DRAGONMOUNT

Greeting all! It is Thursday again meaning it is time for another installment of the Rotating Feature blog! The dice have been been tossed and the featured topic has been chosen. It is February and in the southern U.S. warmer weather is just weeks away. As spring get closer around so does Renaissance Festival season. Potters, cobblers, smiths, leather-workers, and tailors are finishing up the last of their winter work in preparation of months of traveling from state to state to sell their wares. Warmer weather will bring not only a chance to immerse yourself in a different time, but also to prepare for any conventions you plan on attending by picking up some hard to find, or hard to make, items.   Finding a Renaissance Festival near you is easy to do with a quick internet search. Here is a link showing festivals in each state. Some are sooner than others; the Bay Area Renaissance Festival actually starts this weekend here in Tampa, Florida. Others in more northern regions will start in summer months when the weather is more cooperative. Admittedly finding results outside the United States is a little harder; however, I am sure if you search for festivals by country you can probably find something. I was able to find a decent link for festivals in Canada, unfortunately I did not have such luck with the rest of the world. Wikipedia does have some Renaissance Festivals listed around the world though. Hopefully by now you can find a festival near you, but do you know what to expect? Renaissance Festivals, aka Renaissance Fairs or Renn Fairs, can take place in a field with a bunch of tents or can be a permanently built up site. Most at least have a few wooden structures. The vast majority of the tents or buildings will be vendors. Vendors can be local residents who do blacksmithing, pottery, tailoring, etc, or can be people who make their living by traveling from place to place selling their wares at festivals. Vendors will have items priced from a few dollars up to a few thousand. This is because many of the items are hand crafted, and hand crafting takes time which drives the cost up; however, hand made goods are typically higher quality. If you just want to go to casually shop for bobbles, eat, and take in the shows, $50 can get you through the day and you can walk away with a souvenir. If you want to buy some clothing, have a few drinks, play a few games, then around $100 should be sufficient. If you are going to buy any type of armor or boots, my suggestion is to get a two day pass so you can shop the first day and enjoy the festival. Then after you know what you want you can take in the shows and purchase your high dollar item the next day. I say this because I do not encourage anyone to walk around anywhere with more than $200 in cash on their person, and if you pan on buying boots or armor, leather or plate, expect to pay $200 or more. Some vendors may be able to accept credit or debit cards, but all will accept cash. I would get cash prior to getting to the festival for two reasons; first you may need to pay for parking, and second because if the festival has an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) the fees to pull out cash will be very high. The highest withdraw fee I have seen at a festival was $15.00; I avoid using ones on the festival site at all costs. Renaissance Festivals are more than a traveling medieval strip mall; there is much more than just vendors! Many festivals have a cast, which includes tryouts and a month or more of rehearsing. These actors provide walking entertainment to guests by playing roles such as the King, Queen, lords, ladies, guards, the clergy, peasants, and yes even the village idiot! Some of the cast may play games with the customers and put on some shows such as a human chess match. The festival’s actors may be viewed as roaming entertainment while patrons shop or wait for the next show. Shows at a festival can be great and really try to appeal to a wide audience. The most prominent of the shows is the joust! Yes, people actually get into real armor, ride real horses, and have a joust! I have also seen multiple comedy shows, sword fighting displays, and of course musical performances. You can really see a lot of things at these festivals, and many of the performers have been doing this for years and are quite talented. Walking from show to show and perusing the shops you will work up an appetite. Most festivals will also have food concessions too. Some do it better than others, and some of the food can be quite anachronistic, but sometimes you just want to walk around eating a turkey leg! On the other hand if you are looking for a better dinning experience, I have some tips to help you find better food! First look for a sit down eatery. This may seem way too easy, but at a festival you may actually walk past the nicest restaurant there and not even realize it. So really look! Next tip, ask the vendors where the good places to eat are, but do not ask the actors. The actors may get free food at the normal run-of-the-mill eateries and never deviate from said menu, but not the vendors. As I mentioned earlier, many of them do this for a living, and they know where the good food and drink are! In conclusion, go for the atmosphere, the shows, or to shop. Renaissance festivals are a blast and I highly encourage everyone to go at least once. You don’t even have to go dressed up in period clothing, or talk in a fake accent. Here is a link to a song parody done by a Renaissance Festival cast; it pretty much some up this rotating feature blog installment.     As always please let me know if you have anything you want covered in the Rotating Features blog! Until next week, this is Azeryn signing off to go slay the swarm of mosquitoes in my backyard with life sized Lews Therin Bug Zapper!

