Thor 2 Trailer! You Have to See This…

Yes, I realize the Thor 2 trailer has been up for several days but, like my daughter, I’d been avoiding it for fear of spoilers. Then I caved and watched it. Oh. My. Word. It just made me want to see it worse. I have to wait how long for it to reach the big screen???!? It’s going to be a tough wait.

Are you curious yet? Here’s a chance to see it for yourself — in all of its awesomeness.

YouTube Preview Image

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Chrysanthe by Yves Meynard: Giveaway

Today I want to give you a link to a giveaway of one copy of Yves Meynard‘s fantasy novel Chrysanthe, courtesy of bastardbooks. I haven’t read the book, but have heard good things about it. Usually I list giveaways in my Friday mash-ups but I want to pass this one along to you early as the deadline is fast approaching — this Sat., April 14, 2012. Here’s the link. If you want to more about the book, here’s the synopsis:

Christine, the princess and heir to the real world of Chrysanthe, is kidnapped as a small child by a powerful magician and exiled in a Made World that is a version of our present reality. In exile, supervised by her strict “uncle” (actually a wizard in disguise), she undergoes bogus memory recovery therapy, through which she is forced to remember childhood rape and abuse by her parents and others. She is terribly stunted emotionally by this terrifying plot, but at seventeen discovers it is all a lie. Christine escapes with a rescuer, Sir Quentin, a knight from Chrysanthe, in a thrilling chase across realities.

Once home, the magical standoff caused by her exile is broken, and a war begins, in spite of the best efforts of her father, the king, and his wizard, Melogian. And that war, which takes up nearly the last third of the work, is a marvel of magical invention and terror, a battle between good and evil forces that resounds with echoes of the great battles of fantasy literature.

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Links of the Week

Are y’all ready for the weekend? I hope so because it’s right around the corner. For most of us, I think it’s fair to say it starts tonight. How about I give you my favorite links of the week to kick it off? Yes, you say? All right, then. Read on!

YouTube Preview Image

How about you guys? Did you find anything fun I missed? I’d love to see it. Just click on the comments bubble at the top right of this post.

Have a great weekend and I’ll see you next week.

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Best New Science Fiction and Fantasy Links of the Week

Happy Friday, everyone! It’s time to give you my favorite links from this week. So many to choose from this time. Well, here goes…

  • I stumbled across http://www.thetatteredscroll.com this week. There you can find many current fantasy ebook deals, including two RA Salvatore ebooks currently priced at $4.99 (that’s $3 off the usual digital price). It’s nice to have someone willing to go through what’s out there and find the cream of the crop.
  • http://www.starwarsuncut.com/ has released a remake of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, comprised entirely of 15-second fan clips. I watched a few minutes and have to shake my head at the originality of some of the submissions.
  • I love beautiful artwork. Naomi Novik has posted a beautiful piece of fan art by Daniel Govar, a dragon based on her Temeraire series.
  • MIT unveiled In Europe the Hiriko electric car, a windshield mounted car that folds up to take up one-third the parking space of an average size car. A pilot program for the little sci-fi looking buggy is set to begin next year.
  • I see Steven Spielberg is considering creating a Moses epic for Warner Bros. Will it going to be more fantasy or faith? I guess we’ll see.
  • Last year, Tor Forge gave away copies of Templar One (EVE, #2) by Tony Gonzales. Well, they’re at it again. Five copies are available on Goodreads. Deadline is February 24, 2012. (The book is based on the MMORPG game, http://www.eveonline.com/) For a peek at the action-packed trailer for the game see the publisher’s book page.
  • Here’s one that cracked me up: The 10 most undignified deaths in SFF, according to the Facebook followers of io9.com.
  • Care to contribute to one man’s attempt to list the family tree of every character in Lord of the Ringshttp://www.lotrproject.com/. I wish him luck.
  • Giveaway: To kick off the Year of the Dragon, Tor is giving away four copies of the Wheel of Time prequel, New Spring: The Graphic Novel by Robert Jordan, Chuck Dixon, and Mike S. Miller. Speaking of WOT, the publisher is also offering 10 copies of the first book in the series, The Eye of the World. The deadline for both is February 24, 2012.
  • Giveaway: Another offering by Tor on Goodreads — The Stolen Throne by David Gaider, the prequel to Dragon Age: Origins, the role-playing video game from Bioware. Deadline is February 24, 2012.
  • Here’s some geek news: University of Washington researchers have created a game, Foldit, where players can decode and create protein shapes to help scientists learn how proteins work and help with drug research for HIV and Alzheimer’s cures. Gamers, go forth and save the world! More on this story on CNET.
  • Minecraft and Zelda unite! Here’s a video showing the Hyrule Temple built in Minecraft. Now that must have taken quite some time.
  • Want to up your geek-cred points a tiny bit? Tell people you know where to find the video showing the Lego Man in Space, footage shot by 17-year-olds Matthew Ho and Asad Muhammad using a weather balloon and makeshift Styrofoam spacecraft to send a Lego man 15 miles up into the stratosphere. To make it easy, here you go:
YouTube Preview Image

I think that’ll do it for now. Have a great weekend, everyone! If I missed any good links, leave a note in the comments. I love to hear from you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Incredible Costumes at the Euro Cosplay Championships

After I posted my pictures from Long Beach Comic Con, a reader (I’m sorry, I lost your name) sent me a link to a video taken at the European Cosplay Championships 2011. Wow. Now there are some costumes. You’ve gotta check it out. Just click on the picture below.

If you have trouble bringing up the page, here’s the direct link:
http://implausibleblog.com/2011/10/30/euro-cosplay-championships-2011/

What about you? Do you have a favorite costume? I’d love to hear about it. Just leave a note below — and a link if you wish.

Disclosure of Material Connection: At times, some of the links in my posts are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”