Fallen Princesses - DivineCaroline

Back from the holiday...and thought I'd start off with some lovely pictures of Disney princesses...in the real world.

Photographer Dina Goldstein gives us a more modern interpretation of the classic fairy tale princess. Her work can be found at dinagoldstein.com.

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Book Review: The Silver Skull by Mark Chadbourn

My review is now up on


There are times when you read a book that’s so amazing to you that you feel the author had you personally in mind when they wrote it, that’s exactly how I feel about Mark Chadbourn’s The Silver Skull. The Silver Skull is set in an alternate version of the Elizabethan England period. The story follows Will Swyfte the greatest spy England has ever known. He’s handsome, daring, smart and dangerous. He’s everything a great spy should be. With Spain on the brink of war with England and the Unseelie court pulling strings behind the curtains; Will has been tasked with saving the whole of England from certain doom. Sounds kind of silly does it not? The core of the story is indeed a spy/adventure story. On the surface the plot does feel a little like an Elizabethan James Bond novel, but in reality The Silver Skull is so much more than that....read the rest of my review on FantasyLiterature.com



The copy I used to review this book was sent to me by Pyr publishing. It was released in the US(11/05/09)

Screw Lawn Gnomes: I'm getting a Jawa!

I'm a fan of the spartan garden (ie: not much work required). I'm not so much into Garden Gnomes (who should all burn) but this garden gnome is almost enough to convince the Mrs. about my position. I can picture it now, arrid desert landscape with my R2D2 cooler being scrapped by Jawa Gnomes.

Via Geekologie.
Product Site

Don't do drugs

Musical Geekiness - sequencing with a big ol modular synth

A New Low for Humanity: Juggalo Furries

With the year 2012 right around the corner, I'm starting to see signs of society collapsing. I don't know weather to laugh or cry at this unholy union.  Juggalo Furries. No, that is not a typo, and yes, appearently its real.  Juggalos are the makeup wearing, not-quite-emo fans of ICP. Furries are people who like to bang anthropomorphic animals.  When these two oh so easy to mock subcultures collide, all suck is let loose.

You don't believe me?  Check out the video below. I couldn't stop laughing.




Edit: It's been brought to my attention that this may even be an entirely new species. In that case, humanity may be saved.

Mother Nature crying in a glacier

I'm a picture kind of mood lately appearently, and this is one of my favorites. I do work at the EPA, so I notice things like this. Found on ABC's website through Fark.

Isn't nature cool sometimes?  Click to see the full size.

Fail

see more Epic Fails

Wow, lol...I probably laughed too much at this.

Cool pic

Ever have that feeling that your being followed?

Fork Lift Accident destroys vodka

Found via Break, a fork lift accident performs the ultimate sin... Alcohol Abuse.  And by abuse I mean destroys a quarter million dollars in Vodak within a couple seconds.  Lets have a moment of silence for the spirits that were never drank.

...





Fork Lift Accident Brings Down The Warehouse - Watch more Funny Videos

Oh, and I hope the guy is OK.... or something. whatever.

VGC Top Ten: Hottest Videogame Babes on VGChartz.com

VGC Top Ten: Hottest Videogame Babes on VGChartz.com

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Yes, there is nothing more phenomenally geek than drooling over video game babes. So thanks to VGC for compiling this list. There are plenty that they missed. I was always partial to Morrigan from Dark Stalkers...

Book Review: Bleak History by John Shirley

Bleak History’s story is in the not too far off future New York. John Shirley has created a world in Bleak History is not too different from our own, with the exception that the spirit world (The Hidden) has become a force that manifests itself through various “gifted individuals”, giving them special abilities. One such individual is Gabriel Bleak, an ex-Army Ranger, now turned bounty hunter. Ever since leaving the Army Gabe has been under the watchful eye of a shadowy government agency that tries to use this hidden world and its gifted people in its anti-terrorism agenda. They want Gabe Bleak and will do just about anything to get him. The main portion of the plot in Bleak History is about the pursuit of our hero. The chase goes on and the story unravels in some expected and unexpected ways.

Gabe’s powers make for some great action, rooftop leaping, gun play, and explosions, then mix that in with all kinds of help from the denizens of The Hidden. John Shirley knows how to draw an image in your head, which is one of the many reasons why this book is addicting. The pacing of the story is perfect for a Hollywood film, which I’m quite sure this book is destined to be (in fact according Shirley’s website the film rights have already been arranged). Having said that, I must point out that the pacing feels a little off in book form. The story flows so smoothly through 90% of the book and then ends rather suddenly, but it’s not so bad that it subtracts from my overall feelings toward the book. Basically I’m telling Mr. Shirley I wanted his book to be about half again longer, I enjoyed it that much.
The characters are well developed and Shirley does an excellent job in portraying them in a way that you understand their motivations. He portrays Gabe’s inner struggle with his conscious quite well. It’s not just Gabe that has depth, but all the characters in Bleak History have more stories to tell. I hope they get that chance in an ongoing series.

In conclusion I will say that this Urban Fantasy delivers on many levels. I want more books set in this world with these characters. I want to see a movie made from this book. I hope Mr. Shirley realizes he has something special here, with loads of promise. I see the same elements in Bleak History that I seen in Jim Butcher’s Storm Front. I can see Gabriel Bleak becoming as iconic a character as Harry Dresden. I highly recommend this book to any Urban Fantasy fan who enjoys a straight forward plot, interesting characters, and a fast pace.