Today's humor comes from a thread started by failemyfalcon that grew into something beautiful. It all started with:     And from that, folks started adding their own puns on Lews Therin's name. This month will be devoted to name puns for characters throughout the series. Today is just for Lews Therin...next time there will be much more!     Lews Therin drinks at a party Booze Therin     Lews Therin in a French courtroom J’accuse Therin     Lews Therin gets mildly injured Bruise Therin     Lews Therin grows antlers Moose Therin     Lews Therin gettin jiggy wit it Loose Therin     Lews Therin sheds a tear while passionately playing the saxophone Blues Therin     Lews Therin gets a job as a journalist News Therin     Lews Therin tricks the forsaken and imprisons them. Ruse Therin     Lews Therin makes an ice house Igloos Therin     Lews Therin realizes his name can be turned into a myriad of puns and it drives him insane. Therin lies the problem.         (And then there's all of these that user eytancragg came up with)   That's all for this week! Tune in next time for more character name puns! The Light illumine you all.

May you find water and shade this day.  Welcome to another installment of the Forum Roundup, in which I bring you the most interesting things from around Dragonmount.   I'll begin with something to stimulate your fertile imaginations: "If I could channel right now I would..."  This has endless possibilities. From assembling IKEA furniture, to completing house hold chores, to creating world peace, this can be found in the White Tower.  I would love to hear your ideas!  Post them in the comments and we will see what your inner most desires are!   Dragonmount's twitter has been busy this week.  First off is a worthy cause; the Waygate Foundation is featuring an anthology of altered version of published stories.  The anthology, Altered Perceptions, features thirty-one different authors, including Brandon Sanderson.  It contains original stories deleted scenes, and original works from the contributors about how mental illness has affected them and their loved ones.  The benefits of this fundraiser will go to Bring Change 2 Mind, a non-profit organization raising awareness for mental illness.    Think you could fight alongside Lan, Galad, and Rand?  Got to Ta'veren Tees to pick up a Blademaster Tee.   From Dragonmount's Facebook page:  

Various fans have alerted us to the fact that FX is airing a TV show tomorrow (Monday, Feb 9) called The Wheel of Time: Winter Dragon.     Here's what we know:    It is our understanding that The Wheel of Time movie and TV rights are currently owned by Red Eagle Entertainment. REE has had these rights for many years. During that time, they've been involved in several significant efforts to produce a feature film or TV show. We've reported on these efforts in the past, and have supported them at various times. (Full disclosure: I was a consultant for them on some of these efforts.)   We know that Red Eagle's rights expire after 7 years, beginning about a year after RJ died in 2007. Harriet has been very clear about that length of time in the past. (She's called it an "biblical" number of years.) Based on our math, it's our suspicion that the rights are about to expire. Possibly any day. Typically in contracts of this kind, the producers who own the rights need to produce a TV show or movie before the deadline, at which time they receive an extension.  So in order for Red Eagle to keep those rights, and extend the time period they have them, they would have to successfully produce a pilot before that deadline occurs. All they need to do is put out an episode with the name Wheel of Time on it, and use some familiar characters.   We don't know what this episode will look like. There has been no trailer, no advertising, and not even an IMDB entry that we can find.  ​ Other possibilities include that Red Eagle transferred the rights to somebody else, and this new group is producing the show.  We don't know how many episodes have been created. Our guess is that there's just one so far.   Harriet and Team Jordan are currently unable to speak about anything related to the TV or movie rights.    So check your local listings to see when it will be on. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to get more information on whether this becomes viewable elsewhere.   If we get more info about what's happening, we'll let you know.       Enjoy the show!

