Skyrim: A World of its Own

In case you haven’t heard, ElderScrolls V: Skyrim is quickly becoming one of the most popular action role-playing games ever developed. Created by Bethesda Game Studies, this game completely immerses you into a medieval world of dungeons, dragons, magic, and good old fashioned adventuring.

Although I can’t personally claim that Skyrim can accurately portray the historical aspects of medieval times, I can guarantee that this unique world can satisfy your lust for tales of glory and gold while filling your imagination with brave warriors and damsels in distress.

Whether you prefer to delve into the deeper mysteries of magic or simply enjoy the pleasure of hacking your opponent with the nearest blunt object you can find, Skyrim has created a vast and complicated realm that will have you playing (almost obsessively) for hours on end no matter which type of combat you delight in at the time.

Each and every character has a personality and a story, and it’s entirely up to you whether or not you want to follow the plotline or simply explore the woods and mountains nearby. With dragons soaring overhead and undead stirring in forgotten crypts, Skyrim can be the perfect way to escape your modern day cares and bask in the engaging and beautiful realm of a medieval adventure.

While many typical rpg’s leave gamers sighing upon completion after 10 or 12 hours of gameplay (or less), Skyrim offers almost endless hours of game time without the boredom of grinding for experience or farming for gold. Some have put in over 120 hours into their Skyrim sessions and are still finding new and amazing quests to keep them occupied.

Coming from both a gamer and a fantasy-loving nerd, I can personally attest that Skyrim is a world all on its own. 40 hours in the game, I still can’t help but admire how enormous the world is. From atop a mountainside cliff, I almost get a sense of vertigo. While exploring an abandoned mine, I can nearly feel the claustrophobia and the fear of a potential cave collapse. The textures are convincing, and the sheer amount of detail put into the game are enough to make even the most skeptic bookworm admit that Skyrim has set a new standard when it comes to RPGs.

If you’re looking to plunge yourself into an entirely new world of medieval fun, then Skyrim might be just the game for you.

Once Upon a Time

ABC has come out with a new fantasy show called Once Upon a Time. Based on the very popular fairy tales created by the Brothers Grim and other famous fairy tale writers, Once Upon a Time is a show that will fascinate both adults and children alike.

The use of Snow White

The writers of Once Upon a Time have been very creative of the story of Snow White. What is often known as a timid and shy princess turns into a courageous and daring one. The story of how Snow White and Prince Charming met is quite different than the one Walt Disney imagined. Snow White actually steals from Prince Charming (who calls himself James) in order to gain more money to leave the country. As the two collide, they realize that they are starting to fall in love with each other. The only problem is Prince Charming is already Engaged.

Beauty and the Beast

In January, Once Upon a Time will bring the famous Beauty and the Beast to life. The story line for this episode is currently unknown, but it is sure to please viewers.

A Modern Day World

A horrible curse was placed upon the fairy tale kingdom. They were sentenced to a life of unhappy endings forevermore. However, a beacon of hope was sent in the form of one child- Emma. One her 26th birthday, she would come back and reverse the curse. This is shown in the first episode when Emma’s son, Henry knocks on her door right after she blows out the candle on her cupcake.

This mix of childhood memories and modern day application combines into a beautiful show anyone can enjoy. The romance, humor, action, and fantasy will draw people who are looking to get a little more midevilmayhem into their lives.

ABC’s Legend of the Seeker

Two years ago, ABC produced a tv show that surprised audiences all around. The Legend of the Seeker, based off the Sword of Truth book by Terry Goodkind is about a woman who travels across a boundry to find a seeker that can restore peace to the midlands. Once she crossed the boundry, she stumbles into the seeker, but does not know it at the time, and continues to look for the wizard who can show her to the seeker.

The story continues on about Richard Cypher’s journey through the midlands, trying to kill the evil tyrant Darken Rahl. This show is full of adventure, romance, and even a few laughs along the way. This show is perfect for anyone who loves medieval mayhem. There is plenty of swordfights, mythical creatures, and magic.

A Little bit of Love

For those who are more interested in the romance side of the story, readers can rest easy because there is plenty of it. The two main characters, Richard Cypher (played by Craig Horner) and Kahlan Amnell (played by Bridget Regan), fall in love. However they cannot be together because of Kahlan’s magic as a confessor. The tale of how they learn to cope with this challenge is an interesting and exciting one.

A hint of Laughter

The humor comes from the wizard, Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander (played by Bruce Spence). The old man is humorous from the moment he walks onto the screen. This form of comic relief helps keep the show light when it seems to be at its darkest moment.

The Tragic Ending

This great show was cancelled after two seasons because one of the producers decided not to renew the show. Fans of the Legend of the Seeker rose up in hopes of renewing the show. They called “Save our Seeker” and are constantly working to bring their beloved show back to life.

Preparing for the Renaissance Festival

Ready for the Renaissance Festival?

It’s that time of year again! Throughout America, touring and permanent renaissance festivals are showing up everywhere! Whether or not you’ve ever been to a Renaissance fair, it’s always nice to be prepared. Here are three tips to being prepared for the upcoming festivals.

Preparing for the Renaissance Festival

1) Do Your Research
Search your city, state, and largest city in your area for any Renaissance Festivals. If you’re planning on attending this year, be sure to mark your calendar. Most festivals are only open in a certain area for a few weeks at a time. Be sure not to miss out! Before you go to the fair, find out what preforming acts will be preforming when you go to the fair. See if a map is available online so that you can learn to maneuver your way through the crowd in order to make the most of your time at the festival. In addition, learn if there is a dress code, or if there are any restrictions against bringing pets or fake or real weapons.

2) Bring Plenty of Cash
These festivals are filled with shops and food stands. Remember, you are going to a fair, and fair food princes are usually really inflated. As for the gist shops, there is jewelry, trinkets, hand woven handicrafts, flower wreaths for your head, etc. Some of the stands will accept credit, but cash is definitely easier at this sort of event.

3) Costumes
People love to dress up for the Renaissance Festival. Check your local Renaissance Fair, and see if there is a particular theme happening on any particular day. Sometimes these fairs have themes like pirate, Romeo and Juliet, knights, princesses, etc. If nothing specific is mentioned, feel free to dress up anyway! You’re going to be on your feet all day, so make sure your clothes/costumes and your shoes are comfortable enough to be wearing all day.

Review: Brandon Sanderson’s “Elantris”

I recently finished Brandon Sanderson’s “Elantris.” The story was his debut into the fantasy market and if you ask me, it’s a pretty damn good first impression. While reading it, there are definitely moments you can tell he was a new author but the mistakes are forgivable. In all, the plot is very original, has good characters, and has some very thought provoking themes.

The story revolves around a character named Raoden, the Prince of Kae who wakes up one day to find out that he has become an Elantrian. Decades ago, this would have been a good thing. The Elantrians were gods living in the city of Elantris, wielding and channeling magical energy through runes called Aons. But something happened, some disaster caused them to lose their powers and degrade into a collective of zombie-like immortals. Once Raoden becomes an Elantrian he is cursed with baldness, leathery and splotchy skin, and wounds that never heal and pain that never ends. Upon finding him, his father declares him dead and locks him away in the ruined city of Elantris where the monsters go once the awful transformation claims them. Instead of giving up hope as the cursed being that he is, Raoden attempts to unravel the mystery as to why Elantris fell and why the magic the Elantrians used no longer works.

Outside Raoden’s prison city, a memorable female character named Sarene comes to Kae as she is betrothed to the fallen prince. During her time there she meets Hrathen, a high-ranking church official from the east who has been sent to convert the city of Kae. If he fails, his prophet has warned him that the city of Kae will be exterminated.

The results is a tale of political intrigue, lost love, and religious conflicts that really makes for quite an interesting read. In reality, it has a plot unlike any other fantasy I’ve ever read. It turns the conventions so common to this genre on their heads. There is no nefarious dark lord on the horizon who can only be killed once a certain talisman is destroyed. Instead, Sanderson has woven a completely original story that you shouldn’t miss.

Top 10 Dragons Part 2

Last time we listed off dragons 10 through 6. Now let’s see the dragons that made the final cut.

5. Elliott- Pete’s dragon is a children’s classic. This 1977 animated film was many of our first exposures to dragons as kids. Though he isn’t as ferocious or cool as other dragons, Elliott has paved the way for most of Hollywood’s kid-friendly dragons ever since.

4. Deathwing- With nearly 15 millions online players, odds are you know someone who plays World of Warcraft or have played it yourself. Starring as the villain of the expansion set “Cataclysm”, Deathwing has single handedly caused so much destruction that the lands of Azeroth themselves rupture and split under the beating of his enormous wings. Though Deathwing may not yet be a classic dragon, he is still pretty damn cool looking. With a black hide and ebony scales covering his lava-like blood he makes for one of the most imposing dragons ever imagined.

3. Hungarian Horntail- Made famous by the 4th installment of the Harry Potter series, the Hungarian Horntail is definitely a worthy contender on this list. This creature’s depiction in 2005′s The Goblet of Fire movie made for one of the polished dragons to grace the screen in many years. Though his battle with Harry is a little too drawn out and definitely a far cry from the books, the contest between the two is still very enjoyable to watch just for the visuals.

2. Godzilla- Perhaps not a dragon strictly speaking, Godzilla is still one of the most iconic fire-breathing lizards to ever grace the silver screen. Few movie franchise characters have experienced as many feature length outings as this sky-scraping monster. His career started way back in 1956 and is still going strong. Rumors are now suggesting that indie-director Gareth Edwards has been enlisted to tackle yet another Americanized Godzilla reboot. Let’s hope he can get the job done better than Matthew Broderick’s version.

1. Smaug- The bane of Erebor, the great fire wyrm, Smaug is probably the 20th century’s most enduring dragon. His part in the Hobbit has set the standard for all dragons since. Sitting on his pile of gold, gems, and armor, Smaug dwells beneath the ruins of old Dwarven kingdoms. Not only is he brutally vicious, he is dangerously cunning. His face offs with Bilbo show that he is more clever than we would usually assume a dragon to be. With everything Smaug means to fantasy fans, Peter Jackson has a lot of pressure to do him justic on the big screen in the coming Hobbit movies.

HBO’s Game of Thrones

Getting epic fantasy onto the big screen is always hit and miss. On one hand you have the Oscar-winning “Lord of the Rings,” while on the other you have Uwe Boll’s travesty “In the Name of the King.” (Maybe it could have been better had Milla Jovovich lent her acting talents to the project.) There are many things filmmakers have to get right when bringing fantasy to the silver screen: length, tone, scope, and even MPAA rating considerations. With all these challenges, many wonder if the little screen and not the theater is a better medium for this genre. Game of Thrones is testing that water.

Game of Thrones is based on George R.R. Martin’s first installment of his epic fantasy “A Song of Ice and Fire.” Its first episode aired on April 17th and so far the reaction seems to be rather positive. I know I liked it. HBO is the perfect medium for a dark epic fantasy such as this one. One thing that always upsets fans about book-to-movie projects is how much they cut out of the source material. Game of Thrones gets around this by breaking up Martin’s lengthy volume into 10 different hour long episodes. I am sure there are still some things they had to cut, but 10 hours is better than 3.

When adapting Martin’s work, one also has to worry about tone. His novels are pretty dismal, violent, and sometimes sexually explicit. Many worried these aspects would have to be watered down, diluted, or cut altogether for a marketable movie adaptation. But HBO helps them get around this as well. If you know HBO, you know they aren’t afraid of bleak subject matter, violent imagery, and heavily sexual content. This may put off many casual fans of fantasy, but Martin’s die-hards will probably appreciate the accurate approach the people at HBO have taken.

But putting the swords, sex, and swearing aside, Game of Thrones’ first episode was very well done. The acting was great and their casting was excellent. The set pieces, costumes, and props were all top notch. They nailed the depressing and seedy tone of Martin’s story and have really set a high bar for themselves as the season continues. If you’re into fantasy and don’t mind the blood, boobs, and bad language, this is definitely a series worth watching.

Medieval Weapons

We’ve seen the swords, the shields, and the axes, but there are some really vicious weapons we don’t always see at the Renaissance fair or in the movies. I wanted to dedicate this post to some of the more unusual medieval weapons you may not have seen.

The first interesting weapon is called the man catcher. Looking like a tuning fork from hell, the man catcher was attached to the end of a pole long enough to reach up and dismount to cavalry riders. The the two prongs are designed to push outward when the hit an object and then lock tightly around them. Once a soldier had caught the rider, the man catcher was used to pull the assailant off his horse and pin him to the ground.

