Author Archive: John Rivers
The Shannara Chronicles: The Elfstones Of Shannara (book 1) by Terry Brooks (book review).
There can’t be many fantasy novels with the MTV logo on it, but here I am looking at the 2015 re-release of ‘The Elfstones Of Shannara’ by Terry Brooks, complete with a headline telling me that it’s ‘NOW AN EPIC TV SERIES ON MTV’. Spoiler alert: it was cancelled after two seasons. ‘The Elfstones of […]
The Annotated Sword Of Shannara (Shannara book 1) by Terry Brooks (book review).
It was with a great deal of trepidation that I approached Terry Brooks’ ‘The Sword Of Shannara’. It was once described by the critic David Pringle as the novel that showed that ‘fantasy really did have the potential to become a mass market genre’. Published in 1977, ‘The Sword Of Shannara’ appeared alongside other fantasy […]
Stranger Of Tempest (Book 1 of The God Fragments) by Tom Lloyd (book review).
Lynx is a warrior abandoned by his own nation and picked up by a band of mercenaries who have been sent on an unlikely rescue mission. So begins ‘Stranger Of Tempest’ by Tom Lloyd, an action-packed fantasy adventure very much in the same vein of Joe Abercrombie. As the story unfolds, we learn more about […]
Attack On Titan – Season 2 (2018) (Blu-ray anime series review).
‘Attack On Titan’ is the anime based series on the phenomenally successful debut manga by artist Hajime Isayama, has now had its second season arrive on Blu-ray. While season one was a sprawling twenty-six episodes, the second season gives the series a little more focus with only eleven episodes. For the uninitiated, ‘Attack On Titan’ […]
Age Of Myth (book one of The Legends Of the First Empire) by Michael J. Sullivan (book review).
The author Michael J Sullivan has built a successful career out of the ‘Riyaria’ fantasy series of books, nine books in total, but with the opening part of his latest trilogy, ‘Age Of Myth’, Sullivan has elected to travel three thousand years back into the past. It’s a delightful and balanced story of what happens […]
The Art Of Star Wars: The Last Jedi by Phil Szostak, foreword by Rian Johnson (book review).
Please note, there are mild spoilers below for ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’, you have been warned! As the dust (salt?) settles on the latest ‘Star Wars’ release ‘The Last Jedi’, this is a great time to pick up Abrams’ latest concept art and design collection focusing on Rian Johnson’s masterpiece. ‘The Art Of Star […]
About Time 8: The Unauthorized Guide To Doctor Who (Series 3) by Tat Wood and Dorothy Ail (book review)
The only downside to Tat Wood and Dorothy Ail’s guides to ‘Doctor Who’, along with authors from previous volumes by Lawrence Miles and Lars Pearson, is the time it takes for each volume to arrive. It was a great delight to discover that ‘About Time 8’ was going to be published this year. As with […]
Star Wars Art – Ralph McQuarrie: 100 Postcards by Ralph McQuarrie (postcard review).
If you simply can’t wait until December for more ‘Star Wars’ and given ‘The Last Jedi’ trailer, why would you, you can at least satisfy your lust for a galaxy far, far away with these new set of ‘Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie: 100 Postcards’ from the team at Abrams Noterie. Presented in a glossy, […]
Star Wars Notebook Collection by Lucasfilm Ltd. (a lined book review).
Complete with a silver 40th anniversary sticker on the front of the packet, the ‘Star Wars Notebook Collection’ from Abrams is a set of three 192 page ruled notebooks for you to record your shopping lists, school notes or dark thoughts worthy of the Sith. You may well ask why Abrams, as a noted publisher […]
Star Wars: Topps Classic Sticker Book by Topps Company (book review).
Abrams has been producing an excellent range of books based on the ‘Star Wars Topps Trading Cards’, developed through the 70s, 80s and 90s. To complement these, the publisher has also created a sticker book based on the sticker cards that were also found within the bubblegum packs. Like the originals, these stickers are also […]
