canada) on Nov. 21 . I am glad that Nintendo is choosing to release it then.  Also, I am sure it is a great game, but because I do not own a 3DS (yet...) I got tired of the abundance of the 3DS news and lack of wii u news. Also, it was slightly annoying that, due to the limitations of the *3DS* some things were cut out of, or changed, for the *wii u* version...why? Aren't they separate games? Anyway...  I am sure you most likely know everything there is to know about the game at this point. You can pre-order it pretty much anywhere. Myself though, I am most likely going to go for the eshop digital version. (I have been hearing rumours that it will be about 8GB to download, but please do not quote me on that. Though if I am right....) I know it is a game that I will play very frequently and has a lot of replay...

Shortly, there will be a new edition of The Adventures of Tom Bombadil  arriving, for those who like Tolkien's more light-hearted side, younger readers, those who read to the young before bed time, or if you're a fan of Tom Bombadil and Tolkien's poems.  This version has been expanded to include some of Tolkien's earliest poems, a prose story with Tom, as well as in-depth notes by Christina Scull and Wayne G. Hammond, both of whom have made some outstanding contributions and notes to some of Tolkien's works over the years. Their introductions and comments found here will be akin to those they included in Roverandom  and Farmer Giles of Ham.   There will be the 16 poems published back in 1962, as well as the original artwork by Pauline Baynes, famous for her artwork for The Chronicles of Narnia . The poem 'Once Upon a Time' will also be reprinted.  In this edition, Scull and Hammond were also allowed to include to predecessor to Perry-the-Winkle cal...

I have just finished reading the entire Wheel of Time  series. Here's what it's all about. Major spoilers.

At long last, I have finished reading A Memory of Light,  which marks the end of the Wheel of Time  series.

[all text copyright of Robert Jordan & Brandon Sanderson. All rights reserved.] The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass.  What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow