The best of both worlds...

XCOm and Stargate SG-1...the Universe cannot contain this much awesome! (even if it's just fan fiction...

Terry Pratchett at New York Comic Con

For me the highlight of New York Comic Con was seeing Terry Pratchett in person. Of course they put him on the wrong stage and no one could hear a word he was saying, even when a very nice lady all but shoved the mircophone in his mouth. But seeing the man, with the iconic beard and hat was a real treat, and reminder what the world will lose whne he finally departs this plane of existence.

On a side note, something more lighthearted...

Not thats something I could get behind!

Return of Beauty and the Beast

Interesting side note...GRRM was a producer and writer for this show way back in the Eighties, before he went onto bigger and better things. Which begs the question: is he getting a piece of this action as well?

Also..seem's interesting, and of course Kristin Kreuk would improve a reading of the phone book by her mere presense. But the original series had three things going for it: Ron Perlman in lion make-up, Linda Hamilton in big shoulder pads. And an Eighties sound track, with accompanying hair. Lots and lots of hair...

Review of THE MISPLACED LEGION

The Misplaced Legion by Harry Turtledove
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Before Harry Turtledove became obsessed with writing - and rewriting- alternative versions of the Second World War, he was a notable scholar of Byzantine history, which led him to write the Videssos series, and entertaining saga that turns away from the usual Northern Europeans-folklore influences of Tolkien and company towards a world based very closely on the Byzantine Empire. In fact, aside from the presence of magic and a few cosmetic changes, it could very much stand in for a straight-forward alternative history in which Constantinople never feel to the Turks. Which is in fact the subject of another book he wrote...but one thing at a time.

The premise behind the series goes like this: a Roman legion led by the tribune Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, fighting during Caesar's conquest of Gaul, gets transported to an alternative world due to a mishap with a pair of swords enchanted by a powerful druid (coming along for the ride is a Gallic chieftain who was fighting on the other side...) Unable to return home, they hire on as mercenaries to the Byzantium-like Empire of Videssos. The idea of a Roman legion hiring on to serve a fantasy version of the Empire that would ultimately succeed their Empire might seem a bit ludicrous, but Turtledove makes it work with strong characters and a detailed and highly realistic setting.

Religion plays a strong role here, and in this Turtledove;s historical background shows itself strongly. The primary religion is a thinly disguised version of medieval Orthodox Christianity, which like the real-world version is beset by various heresies and schisms. The primary villain is Avshar, a former Videssian priest who switches to the worship of Skotos, the Videssian version of the Devil. A generation before the Roman legions arrival, he facilitated the conquest of a neighboring Empire, leading a nomadic horde from the steppe to overthrow the previous rulers, mirroring in many respects the Mongol conquest of Persia. The series slowly builds up over the course of several books, depicting both the external battles and internal intrigues that best the real-world Byzantine Empire, leading to the expected confrontation between light and dark.

The premise is somewhat outlandish, but the series is solid, a real and pleasant alternative to the the usual elf-and-orc style of fantasy. A good read all around.

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