DRAGONMOUNT

Hello, friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday again, which means two things: the weekend is not too far away, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog!   Today we are going to talk about dragons! A real staple of many fantasy fiction series', dragons of course play a prominent role in The Wheel of Time, although in a symbolic way as opposed to giant, flying, fire breathing lizards!   But dragons of all shapes and sizes fill many other fictional works. Drakes in the world of The Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth, were great beasts, servants of evil, as represented recently by Smaug, the last of the fire drakes in Middle Earth by the Third Age. If you have seen the recent film adaptations, you get an idea of the size and power of that type of dragon.   In one of the most popular television series' on air at the moment, A Game of Thrones, dragons play a very significant role, as the Targaryen's conquered Westeros on dragon back, and Daenerys currently has three... They were babies, but they are growing all the time... The Song of Ice and Fire mythology states that dragons in that world never stop growing all their life! and as such grow to some truly enormous sizes.   You may remember a while back that I reviewed Naomi Novak's Temeraire series! They had a take on dragons I enjoyed as it set them in Napoleonic battles, and again, they were large beasts capable of carrying several riders and crew--the counterpart to the Navy below.   These are just a few of the many different dragons in fantasy fiction culture.   Why are we talking about this?   Well, firstly, I want to let you all know that the Warders Guild here on the Dragonmount forums is currently having a cage match style event based around fictional dragons from many different forms of fiction. Many have already been nominated, preliminary rounds have been drawn up and voting is under way! So be sure to drop by and check that out and cast your vote--it may just be decisive!   Secondly, I found this interesting little graphic I thought I would share. It shows the relative sizes of various dragons across various fictional worlds, just to get an idea of how they would weigh up against one another should they ever all actually meet.   (click here to see a larger version)   Then again, size isn't everything, right?     That's all for now! Have fun!   Until next time, friends!

This review might contain a few spoilers.   In the Midnight Hour by Patti O'Shea     Synopsis Ryne is a troubleshooter, like a police for the magic using Gineal. She has been assigned to hunt down her old mentor, Anise, who has been using dark powers. Ryne has confronted Anise many times in the past few years but has never been able to defeat her. Anise's dark powers grow and soon Rye may be too weak to fight her.   Ryne has a weird fascination with a cartoon show, DSPI because she notices a man's soul trapped in the main character. She frees that man, Deke from the cartoon. He might hold the key to defeating Anise.The spell was not perfect and Deke will return to the cartoon in two weeks. Her only hope lies in defeating Anise. But the spell to free him pushed into areas of grey magic and she could hear the dark side calling to her. Soon, she might not be able to resist the lure of dark powers.   The book follows Ryne's journey as she tries to make sense of her relationship with Deke while trying to defeat Anise.     Pros There are mini-cliffhangers and shocking discoveries at the end of the chapter that hold the interest into the next chapter.  Ryne's past, as it begins to surface, shows another side to the character, a tougher Ryne.  Deke, irritating at first, grows likable once it shows how he tries controlling Ryne's emotions (for her own good). The story is not as much of a love story with no thought as I initially though.     Cons Deke does not come out as the charming hero he is being shown.  The book has too many curse words. I usually don't like it when the book gets too many curse words.  The love story has more focus instead of the search for Anise.     My Rating I'll give this book a rating of 3. This is not really a good book but for a light read, its not as bad as some.   If you interested in reading this book, you can purchase it here in Dragonmount's e-book store.

Over the past few years, I've created "Wheel of Time Advertisements" based on the characteristics of the different peoples in the series. I thought I would share a few of those with you today. You can see more that aren't in this post here.   Let's start with Andor. I recently saw a post by csi-middle-earth which pointed out that Andorans seem to follow anyone who is good looking.     Yep. Sounds about right. It could be a tagline for the city of Caemlyn, no? (Oh look at me, I do be sounding like an Illianer, no?)     Artwork by Joe Trimarchi, I just put some words over it.   I think the Whitecloaks are masters of propaganda (just like the Seanchan). In modern times, they would make some horribly ugly public service announcements. Help the war effort in the fight against Darkfriends! Buy bonds! I mean...   (Apologies for the typos)   In Ebou Dar, any self-respecting woman wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything less than a premium "Jarid" marriage knife. If your man tries to buy you some off-brand piece of junk, just stab him with it.     Finally there's the Tinkers, who in terms of advertising, I could see as a sort of equivalent to a church. They're a peaceful bunch who just want to get the word out, maybe in the form of a roadside billboard.     Is the advertising working? Do you feel brainwashed? I know, I'm a marketing genius.   Thanks for dropping by! The Light illumine you and have a nice week!

