Category: Epic Fantasy

Book Review: The Copper Crown by Kennealy-Morrison (5 Stars)

CopperCrownThe Copper Crown by Patricia Kennealy-Morrison

5 out of 5 stars

Read at least five times since the late 80s

Synopsis:

WHEN EARTH MEETS KELTIA WILL STAR EMPIRES FALL?

When lore became legend on ancient Earth and the powers of magic waned, the Kelts and their allies fled the planet for the freedom of distant star realms.

But the stars were home to dangerous foes, and millenia later, the worlds of Keltia still maintained uneasy truce with two enemy empires -the Imperium and the Phalanx. Then, at the start of the reign of Aeron, mistress of high magic and queen of all the Kelts, an Earthship made contact with her long-fled children. And while Earth and Keltia reached out to form alliance, the star fleets of the enemy mobilized for final, devastating war….

My Thoughts (Warning: Spoilers):

Every couple of years, I get the urge to pull out this novel and re-read it. Continue reading “Book Review: The Copper Crown by Kennealy-Morrison (5 Stars)”

io9 March Madness Final Four: Harry Potter vs. Lord of the Rings!

http://io9.com/io9-march-madness-final-four-harry-potter-vs-lord-of-1551342961

Easy voting today but the next and final round will be a tough devision.

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon

io9 March Madness Elite Eight: Lord of the Rings vs. Game of Thrones!

http://io9.com/io9-march-madness-elite-eight-lord-of-the-rings-vs-ga-1549513344?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_twitter&utm_source=io9_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Tolkien v Martin … I know who I’m voting for.  Do you?

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon

io9 March Madness Sweet 16: Star Wars vs. Dune! Buffy vs. Cthulhu!

http://io9.com/io9-march-madness-sweet-16-star-wars-vs-dune-buffy-v-1548884550?utm_campaign=socialflow_io9_facebook&utm_source=io9_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Some tough decisions among these polls.

And yes I continue to vote against Game of Thrones.

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon

Fantasy v SF Round One Pits Epic Fantasy Against Space Opera

io9’s version of March Madness begins today with ‘Epic Fantasy v. Space Opera‘ so vote now so Gandalf won’t have to smack down Vader.  It won’t be pretty.

Of course, we’re holding the Mouse in reserve in case of foul play.

“The Unrecognized Trajectory of Slow Burn Success” by Janny Wurts — A Dribble of Ink

Browsing an unknown book on the internet requires the foresight that it is there! More, public opinion shoves the book’s data right into your face: ratings, reviews, numbers – crowd opinion leads the barrage.

— Janny Wurts, “The Unrecognized Trajectory of Slow Burn Success”
via A Dribble of Ink blog

I loved learning something new about how Tolkien was ‘discovered.’  It’s always great to read anything written by Janny.

Answering the Question: What’s Wrong with Epic Fantasy?

That is tricky question to answer, because the very nature of the work is what makes epic fantasy…well, epic. Maybe there really isn’t anything broken or wrong with epic fantasy as a subgenre, maybe the thing that gets broken, or perhaps a better word might be “tired,” of epic fantasy is the reader.

— Teresa Frohock, author of  Miserere: an Autumn Tale

One of many ‘epic’ answers to the question ‘What’s Wrong with Epic Fantasy?’ found at the recent MIND MELD: What’s “Wrong” with Epic Fantasy? – SF Signal post.

Tolkien’s 122nd Birthday

TheOneRinginscriptionwithTolkienssymbol_zpse18b2086J.R.R. Tolkien would have been 122 today.

His writings enriched and continue to enrich my life (see my Best Reads of 2013 wherein The Silmarillion received a rare five star rating from me).

While I haven’t re-read The Hobbit for the umpteenth time, I did venture out last week to see The Desolation of Smaug at my local favorite movie theatre (I gave that movie 3.5 stars via Flixster, and don’t think it’s as well done as the first one, An Unexpected Journey).

If you haven’t read any of Tolkien’s writings, I highly recommend all of them.  I rarely re-read books, but I will always return, again and again, to the master of epic fantasy storytelling.

Some previous posts I’ve shared at this blog that reference Tolkien’s legacy:

Continue reading “Tolkien’s 122nd Birthday”

How to Make a Fantasy World Map | Tor.com

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2013/12/how-to-make-a-fantasy-world-map-emperors-blades

I love maps. I spent hours as a pre-teen pouring over the maps of Middle Earth and the Land and Pern. I even bought atlases of them that I still have in my collection.  Recently, I ordered a large format print direct from the author/artist of the map of Athera so I could scrutinize it in detail with my aging eyes. My dream home library’s walls would be covered with maps from every fantasy world I’ve ever immersed myself in.

Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon