Fantasist's Scroll

I just finished reading Dragon Venom by Lawrence Watt Evans this week.

Wow, what a sweeping book! Lawrence Watt Evans had a lot of ground to cover in this final installment of the Obsidian Chronicles and he did so amazingly well. First off, if you haven’t guessed by now, this is the last book in a series of three novels that are not set in Ethshar, one of my favorite fantasy settings. This world is a little grittier and certainly more savage than Ethshar. And, it allows the author to explore some rather gruesome ideas about the comingling of magic and blood that his somewhat more “happy-happy” Ethshar series doesn’t allow. But, that aside, it’s a great series.
In this final installment, Lord Obsidian attempts to put an end to the dragons for good. And, of course, to seek his revenge on the dragons that devistated his village. Okay, now, if you’re reading this series, stop here, the spoilers are on the way…
Well, he manages to kill quite a few dragons, which doesn’t do much but irritate the remaining ones a bit. But, he also manages to let the wild magic of the South start to encroach on the Lands of Man. So, the Duke orders him to stop slaying dragons until he can guarantee that the Lands of Man will be safe from the wild magic without dragons. That, then, is the main thrust of the book. Obsidian explores far to the South, meets a “wizard”, then kills it, and a god, learning quite a bit about magic along the way. But, not quite getting the answer to his problems.
He does find out that dragon blood is concentrated magic and the key to his problem. So, he goes about trying to create a magical dragon “substiuite”. And, well… I’ll let you read the book.

He said “bone”, heh, heh, heh…

Yep, “bone phone”. According to this article on AustrailianIT, Sanyo has built a phone that “…transmits sounds through vibrations that move from the skull to the cochlea in the inner ear, instead of relying on the usual method of sound hitting the outer eardrum.” Apparently, it’s quite good and clear, too. There are some early adopters who claim this technology really works well in the field, so to speak.
Personally, I find the implications interesting. Imagine a phone that’s implanted behind the owner’s ear and resonates directly into their ear. It would be the ultimate mobile phone. Hmm, how would you dial, though? With your tounge? Or, by blinking? Well, still not perfected, but at least there are some real posibilities there. Especially for science-fiction authors.

An interesting website.

Ricardo Pinto has put up a website to support his series of books, which is really one book in three parts, called The Stone Dance of Chameleon. The third book is forthcoming, but the first two are out. (They are The Chosenand The Standing Dead, in case you’re interested.) I haven’t read either book yet, but the world displayed on the website is fascinating. It has quite a few similarities to Mayan or Incan cultures, but, of course, with a very unique twist or three to them. It really looks like a rich, full world that one could spend quite a bit of time exploring. Certainly, the author seems to have spent quite a bit of time creating it: over ten years, according to his claims. He has a created language and maps of the geography in the books. Not only maps, but actual sculpted models, too!
This website is the first introduction I’ve had to the books, but I’m impressed enough that I might just have to hunt the books down when I get caught up in the reading department. Go see for yourself!

Well, it’s just as good as dreaming about winning the lottery!

A long time ago, I remember seeing a list of things not to do if you ever become an Evil Overlord. Well, the other day, I found it. Twice, actually. Bull’s Place has the “short list” and EvilOverlord.com has the “long list”. The second list also has some history about how the list was developed.
Something to think about the next time you design a villian. Or, try to take over the world.

Oh, yeah, this is cool!

Finally, we have the high-tech windows that we were promised in Blade Runner! According to this article on Wired News, Andersen Windows of Bayport, Minnesota, and media giant Time Warner have put together a “concept house” of sorts that feature the highest of high-tech windows. These windows have fiber-optic LCD screens built into them that let them become opaque and be used as a display. Yeah, that’s right, a window that’s also a TV or computer monitor. In fact, these babies even work as a touch-screen so you don’t need a keyboard. Imagine a whole house of these things. Oh, I’m all a-quiver with the possibilities!

Go read the article and dream big, high-tech window dreams!

What is the art of magical writing?

Well, I think it would be called “chirography”. It’s not really a popular way to do magic in the West, but the Eastern magi have used it for generations. Taoist charms and such are all mainly written spells on special paper with special ink and blessed by special ceremonies and prayers. Of course, Western wizards have the Runes, but it just doesn’t have the same feel. Runes are usually engraved on stone or wood and they seem so primative with all their sharp angles and simple forms. But, Eastern calligraphy is so flowing and exotic that it just seems to be made from magic.
I was first introduced to this kind of magic via anime and manga. A priestess holds up a strip of paper with Chinese symbols on it, shouts out a “prayer”, and a fireball launches from the paper. What fun! Every so often, I search for information on this, but rarely come up with much. The latest time, though, I found Yellow Dragon Talismans.
It occured to me that this would be a great way to do magic in a fantasy fiction world. It’s not really something that I’ve seen before and it has some nice limitations that generate some good plots. Also, as a writer, I like the emphasis on how magic the written word is! In any case, it’s an idea that captures my imagination, so I thought I’d throw it out for anyone else who might be fishing for an idea for their constructed world.

Is there such a thing?

Well, David Grinspoon thinks there is. In this article on Slate, he questions whether or not we should be going to Mars with the nationalist attitude that is driving our country right now. I have to admit, he raises some interesting points. For one thing, the proponents of Martian terraforming are trying to say that we’ll be conquering Mars the same way we “conquered” the frontier here in America. But, of course, we didn’t do that here. We stole America from Her natives. On Mars, though, we will really be making the frontier.
Right now, Mars is not much more than a ball of rock and dirt and ice. No breathable atmosphere or any real “life” as the layman recognizes it. It will take years to reshape that planet into something that can support life. Well, really, it will take decades, maybe even centuries. In any case, a really, really long time. But, already there are people saying that we, as in Americans, should claim Mars for “ours”. I wonder what they mean? Will we deny the Russians or the Chinese a space base there? How will we control that border when we can’t hardly stem the tide right here on Earth where the borders are relatively well defined?

Well, it’s an interesting and thoughtful article and, of course, a great source of ideas for some science-fiction stories.

No, I mean really psycho toys…

It all started with a harmless, little article on Wired about new cube toys. (Make sure to read the article. It explains a lot about the rest of this.) Then I Googled on a few of the artists and came up with SweatyFrog Toys, KidRobot and finally XL-Shop online. Oh, my stars and garters, as a favorite comic-book hero was known for saying. The toys are truly mad and more fun than a barrel full of developers! They do get a bit pricey, though. SweatyFrog Toys has the best prices, but the other two have a better selection. In any case, it’s great fun to window shop there. And, hey, it’s Friday, go have fun!