Greeting all! It is Thursday again meaning it is time for another installment of the Rotating Features blog! The dice have been been tossed and the featured topic has been chosen.     Audiobooks can be a touchy subjects in some literary circles; some despise them, some love them, and others have no experience with them. At one point in time or another I have been of all three of these opinions, thus I would love to pass on some of the pros and cons to you on audiobooks.   I was ten years old the first time I saw an audiobook; it was a dozen cassette tapes kept in a large cumbersome case. Luckily technology brought us the MP3 and now entire books can be carried on almost any mobile device. This expands the situations in which an audiobook may actually be preferable to a physical book.   One obvious example is while driving. Regardless of who you are, reading while driving will eventually lead to very bad things. The first time I truly gave audiobooks a chance was in 2011 when I was traveling to and from Atlanta each weekend for work. This was a seven hour commute and I found listening to my favorite series really made time fly by. Prior to this I would listen to music, typically leading me to either taking my eyes off the road as I would fiddle with my phone to pick the next song or start speeding. I had no such issues with the audiobooks.   I also find audiobooks more practical when exercising. Whether lifting weights, running, riding a bike, or just doing calisthenics, I am almost always listening to an audiobook. Again my old vice was music, but I have found myself being able to do more when listening to audiobooks. With music I subconsciously let the beat dictate my pace; with audiobooks I find myself doing more reps and running longer distances. Although when running my timed mile and a half, nothing but fast paced music for me, thank you!   The last situation I find audiobooks being a better option is when you have already seen the movie or television series based on books. I am simply unable to read the book if I have already seen the movie or series; however, I have found I can listen to it. These scenarios have led to me frequently listening to audio books. I still enjoy music, but I find myself listening to more audiobooks when doing thinks like cooking Thanksgiving dinner, or as I call it “marathon cooking,” as well as when fishing. Any time I am going to be gone for more than 30 minutes and I am unable to read a book, I am normally listening to one; however, there are some problems when it comes to audiobooks as well.   The first problem with is someone is reading the book to you. It eliminates some of your own imaginative processes to the book. While reading A Memory of Light, in my mind the characters still expressed the same voices from the audiobooks as opposed to the voices my mind originally created for each character back when I read The Eye of the World.   Another issue is gender. In every audiobook I have listened to there are times when a male is forced to read female voicing or vice versa. While many do an admirable job of this, it can also be quite laughable at times. On a similar note, not all words in the book are pronounced correctly. This problem is most common among character or place names, even when the book has an index with proper pronunciations.   Lastly, nothing can truly replace a book. I love the experience of grabbing a book for the first time! The feel of the bound pages and the actual smell of the book cannot be replaced. Nor can the enjoyment I get from sitting in a comfy spot reading while eagerly page turning through a few chapters. My personal rule is to not listen to a book if it is one I plan on reading. I always read the book first and listen later, unless I have seen the movie, or TV series first.   I hope you enjoyed this article on audiobooks. Please let me know what your thoughts on the topic or if there is a topic you feel should be covered in a future Rotating Features blog. After all, it is all about the Dragonmount community and what you want, not just what I think is cool! Until next week this is Azeryn signing off to going to sew discord on some unsuspecting bird people!

Greetings.  May you find water and shade this day.  This is the first of my Forum Roundup pieces, and my aim is to bring you the best, and most interesting items, from around Dragonmount.   I'll begin with sharing a link to a brilliant video I found doing the rounds in the Warders Guild: "The art of archery."  It shows a modern day archer using ancient techniques for better speed and accuracy.  The video is pretty amazing and shows you what may have been possible in the past, or in the Age of Legends. However, I'd still put my faith in a Two Rivers longbow if it came down to it!  Let me know your opinion.   You may recognize this verse ?     This is of course Mat Cauthon's old favorite, "Jak o' the Shadows," best served post-battle and extremely drunk.  The Band of the Red Hand Social Group is attempting to pen new verses, and is open to suggestions.  Mirth, oosquai, and black humor will all be needed to write a good verse!  Post your efforts on the forum and let's extend this classic!   The Shayol Ghul Social Group is looking for a new Shadar Haran.  But remember, only members of Shayol Ghul can apply.  This may be the coolest sounding job ever!  Anyone who doesn't want to run thakan'dar and lead the Shadowspawn is, in my opinion, on the wrong website!   A new game has come to my attention through the Black Tower. This game allows your favorite fantasy novels to go head-to-head, toe-to-toe, mano-e-mano, to see who comes out on top.  The Wheel of Time is sadly not included because it wouldn't be fair.... We had to give the others a chance.   From Dragonmount's Facebook page:     To stay up to date on everything Wheel of Time, follow Dragonmount's Facebook page and Twitter account.

Good day and well met! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday and it is time for my first installment of the Rotating Feature blogs, “A Roll of the Dice.” “It is not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor ends to turning of the Wheel of Time, but it is a beginning.”   As this week winds down millions of people, especially in the United States, are getting ready for the Great Game. No, not Daes Dae’mar, but the professional American football championship game. Many people will find themselves going to or planning parties for the big game. While this is well and good, what if you or some of your friends are not big sport fans? This is why I have put together a few suggestions on ways to make your party enjoyable for all! Since this is Dragonmount, I will cover some ways to make the party more "themed" towards the Wheel of Time book series; however, with a little tweaking and some imagination you can use any theme you want! The possibilities are endless!   So let us get started on our Wheel of Time themed Party!   Have the party take place somewhere you will all be comfortable. Many people go to pubs and sports bars to watch big games, but a themed party is better held at a home or private venue. This encourages guests to be themselves without the worry of the pub populace wondering why everyone is wearing different colored shawls!   Food is a huge deal at any party and you can use your menu as a means to further immerse guests into theme of the party. This can be done by making foods from the series such as meat pies and honey cakes or by creating your own recipe and name it after someone or something in the series. Personally, I would love some "Red Ajah” velvety cupcakes! Potlucks are always a hit and a great way to save a little time and money while also having a huge food spread.   Beverages are also important, wether containing alcohol or not, drinks are another way to add fun and atmosphere to the party. Try making different teas, perhaps a cool slightly sweetened goosemint tea or a more refined hot tea with hints of berries and honey, or perhaps kaf (coffee). Of course many wines and brandies are mentioned in the books, but if you want to be creative with mixed drink area, go for it! One of my new favorite drinks is "Blood and Bloody Ashes" which I tried at JordanCon 6.  A friend and I came up with a very simple beverage we call “Tam’s Hard Spiced Cider” which consists of one 12 ounce bottle of hard apple cider and two or three ounces of cinnamon whiskey.   Party games are a great way to spend time before the big game and avoid four hours of pre-game sportscaster commentary. One simple idea is to change well known party games to meet the theme. A few examples are Wheel of Time Charades, Find the Darkfriend (based on the party games Mafia and Werewolf), and even some Wheel of Time trivia. If you are around very close friends, and are not easily offended, Cards Against Humanity is a great game. It is basically an R-Rated version (so play with caution) of Apples to Apples and comes with some blank cards so you can personalize the game to your party’s theme or include inside jokes about your friends.   There are so many things one could do for a party to include costumes, invitations, decorations, and party favors; I cannot cover them all. Hopefully, this week’s blog has given you a few ideas to make your party the best it can be. Thank you to the Dragonmount staff for choosing me to write this blog, and to all of you whom are reading it. I look forward to trying to find things to interest this wonderful community of Wheel of Time fans each week.

