The Fireside

Amazon Prime's Middle-earth series is now somewhat underway. Not long ago, they had created a Facebook page for the project: https://www.facebook.com/ LOTRonPrime/   , as well as a website: amazon.com/lotronprime . Aside from the map, not much has been uploaded yet. However, should you be interested in following the project, official updates will be there. I look forward to following the project as it progresses: cast, poster, trailer....and any associated merchandise. Hopefully, the merchandise won't be restricted to "Prime Members Only." I'm curious what types of merchandise and products we can expect to see associated with this. I remember from 2001-2003 HarperCollins drastically increased production on Tolkien items - both related to Peter Jackson's films and not. Can we expect to see some new editions, beyond imagery used as book covers? Also, back then bookstores were book stores - not like today where they are department stores that happen to se...

Many fans were hoping that the Switch would get Mario Maker ported over to it, like so many other titles from the wii u (as of now, the only titles that remain exclusive to the wii u are: Mario 3D World, Xenoblade X, and Pikmin 3 - I may be missing 1 or 2). It was announced that Nintendo is making Mario Maker 2 . When I was a kid, I used to draw Mario quite a bit. I often enjoyed sketching a 'screenshot' of a made-up level, almost Bob Ross style. I used to get quite creative: "What if I make this spiny green?? The regualr ones are red, and there's red and green koopas, so....oh! and how would it behave on-screen?" That was one such example I would enjoy thinking of. When Mario Maker came out, i was able to relieve and fulfill that aspect of my life, almost to its fullest. As great as the game was, it lacked a few minor elements that I would have loved to seen included, so I could make my levels more varied, and recreate some from Mario 1 and Mario 3 - ...

Hwaet! I have an interest in Icelandic and Old Norse myths and legends. The old sagas and tales, they interest me. Have I read any? No, not yet... This interest was initially sparked with the publication of Tolkien's The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun . It was marketed quite well by both Houghton Mifflin and HarperCollins. I got the book around the publication date of May 2009 I believe it was. Over the years, I've also dabbled my toes in other areas related to some of the old legends and tales. The following year, 2010, saw HarperCollins start their print-on-demand service for some specific titles. One of them was for the 50th anniversary publication of The Saga of King Heidrek by Christopher Tolkien. A few years following that, Penguin published some of their titles under the theme of 'Legends From the Ancient North'. Titles include: Beowulf, The Elder Edda, The Saga of the Volsungs, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (all are re-published and existing translations at t...

Highland Park's second of their Viking Legends series (the first being Valkyrie, the third being the upcoming Valfather) is now available in Canada. Or, Ontario, at least.  Here is what they have to say about it: "I know one thing which never dies: the reputation of each dead man" Poetic Edda, Hávamál, verse 77 STORY Created using a higher proportion of our local peated malt and predominantly matured in sherry seasoned oak casks to give this whisky its smoky, sweet flavour, VALKNUT is the second in our Viking Legend series, celebrating our rich Nordic ancestry here on Orkney. Valknut means ‘knot of those slain in battle’ and its symbol of three interlinked triangles appears on numerous artefacts from the Viking Age. The symbol is closely associated with the Norse god, Odin, who guided the spirits of the dead to the underworld and back to the world of the living, and is believed to represent the transition from life to death or the connection between ...