It's Friday, and that means fan art! We've hit May, and the experiment of a Brandon Sanderson-themed fan art Friday continues! Today, I have brought you art from Warbreaker. It's a stand alone novel, about Siri, who is sold as a bride for the God King, her sister Vivenna, the mercenary Vasher, and the god Lightsong. It has a very exciting magic system, where people's Breath can give life to things. The story had some twists that took me completely by surprise! As always, I'll try to keep it as spoiler-free as possible, so my comments might be a bit short, but small spoilers might occur. Let's dive into this week's goodies, shall we?   Unfortunately it's a bit hard to find fan art of Warbreaker! But I'm pretty happy with the selection I got.     Warbreaker by DelusionInABox   This is a mock book cover, and although of course no one can ever compete with Don Dos Santos' amazing original cover, this one is really cool. It would make me stop and look at the book if I saw it in a bookstore! I think the composition is so cool, it took me a few seconds of studying it to realize the profile of the caped man! That's Vivenna in front, Siri in the middle, Lightsong behind them, and Vasher in the background. And of course, Nightblood the sword. I really like this!     Vasher with Nightblood by Castaguer93   This image is a bit dark, that's my only complaint with it. Here you see Vasher using his Breath to animate tassels on his clothing; they'll wrap around his hand and fingers and strengthen his grip. Interesting, yes? I really like this version of Nightblood. Properly sheathed, as it should be. You shouldn't unsheathe Nightblood.     A story for the God king by punker--rocker   A quiet moment between Siri and Susebron, the God King. I'm not going say a lot about this, as that will reveal spoilers! But it's a very sweet scene in the books, and I think the artist has captured it very well.     Breath by Emerald-Depths   It is rare that I feature photo manipulations, but this one caught my eye. It's a more abstract capture of the concept of Breath and BioChroma. Very beautiful! My favorite picture in the bunch.     I have a small added bonus today, too! When I had the Mistborn-feature, Occams Whiskey Bottle lamented that there was so little good artwork of Kelsier. So I've gone digging, and I found this and fell in love with it, so here it is, for Occam, and the rest of you to enjoy too.     Kelsier and Mare by LadyRoxanne7   This picture just hits all my emotional strings.     That's it for this week! Thank you all for reading, and as always, tell me your favorite in the comments! I hope everyone has a lovely weekend. Next week we're back to Wheel of Time fan art, and I'd like you to suggest which character you want me to do an in-depth feature of!

Hello, friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday again, which means two things: the weekend is not too far away, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog!   One of the most fun things that fans of various genres can do is match up characters from one series or movie with another and think who would win. You may remember that a while back we spoke about Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time character, Rand al'Thor against George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire character, Jaime Lannister. Fiction throws up many cross genre possibilities for fans to debate. How about Gandalf versus Dumbledore, or Robocop versus Judge Dredd? Comic books have thrived on them, even crossing the DC/Marvel divide with match-ups such as Superman versus The Hulk.   Well, with that in mind, have you ever wondered who would win in a fight between a Jedi and Harry Potter?   If you have, you're a bit weird and I like you. It's quite a random match up, and of course the Jedi would clearly win (not a Potter fan; don't slay me), but just for laughs, Danny Philippou put together this pretty well made video of exactly that scenario on a YouTube channel called Racka Racka. It's well worth checking out for fun. WARNING: this video is not PG-13, so please do not watch the video if it will be offensive to you.       What do you think? And what other match-ups would be good fun?   That's all for now! Have fun!   Until next time, friends!

