‘Take a large bowl,’ I said. ‘Fill it with equal measures of fact, fantasy, history, mythology, science, superstition, logic, and lunacy. Darken the mixture with bitter tears, brighten it with howls of laughter, toss in three thousand years of civilization, bellow kan pei – which means “dry cup” – and drink to the dregs.’
Procopius stared at me. ‘And will I be wise?’ he asked.
‘Better,’ I said. ‘You will be Chinese.’
Dreamhaven Books is a very cool place. Looking for a Doctor Who action figure? You’ll find it there. That’s not to mention a plethora of books and zines with a focus on the Twin Cities’ local literary scene.
Friday I was lucky enough to go to a reading there with Naomi Kritzer, author of Fires of the Faithful and Turning the Storm, and the Dead Rivers trilogy. She recently self-published a collection of short stories, Comrade Grandmother, on Kindle. She read from one of her current novels on illegal immigrants from another dimension and everybody had a good time. Check out Dreamhaven Books at http://www.dreamhavenbooks.com/ and Naomi’s work at http://www.naomikritzer.com/.
Who knew that if you set a bad D&D campaign to music, the result would be something pretty good? It’s not clear what the band Rhapsody had been drinking when they created Enchanted Lands, Vol. 2: The Dark Secret Album, but I’m glad they did. A hardy band of adventurers set out to kill “Nekron, the demon king” in a cycle of heavy metal songs:
It was a good time for all creatures of the earth,
But fate decreed that the dark prophecy of a demonknight
Could bring a tragic end to this peace
Scarring their lives forever!
If you can bring yourself to stop giggling, you might notice that the music is pretty good. It’s got some nice heavy rhythms, good guitar riffs, a good vocalist. The photoshopped castle with the lightning effects in the music video is definitely a highlight. And is that … is that … Christopher Lee?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEMeBTmiX4g&hl=en&fs=1&]