The gunshield is also an unusual weapon. Though maybe not techincally medieval, the gunshield dates back to around the 1500′s. Fitted with a small window, the gunshield to simultaneously be take up defensive and offensive positions. The window let them see where they were shooting while the shield itself protected the soldier from returning gunfire or arrows.

The Katara is a wicked looking push-dagger unique to southern Asia, mostly India. Its blade is short and almost triangular and rather than using vertical grip like most stabbing weapons, its handle was built horizontally. This allowed combatants to strike out with the Katara in a punching motion. This could help put a lot more weight behind blows and do considerable damage.

Review: Orson Scott Card’s “Pathfinder”

I just recently finished reading a book called Pathfinder, by Orson Scott Card. He is an author mostly known for his sci-fi, (if you haven’t read Ender’s Game, you’re missing out on a life-changing experience) but Card also dabbles in fantasy. In the case of Pathfinder, you’ll find both. From the jacket and the book’s summary, you would assume that this is a fantasy story at its core. The first chapter opens around a boy and his father trapping animals in the woods in a setting you would assume of any fantasy, medievalish at least. But as the second chapter’s intro begins with a description of a pilot named Ram, trained in interstellar space travel you begin to realize that story is actually a blend of the two sister-genres.

The main arch of Pathfinder follows the exploits of two boys, Rigg and Umbo. Both of these boys have unique powers they have dealt with all their lives. Rigg possess the power to see the “path” of any creature throughout time. This gives him the ability to track living animals or follow the journeys of men who have long since died. Umbo on the other hand has the power to speed up people’s perception of time. By doing this he can help other people around him improve their focus and mental acuity and more.

The story follows them as they head up river from their little village and push into the strongholds of the former empire and more dangerous lands on a quest to discover the truth about Rigg’s past and to reunite him with his long lost sister. The result is an adventure full of mystery, political intrigue, and time traveling shenanigans.

At the end of the day though, this is not my favorite book by Uncle Orson. It’s decent but it doesn’t have the dilemmas and charm that made the Ender series so poignant. Card does though make the characters rather likable. The powers he gives the main characters make for a lot of fun and interesting scenes as they find new ways to apply their abilities. However, there just really isn’t a sense of urgency to the book until the very end. The story doesn’t do a great job in creating and fulfilling expectations or promises. When the end comes, there is a “oh-that’s-where-he-was-pointing-us” moment, but it doesn’t really have that much pay off.

The ending is also very abrupt. If you weren’t expecting to get into a series, it’s a little jarring. Apparently this is the first installment into a new universe in Mr. Card’s library. It has me interested enough that I will probably read the next. I will hold off on recommending it until I see if there is better pay off in the subsequent installments.

Lord of the Rings Symbolism

It was said that J.R.R. Tolkien didn’t appreciate the fact when people mistook his work for some kind of allegory. But while perhaps he didn’t like it, that doesn’t there aren’t allegorical ties that can be made. Given the times Tolkien lived in, his religious background, and the years he spent in the trenches of WWI, its not surprising that his book might echo with similar events. But as the years go by, Tolikien’s trilogy continues to pick up new meanings for new people. No matter what background one comes from, new meanings can be found within the text.

Environmental Symbolism
Its almost impossible to read Tolkien and not feel his love for nature. Intentional or not, LOTR can be interpreted as a parable trying to teach us to be good stewards of the Earth. You’ll notice that the villains in LOTR are ruthless toward the land, burning fields, hacking trees, building foundries, and pumping smoke into the sky. This imagery is strikingly similar to the imagery you might find a “Go Green” pamphlet using to scare people into being more environmentally conscious. On the opposite end form the villains, Tolkien has depicted the Elves, the most benevolent characters in the serires, as a society that builds itself around and in the trees rather than clearing them away and building over their stumps. Strangely enough, this sort of appeal to preserving nature was not very popular when the book was first written.

Multicultural Parallelisms
Perhaps one of the most poignant allegorical messages LOTR might have, is its promotion of multiculturalism. Tolkien has taken flack from scholars in the past for being racist and derogatory of societies that developed outside of Western Culture parameters. But I would disagree. I think Tolkien’s works show the necessity of different races understanding one and another and working together despite their differences. You have Dwarves, Elves, Hobbits, and Men all trying to help eachother against the real threat- corruption, enslavement, and the culture-less dominion of Sauron. The way Gimli and Legolas learn to love one another as brothers is a plea for all the races and peoples of the earth to reach out to one another.