Everyone is a woolhead in Wheel of Time, and every character makes sure all the other characters know it. Some of the funniest and most infuriating dialogue happens when one stubborn fool meets another and sparks fly.   from wot-tidbits   This week I present to you "Poor Communication" and the hilarity that ensues. Broken down to the most basic components, the entire series would look something like this:   from embrace-saidar   Or there's the classic sitcom punchlines:   from knifeeared   Oh, Nynaeve. I love you, girl, but you are so guilty of this.   from page537   Can't believe Gareth bloody Bryne got sucked into that one, but he certainly wasn't as naive as our main characters when they were lil' babies living in Emond's Field. Famous last words: "It was going to be the best Bel Tine ever."   from page537   As a final thought, I was thinking that I would love to someday do a post (or maybe a monthly feature) featuring hilarious comments from around Dragonmount. If you post a great comment on this blog or another Dragonmount blog, you just might get featured here on "Gleeman's Tales."   The Light illumine you, have a nice week!

Our friends at Ta'veren Tees have some great new products to share with the Wheel of Time community!  And there's a few days left to catch their JordanCon 15% off coupon!  

Hello Dragonmount! The Wheel has spun yet again, and it’s time for another fantastic Weeekly Roundup, where I tell you all the cool things going on around our beloved website.   To start off this week, there is more information available about the Wheel of Time’s Hugo Nomination. This post tells you about how you can vote for the Hugos and acquire copies of other works nominated (even if you are not able to attend WorldCon this year.) If you do vote, please remember don’t just “fanboy” vote for The Wheel of Time, take the chance to get to know the other nominated works.   Want a free e-Book? Tor Books is giving away a copy of R.A. Salvatore’s DemonWars: First Heroes to a lucky Dragonmount member. This book covers the novels The Highwayman (2004) and The Ancient (2008). To be eligible to win, read my review of the book and post a reply in the comments. You can enter until April 30.   Next up, the Entertainment Discussion Boards. These two boards have many exciting threads going on discussing current television shows, athletic events, video games, and movies. Examples of current threads include: Divergent (Movie), Pokemon XY (Game), the NBA Playoffs  and Arrow (television series).  For those of us who watch Game of Thrones, there are even two separate threads to discuss this show: the SPOILER thread, where you can talk about the books to your heart’s content and the SPOILER-FREE thread, where discussion is limited to only currently-aired episodes. Take a few minutes and check these boards out!   The Ogier are still hosting Springtime Hangman and now have an open discussion: Would you rather be Hot or Cold? Even if you aren’t a member of the Ogier, you can still benefit from these two amazing posts.   Shayol Ghul Members: You still have time to vote in the Ghoulies! These annual awards, handed out by the most twisted Social Group in all of Dragonmount, celebrate categories like “Member with the most swagger” and “Most Likely to take over the world and/or Dragonmount.” Voting closes May 1, so get your vote in soon!   And to close up the Dragonmount portion of the Roundup, I’d like to turn your attention to the White Tower, where the thread “How Feminism Hurts Men” is still active and going. This thread was the winner of Dragonmount's Empy Award for the “Most Thought Provoking Thread.”   Finally, an update from Dragonmount’s Facebook page:     Remember, you can get daily updates on the Wheel of Time and related works by liking, commenting, following, and sharing Dragonmount’s Facebook page and Twitter feed.   That wraps it up for this week!