Kushiel's Chosen is the second book in Phedre's Kushiel's Legacy trilogy. The review of first book can be found here. The review will contain spoilers from both books.     Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey     Synopsis The book begins almost after the incidents in the first book. Phedre is living in Montreve as a comtessa. A merchant and acquaintance had chanced upon Phedre's cloak which she last worn when she was betrayed by Melisande. Fearing Melisande's return, she decides to return to Terre'd'Ange to the service of Namaah and find out Melisande before she could destroy the kingdom. In Terre'd'Ange, Phedre tries to resolve the mystery of Melisande's escape and this causes her to distrust those who would have been her allies. What follows is a journey fromTerre'd'Ange to La Serenissima to La Dolorosa, being captive and escaping and hoping to stop Melisande in time.     Pros This books is a lot faster than the first book and less chances of wanting to leave in the middle. This book has more adventure and can keep you up for late nights if you get caught up. The relationships are quite interesting. I especially liked Phedre and Melisande's complicated relationship where Phedre loves and hates Melisande. It gives a complexity to the villain.  The similarities between Phedre's world and the real world are fun to observe. Its easy to get involved comparing different regions of that world to this world.     Cons I was not happy with the ending. the first book had ended on a note that made me want to read the next book but this one ended on a happier note than I would prefer in second book of a series.  Phedre's and Joscelin's way of thinking became irritating at times.   Conclusion Most second books in series cannot match up to the first book, but this is better than the first book in some ways. There are parts which don't satisfy me and some parts which I would have not read at all so it is not a perfect book. But if you are in mood for something romantic with lots of adventure, give it a try. My rating I would give it a rating of 4/5.   Kushiel's Chosen can be found here, at Dragonmount's eBook Store.

The nomination period for the 2015 Hugo Awards has opened. This prestigious award recognizes the best in science fiction and fantasy each year and is voted on by members of the World Science Fiction Society. Many famous authors have been recognized with a Hugo, including Robert Heinlein, Lois McMaster Bujold, Anne McCaffrey, Brandon Sanderson and Issac Asimov. In 2014, Robert Jordan was nominated for the Wheel of Time series.    If you were eligible to vote in the Hugos last year, you are eligible to nominate this year. If you were not, then you will need to become eligible by January 31st. This year's Hugo Awards are hosted and administered by the 73rd annual WorldCon, "Sasquan", held in Spokane, Washington August 19-23. Further information about the awards and how to nominate can be found on their website. Nominations are open until March 30th.     

Today Tor Books released new information about the Wheel of Time Companion, the upcoming encyclopedia-style supplement to the Wheel of Time series.   Here's what we know about the book so far: It will be released in November 2015. It's organized alphabetically, like an encyclopedia, with entries for all 2,000+ named characters in the series. It includes a complete dictionary for the Old Tongue. It includes other information about the characters, history, and world such as the relative strengths for many channelers. It includes new maps and character illustrations (although we are not sure if they are color or black and white. No artists have been announced). It includes all of the maps previously found inside the books. The complete book is over 350,000 words, which makes it as longer than an average-sized WoT novel. The Companion will have spoilers for the entire series.   The image seen here is the book cover. Harriet McDougall is, of course, Robert Jordan's widow and the editor of the entire series. Alan Romanczuk and Maria Simons are their assistants, who've had an intimate role in organizing and tracking the lore of the series for many years.