Art/Photography

A Princess of Art

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I’m pretty psyched about Edgar Rice Burrough’s Barsoom series right now. As I mentioned in my review of John Carter the movie, I started reading these stories not all that many years ago and they have not been far from my thoughts since cracking open the cover of A Princess of Mars. One of the most prominent reasons for that is the many and varied artists who bring their own unique style to ERB’s characters. As I anxiously anticipate my second theatrical viewing of John Carter (happening tonight), I thought it might be fun to share a little of that art with you.

Artist Robert Abbett created the above image for the 1963 Ballantine version of A Princess of Mars. It is a lovely work and is a cover I have yet to collect. Dejah Thoris is a real beauty in this illustration, calling to my mind a young Elizabeth Taylor.

Come along with me and check out some more artwork. I hope you have fun and share what is one your mind.

Continue reading A Princess of Art →

Film

John Carter

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I discovered the world of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Barsoom novels about five or six years ago, around the same time as I was delving into Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories for the very first time. To my unending delight I found two authors whose imaginations were coupled with a style of storytelling that drilled right down into the core of my being to that child who dreamed of a future filled with space flight and just knew that there was life ‘out there’. Here was nostalgia at its very best. This is especially the case with the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Regardless of what scientific knowledge of the immediate solar system that might have been available to the common man in the first part of the twentieth century, these books feel as if they were written out of an optimistic assuredness that life would be discovered on our next door neighbors one day. Just you wait.

Scientific discovery has done some wonderful things for us, and the discoveries about the planets that occupy our galaxy are indeed very, very exciting. But at the same time I sometimes miss the unknown wonder. Stories like those about Virginian John Carter, a Confederate veteran, who is suddenly and unexpectedly transported to the red planet capture that wonder like a fly in amber. Only the reality is even better, because by merely cracking open the cover of the book, you can step into that encapsulated time when anything was possible and the imagination was the blueprint for adventure.

The idea of a film version of John Carter’s adventures has made me equally excited and wary since the rumors of a film began in earnest several years ago. The film adaptation took many paths and I cannot say that I was entirely excited when I read the Disney was the company who would be bringing Burroughs’ planetary romance to the big screen. Don’t get me wrong, Disney has brought plenty of magic into my life over the last four decades. But I was by no means assured that they could bring John Carter, and what I mean by that is “my” John Carter, to life in a satisfying manner. Nevertheless I have been cautiously optimistic throughout the media build up to this weekend’s release. And on Sunday afternoon Mary (also a big fan of the books) and I ventured out to the local AMC to put Disney’s adaptation to the test.

Continue reading John Carter →

Book Reviews, Young Adult

Kenny & the Dragon ~Tony DiTerlizzi

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Kenny and the Dragon ~Tony DiTerlizzi

–published 2008
–Simon & Schuster
–160 pages
–7/10

Young Kenny Rabbit is a hare with few friends. His doting parents frequently chide him for spending all of his time with his nose in a book and his best, and perhaps only, friend is the old badger who runs the bookshop from which Kenny borrows at will. Things begin to change the day Kenny’s father bursts through the front door declaring that a huge, ferocious dragon has turned up in a cave on Shepherd’s Hill where the Rabbit family graze their sheep. Full of equal parts curiosity and timidity, Kenny screws up his courage, dons a makeshift set of armor and weapons, and heads out in the setting sun to discover just what this “dragon” is all about.

What Kenny discovers is a friendship to last a lifetime. But if the people of the village have their way, that lifetime might be very short indeed.

Kenny and the Dragon is a tale of friendship, good food, a love of books and poetry, and above all is a story of a little rabbit who finds courage in the last place he expected–within himself.

Continue reading Kenny & the Dragon ~Tony DiTerlizzi →

Book Reviews, Science Fiction

Second Foundation Group Read: The Conclusion

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“But there, just past the reaching point, was the memory of the past, still glowing in unrusted splendor, and burning with fire where the sun of Trantor caught it in gleaming highlights. She had been there once during the months since she had arrived on Trantor. She had climbed onto the smooth, unjointed pavement and ventured into the silent dust-streaked structures, where the light entered through the jags of broken walls and partions.

It had been solidified heartache. It had been blasphemy.”

And now we are done.

A small but intrepid group began 2012 with the first book in Isaac Asimov’s famed trilogy and now we are at the end. This is my second read through of the trilogy and I can honestly say that I got even more out of it this time. In fact, as I’ll discuss later, it was almost like reading an entirely new book as things were revealed in this read through that I wasn’t focused on during my first time.

It has been great fun reading through this trilogy, and at some point I look forward to continuing on with the books Asimov added to the canon years later. But for now let’s have our final discussion of this group read. Each and every one of these posts has contained spoilers for the uninitiated, and this will be no different.

Continue reading Second Foundation Group Read: The Conclusion →

book news

The Lies of Locke Lamora Read Along

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“Ladies and Gentlemen, this is what you’ve been waiting for. This is the ‘February surprise’.”

Thus begins Little Red Reviewer‘s earlier announcement of her read along of Scott Lynch’s much lauded novel, The Lies of Locke Lamora. Since its debut, the novel, and the name of Scott Lynch, have burned up the internet with this book making its way to many Best Of lists over the last few years. He has received high praise from many quarters and now is your chance to find out what all the fuss is about and have a great time sharing your thoughts and feelings with a group of fellow readers. Or, as Andrea put it:

“I invite you to join us on our read along of Scott Lynch’s debut novel The Lies of Locke Lamora, the unassuming looking fantasy novel that started cults, inspired restraining order style behavior, and quite possibly changed everyone’s ideas of dark fantasy and antiheroes.”

I can attest that Andrea is a wonderful host, having participated in her The Lord of the Rings read alongs last year as well as her excellent Vintage SF Month in January of this year. Given the enthusiasm she put into both events I have no doubt that this will be a fun one as well. And since I’ve quoted her twice now, let me prove that the third time is the charm and give you the rest of the details you need to know:

“Detail the first: We’ll be getting started with The Lies of Locke Lamora the first week of March and Red Seas Under Red Skies sometime in mid to late April (which should give everyone a chance to get copies), and we’ll read 120 – 160 pages per week, with discussions going up on the weekends. Paperbacks tend to run less than $10, electronic probably a bit less, audio probably a bit more, limited editions from Subterranean Press considerably more so. Any version is fine. Chapter breaks and other timing info to be posted later this month.

Detail the second: These are some of my favorite books, by one of my most favorite authors. You can expect much fan girlishness from me. What I said before about restraining order behavior? uh, yeah, that was me. Here’s hoping all the other bloggers will be much more mature and professional.

Detail the third: These books are rated super R for casual violence, violence towards children, promotion of flexible morals, massive amounts of glamorized criminal activity, occasional drug and alcohol use, a smidgen of bought and paid for sex, and oh gods, the swear words. So many deliciously magnificent naughty words! If you wouldn’t use the word delicious or magnificent to describe creative invective, and if you are at all offended by anything else listed above, this may not be the read al0ng for you. Really. I’m not kidding. Don’t even ask me if this would be appropriate for your fourteen year old kid.”

And if you still need incentive, I think this read along, which begins March 1st, would be a wonderful warm up to the Once Upon a Time Challenge that begins on March 21st (details soon to follow). Get your fantasy buzz going now and you’ll be in the groove come March 21st!

To sign up please visit this link and leave a comment in the thread. You will get an email from Andrea with the rest of the details you need to know.

Come on and join in, you know you want to! 😉

Eclectic Musings of a Renaissance Geek