The Fireside

I wanted to wish my readers a Happy Yuletide! (first day of winter until the 12th day of Christmas). Thanks for keeping up with the blog, even though I don't as often as I should. Life happens, and I'm not a 'full time' writer, sadly. I'll do up another post after Yuletide ends. Hope you're enjoying the posts, and keep watching. The blog is not going anywhere....unless I say it is. The image used is by J.R.R. Tolkien, as the original cover of "Letters From Father Christmas" [but back then it had a different title if I'm not mistaken]

Well, it’s that time of year again! I generally like to assume that no one follows my blog. By that, I mean, when I write a post, I think that is the first entry that someone may read. So, as is my custom, I’m going to be spotlighting a few books around Yuletide. This entry will focus on Tolkien. This year, there is no Hobbit film coming out, so fans of the series (or newcomers) may be keeping an eye out for themselves, or for gifting to those they think may be interested. I will provide the ISBNs for the best paperback, hardback, and deluxe editions. (Since The Lord of the Rings is often sold in a box set, I’ll provide that ISB as well) The ‘essentials’:   THE HOBBIT Paperback: 9780261103344  Hardback: 9780261103283 Deluxe: 9780007118359 "Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services – as a bur...

At long last, Harper Collins will be publishing a deluxe edition (slipcased, of course) of The Story of Kullervo! Usually, a deluxe edition of a Tolkien book published by Harper Collins is published on the exact same day as the hardback (and ebook) editions. Because Harper Collins hasn’t officially released the description of the deluxe edition contents, or a cover image, I’ll only provide the ISBN (a direct ‘link’ to that edition) and publication date: The ISBN is : 9780008166724 Publication date: Oct 20, 2016 It should cost you about the same price as other deluxe editions, so bear that in mind. I have a feeling that Tolkien’s image, ‘The Land of Pohja’, will be featured as a facsimile frontispiece illustration fold out sheet. Perhaps the emblem will be also on the slip-case and the book itself, as well. Either way, this is sure to be great news for collectors of the Harper Collins deluxe Tolkien books. [I’ll do another post about this once it’s been ‘official...

This was announced not long ago, but I hadn’t got around to posting about it. I apologize if anyone here was wanting a pre-order, and is not able to due to ‘limited pre-orders’…those amiibo / amiibo bundles sure do sell quick! Do keep your eyes peeled on Amazon and Best Buy in case more pre-orders open up. Then again, there’s always the game itself, and the amiibo shortly after launch (hopefully…) Anyway, so in their latest Direct, Nintendo announced The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (HD) for the wii u. It will be released March 4, 2016 . Nintendo stated that the amiibo that comes with the bundle (which will also include the soundtrack) will be able to function with the Zelda title they are developing for the wii u. Most likely, other Zelda-themed amiibo as well. [This and Wind Waker came out on the Gamecube but have been upgraded visually, and perhaps more, for the wii u.]. If I remember correctly, you can also use Zelda amiibo wit...

At long last, I have seen all the extended editions of The Hobbit. Here is my complete, movie-by-movie (final) review, as well as the trilogy as a whole. I won't spoil anything, merely add or elaborate on the films themselves in regards to the extended films. This review covers the extended film footage only, not the documentaries.

Just last night, I saw the final 'Hunger Games' film, Mockingjay: Part 2 . Here is my [spoiler free] review.

Well folks, here is my latest Mario Maker offering!

Well, it's that time again - more Mario Maker levels from yours truly! Here are the codes for the batch uploaded most recently, and will be replaced on Nov. 20. This time, I went for Mario Bros 1 graphic style. I did 'New' for my 'game', but I wanted to go back to the roots. Also, at this point, no hills etc so my designs work with the original game's look, style and interface anyway, which would work great for Mario Bros. 3, and Mario World . A-1 :3A2F-0000-00D6-AF47 A-2 :46DA-0000-00D6-B02A A-3 :A237-0000-00D6-B139 A-4 :63AF-0000-00D6-B24E B-1 :4CA8-0000-00D6-B312 B-2 :405D-0000-00D6-B434 B-3 :5F47-0000-00D6-B541 B-4 :EF12-0000-00D6-B69E C-1 : 11E1-0000-00D6-B7D0 C-2 :561A-0000-00D6-B8A5 C-3 :D2BF-0000-00D6-B9FD C-4 :16BC-0000-00D6-BBDC D-1 :7E34-0000-00D6-BC91 D-2 :319B-0000-00D6-BD2E D-3 :13A1-0000-00D6-BDDF D-4:4C4B-0000-00D6-BFA3 ...and making a return: (these ones will 'stay' up when I change the levels on...

The wait is getting harder and harder. June 10 marks the release of Warcraft , the live action adaptation of the very first video game in the series. This is NOT a World of Warcraft film, but a Warcraft film. The First War. Orcs coming to Azeroth. Lothar & Durotan. So where to begin? First off, there’s been a new poster revealed. Not sure many will come after this, but if this is the final one, I’m happy. It reminds one of the video game box art of old. Also, this Friday, Nov 6 , marks the official, full reveal of the trailer. Glimpses of the film have been shown here and there over the years at BlizzCons, Comic Cons etc, but now, the WORLD will get its first, proper look at the film via footage. I’ve got my fingers crossed that the film itself will look good, and that it’s a great preview. Finally, while checking out some of the lore (books, etc) I made a discovery, not unknown to the fans – there is a prequel novel, and novelisation coming out, written b...

I’ve never been a fan of Halloween. I don’t ‘hate’ it, it’s just not my thing. I understand the appeal but I’ve never been stoked about it. First of all, I live in Canada. That means, having Halloween at the end of October, it’s a bit chilly to ‘go out’, especially in a costume. That’s regional, so we’ll let that slide. I’m not a fan of horror, but the expression : ‘Happy’ Halloween never seemed right. Why would one be 'happy' on a day about horror, terror and dead things? You're supposed to be scared witless...aren't you? To further my point – some, if not all, decorations are ‘kiddie’ or ‘childish’. A Frankenstein, vampire, skeleton or ghost would not be smiling or looking cuddly. They would have looks of horror, and have grotesque skin, head trauma or the like.  This also shows that Halloween is yet another ‘event’ for the kids. Again, cute costumes vs scary costumes. The ‘essence’ of Halloween are those haunted houses where stuff comes and scares you...

Another sample chapter from Brandon Sanderson's third Stormlight book has emerged. The good news, is that it is a flashback chapter, and contains no spoilers for books 1 and 2. I haven't read the books myself yet, but I look forward to it. Reading pile is quite large at the moment....I hope to jump in, if I were to guess, in the space between books 3 and 4. Anyway, here is the chapter....

Ok, so I uploaded the rest of my 'game' I was making with Mario Maker . Sadly, I had to pull down my first set of levels to make way for the 2nd, and last half, of my game. I don't yet have enough stars to have the whole game posted, so here are levels 4-1 - 8-4, with codes and descriptions....look for another post the weekend of Nov. 7, when more levels will go up, and this set will go down. "Into the Mountain (4-1)" : 62AE-0000-00BC-CC2A Mario enters the gigantic mountain to continue his quest.... "Beneath the Mountain (4-2)" : 392A-0000-00BC-CD75 Mario's exploration leads him not only inside the mountain, but under it. In its belly, he must find the exit and beware of the dangers within.... "Like a Dream...(4-3)" : EEA0-0000-00BC-CDB1 This level is very similar to a dream that Mario had a while back.... (and since we can't always remember our dreams to the fullest detail, it's ok that this level is a little different from the ori...

Today, The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings: Part 3 ) turns 60 years old. This also marked the conclusion The Lord of the Rings , 60 years ago. When Tolkien became aware that The Lord of the Rings would be too large to publish as one volume, he envisioned the split as 6 books, rather than 3. Three were published as The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings: Part 1 , July 29, 1954), The Two Towers (The Lord of the Rings: Part 2 , November 11, 1954) and finally, The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings: Part 3 , October 20, 1955). Tolkien originally wanted to title The Return of the King , as The War of the Ring.  

I usually use the blog for things of interest to me, on a nerd / geek level. Politics isn’t usually in that field, but with what every Canadian knows by now, it deserves a mention. Last night the Liberals swept the Conservatives. Now, over the course of time, I’ve usually voted NDP and Liberal, depending on the year, party, platform, leader etc…I’ve never voted Conservative. Not due to being pro-active anti- Conservative bigotry (which I don’t have, but the attack ads, and posts against Liberals from ‘extreme’ Cons was a bit much. I just never agreed with their platform or leader’s.) Because of how much the Liberals defeated the Cons by, that says something. Perhaps about Harper. Perhaps about the Cons. Perhaps both. Or perhaps something else. For me, I believe it was in 2011 when the Cons returned to power – and how they did (with the % of the vote thing…I can’t find the mage at this moment). Even during Harper’s campaign – “Protect our economy”. Using “crime” an...

So here are some of my Mario Maker levels that I currently have up! I'll have each set up for about 2-4 weeks to give people a chance to play, but also because I'm only allowed a set number at this point. I'll do update posts (not in this post) of levels / sets as they get updated. "Winter is Coming" [5493-0000-005F-6444]. Yes, it's a Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones inspired level! "Super Mario Land: A Tribute" [1EB2-0000-0061-D94D] The first level of Super Mario Land re-created. "The Lost Levels: A Tribute" [C5FB-0000-0096-EE71] The first level of The Lost Levels re-created. "The Lost Levels 9-1: Maker Remix" [DF33-0000-0096-EE92] 9-1 of The Lost Levels re-created with a few differences "The Surface" [160A-0000-0096-EEBD] Follows 9-1. A level of my own design which hopefully feels like a Lost Levels level. "Classic Castle: Maker Remix" [D5FD-0000-0096-EEEC] A castle level, in the style of...

Hey all, Sorry it's been a while. Moved into a new house, went on vacation and started a new job! I'm still here but I haven't gotten around to any writing, blog or otherwise, in a bit. There are a few updates I wish to address here, rather than writing a ton of shorter posts. The Art of the Lord of the Rings is now out! This will match The Art of the Hobbit . It was published Oct 8. Mine was shipped that day, but not delivered yet. Hopefully next week...[that is, Tolkien's artwork, this has nothing to do with the films]. The specs of the forthcoming Game of Thrones: Season 5 blu-ray has been unveiled, but I'll detail that the week before release, which is to be March. That fact leads me to believe that Season 6 will begin airing in April.... Mario Maker is now out, and boy have I been enjoying it! I've uploaded some courses. My first batch was a little weak, as it was my beginning set (you can only post 10 at a time. Well, I can - for now.) in another entr...