<!-- isHtml:1 --><!-- isHtml:1 --><p>It's Friday, and that means Fan Art! I know, I know, I was absent last Friday. I was travelling! I do wish I could Travel instead of normal travel, because that would save sooo much time.</p> <p></p> <p>Those who's followed me for a time now has probably noticed I have a big love for digital art. Well, today I wanted to break out of my safety zone and show you all some wonderful traditional pencil art! I got to admit, there's few people I'm so jealous of, as those who are truly skilled in drawing with a pencil only. It always amazes me the detail and realism people are able to achieve, simply with a pencil and paper! And luckily for us, several of those skilled individuals like to draw <em>Wheel of Time</em> art!</p> <p></p> <p><img src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_353/med_gallery_22324_353_91195.jpg" alt="med_gallery_22324_353_91195.jpg"></p> <p></p> <p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href=' warrior by jeanfverreault</a></p> <p></p> <p>Possibly my favorite Aiel portrait ever. The background is actually one of the things that draw me to it. It's so extremely simple; a few thin sketchy lines, that manages to convey the Aiel waste. Now that's talent, people. And look at those details in his belt pouches, and the folds in the cloth, how the cloth is slightly compressed under the straps over his chest, how sharp the spears seem, his expression... Wow! I bow down!</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><img src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_353/med_gallery_22324_353_37816.jpg" alt="med_gallery_22324_353_37816.jpg"></p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href=' Sandar by McDerpling</a></p> <p></p> <p>I always love seeing portraits of lesser characters, and this one of Juilin is really cool. He is again one of those characters I was struggling to get a real grip on, and then I first found this drawing, and it just felt so right. I like very much that he hasn't been "prettied" up in any way, he looks like a completely normal, average person... Which is a good thing for a thief catcher; he should be able to fit into any crowd. I would have liked to see him with his little hat though!</p> <p></p> <p><img src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_353/med_gallery_22324_353_401705.jpg" alt="med_gallery_22324_353_401705.jpg"></p> <p> </p> <p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href=' and the Twister ones by PetaloMaM</a></p> <p></p> <p>Wow. Just... wow. Those are some terrifying Trollocs. They really have human eyes, a thing I miss in a lot of Trolloc artwork; they always seem a bit more beastly. To have the more human eyes make them even more freaky in my opinion. And then when you put that next to a face, with no eyes at all... yikes. It's nightmare-inducing to say the least. And drawing armor with a pencil? Excuse me while I go sit in that corner over there, being green with envy!</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><img src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_353/med_gallery_22324_353_32885.jpg" alt="med_gallery_22324_353_32885.jpg"></p> <p></p> <p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href=' Logoth by Billy-008</a></p> <p></p> <p>An unusual motif to capture by <em>Wheel of Time</em> fan artists, and especially in traditional mediums! I'm blown away. I love the different textures, the marble tiles on the ground and the rougher stone of the fountain. The perspective is a bit wonky, but when drawing a landscape scene completely in freehand, that is to be expected. This is well over average, and I think the artist has done such a great job. Look at that shadow from the fountain! And the wonderful spires!</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p><img src="http://www.dragonmount.com/forums/uploads/gallery/album_353/med_gallery_22324_353_210762.jpg" alt="med_gallery_22324_353_210762.jpg"></p> <p></p> <p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' data-ipb='nomediaparse' href=' of Time by Holda-volk</a></p> <p></p> <p>I love images like this, with a lot of characters grouped together to make a whole. Can you name everyone? (Click the link to see the image in full resolution.) I get a bit teary-eyed looking at Lan and Nynaeve there. I think it's the most emotional capture of them I've seen, it's so beautiful. I'm amazed she's manage to put in so many characters and visuals, and yet it doesn't get messy. You can see it as a whole, or choose to focus on certain parts of it.</p> <p></p> <p></p> <p>That's it from me this week folks! Hope you all have a great weekend! Don't forget, if you click the link, you get directly to the posted picture on DeviantArt, and can tell the artist directly what you think of their art. And as always, tell me your favorite in the comments. Until next week!</p>

Hello, friends! The Wheel has turned all the way around to Thursday again, which means two things: the weekend is not too far away, and it's time for our Rotating Features blog!   You may remember recent articles in this blog space about the return of HBO's adaptation of George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones, and another about an interactive map of J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle Earth.   Well, bringing those themes together, I'm here this week to tell you that there is in fact an interactive map of Westeros online now and ready to use! It was designed by Westeros.org user carpiediem, and uses an engine based on Google maps, so it is very slick and professional.   You can set filters to look at specific areas or to follow the journey of specific characters. I do believe it contains information both from the books and the show.   Another great feature is that you can adjust a simple slider to show where you have read up to, or seen so far, so that it doesn't give away any spoilers for plot points you have not yet come across. It's a great way to keep track of things as you read through the series or watch the show.   That's all for now! Have fun!   Until next time, friends!