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A not-so-early influence, “Conan the Cimmerian”
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Growing up, if you had mentioned the named “Conan” to me, images of Arnold Schwarzenegger in a bad haircut, glistening in an 80’s styled movie would have popped into my mind. Unfortunately that campy impression warded me off of the Robert E. Howard’s for many years. It wasn’t until a…
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A book you should be reading: “The Book of the New Sun,” by Gene Wolfe
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Okay, technically its four books. But its a oft’ overlooked tetralogy, so I’m grouping them together. Any true science fictions/fantasy fan should be aware of the works of Gene Wolfe (if you haven’t, put down your DnD dice and go weep in shame!). The Book of the New Sun is…
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A book you should be reading: “Stardust” by Neil Gaiman
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Continuing my series of book recommendations, today I will be featuring “Stardust,” by Neil Gaiman. The fantasy work of Gaiman is unlike any other. In an age where too many books/movies/games follow the Tolkien method, Gaiman’s work is refreshingly original. From the very outset, Gaiman paints a vivid narrative, so…
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A book you should be reading: “The Name of the Wind”
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Very rarely does a book come along that rivals the likes of Lord of the Rings. Patrick Rothfuss’ “The Name of the Wind” is just that sort of book. It is the story of Qvothe, a seemingly simple innkeeper in an unassuming small village. One day a strange comes knocking…
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A book you should be reading: His Majesty’s Dragon
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I’m not a fan of most modern fantasy books, largely due to the fact that their “cookbook” styled stories, with little originality or are just poorly written (ie. R. A. Salvatore). So when I first heard of the premise of “His Majesty’s Dragon,” I wasn’t enthused. But after a few…