DRAGONMOUNT

During the month of November, Waygate Foundation is teaming up with Child's Play to bring games to children in hospitals.   Check out Waygate Foundation's Facebook page or their website for more information.

Welcome to another edition of Dragonmount's Fantasy Review.  This will contain slight spoilers.   Shades of Milk and Honey By Mary Robinette Kowal   The Synopsis: Set in an alternate history of Regency England, Jane Ellsworth—an old maid at twenty-eight—has resigned to being unnoticed while her younger sister, Melody, takes in all the suitors around.  However, Jane's skills with glamour—a magic that involved taking "folds" out of the ether—is skilled and unrivaled.    Jane has feelings for their neighbor Mr. Dunkirk, but he seems to only have eyes for Melody.  But when Captain Livingston takes up residence next door, and shows an interest in Melody, Jane feels pleased that she might finally be the object of Mr. Dunkirk's affections.  But to complicate the situation further, Livingston has also shone an interest in Dunkirk's sister—Elizabeth—as well as his own cousin—Miss FitzCameron.    In the midst of it all, a rival shows up, Mr. Vincent, with glamour powers equal, if not surpassing, Jane's own.  As she struggles to win Dunkirk's notice, and keep out of Vincent's, Jane has to help Melody and Beth stay out of trouble with Livingston.   The Pros: The tone of this story is very true to its Austin-esque inspiration.  The dialogue, the character's motivations and goals, the interactions with society, all fit the era and the mood.  It's true to that genre without being difficult to read or follow.   The love triangles (or rectangles) are nothing new, however Jane's plight of being the ugly sister is uniquely refreshing.  We see the story from her angle, instead of the pretty one who goes to all the society dances.  Jane is the outsider—and though her skills with the magic system are impressive—it's not enough to win her a husband.  I really enjoyed the contrast to the normal heroine.   The Cons: The magic system was interesting, however, it didn't add too much to the overall story.  It worked its way into a few of the plot points, but not so much that we were given a detailed explanation of its uses and limits.  It's never quite explained what the ether is, and what the magic's point is in the world at large.   However, I believe this is rectified in the sequel, Gamour in Glass.   Conclusion: I wasn't sure what to expect when I read this book.  Having never been a fan of the Romance era stories, I wasn't quite sure I'd like this style.  However, his tale was simply, yet elegantly told.  Kowal did a magnificent job keeping everything within the Regency realm.  A little bit of romance, a little bit of magic, a little bit of Austin-esque lingo all perfectly combined for a great read.   My Rating: 3/5 stars     If you're interested in giving this book a try, you can buy it DRM-free from Dragonmount's eBook store!  And for more by Ms. Kowal, you can also check out her Writing Excuses Podcast, which is co-hosted by Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, and Dan Wells.

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!   Firstly a quick apology for not having written an article myself the last few weeks--a few issues in my life have restricted my time, but I'm glad to be back, and will try and keep it going; and thank my fellow bloggers for ably filling in for me!   Now, during the month of November, you have the chance to take part in a very special activity called NaNoWriMo. What's that, you ask? Well there is more information available at www.NaNoWriMo.org but in a nutshell it is National Novel Writing Month, a sort of little personal challenge for aspiring writers and wannabe novelist to complete their novel in just one month--the month of November. So you'd better get cracking!   The website has a whole load of useful tools such as a progress tracker, online support, and a community of fellow writers to help you along the way.   Here at Dragonmount we are very interested in this activity. For more information on how to take part here at Dragonmount, check out the NaNoWriMo sub-board of the ACW Tuathan'an camp.   You may also have noticed that I tied in the word "Movember" into the title. Movember is a sponsored charity event to grow a moustache during the month of November (I think it's for guys only, but whatever floats your boat!). I mention it because it is also taking place this month, and I'd love to show off our efforts here on Dragonmount. So if you are taking part please send me a Private Message with some photographs you'd be happy to be used in a future article.   That's all for now! Have fun!   Until next time friends!

To join the ranks of the prestigious DarkFriends Inc., all you need to do is fill this form....     (Source)

Happy November, everyone! I can hardly believe how quickly this year has gone by! Anyway, with the new month comes time for a new Weekly Roundup!   First, in the ACW Tuathan’an Camp, the project of the month for November is Nano (Small). The monthly challenge at the Tuathan’an gives members and new members the chance to create something inspired by a theme, and this month, the theme surrounds NaNoWriMo. Follow the link to read the rules of the challenge, and be creative!   The Band of the Red Hand has two “Tune or no Tune” polls: What does the Fox Say? and “The Cup Song.” Tune or No Tune polls give you the chance to watch a video of a song and vote whether the song is good--a “tune”--or bad--“no tune.”   The Ogier have an open poll on The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Have you read The Hobbit? What did you think about the book? Here is a place to discuss the novel before going to see the second Hobbit film later this month!   The Wolfkin have found a “Big Red Button.”  What would you do if you found a Big Red Button that is labeled “Do Not Press?” Would you press it, or would you leave it alone?   And Finally, from Dragonmount’s Facebook page:   Remember, you can get constant updates on Wheel of Time related news by following Dragonmount on Facebook and Twitter!   As always, don't forget to sign in at your Social Groups and have an excellent week!

Mat has always been my favorite character, from when I first joined the adventures of Rand/Mat/Perrin, and I've always imagined what his reaction would be if he existed in the 21st century; with a little bit of searching and scourging, I found some truly hilarious ones....   (Classic Mat)   (Mat and Tuon with a dash of Selucia makes a great time)   (Poor Loial....)   (Mat's Inbox...the last one cracked me up)

Hello there! Another week has gone by, Halloween is fast approaching, and it is time for another Weekly Roundup. I don't know about you, but I'm particularly excited to see what sort of goblins and ghouls come to my door this week looking for candy.    First up this week, a rare update from the Signature Request Forum: contests are back! The theme for this month's contest is to make a signature for the Band of the Red Hand. Check out the details for the contest in the Signature Request Forum!   The Black Tower Tainted Days festival continues. Check out the Mad Lib game, the Taintometer, Tainted News, and the OP Tournament. The festival runs through the end of October, so there’s plenty of time for you to get in and enjoy the festivities.   The Tuathan’an have started a new game, a Liar’s Competition! Check out the competition, or feel free to submit an entry of your own.   Also, with November coming, NaNoWriMo starts soon. Check out more within the Tuathan’an to talk about your own NaNoWriMo adventures.   Next, from the Dragon Reborn Roleplay community: the Yellow Aes Sedai are looking for people who need Healing. Check out the details and be ready for battle!   And Lastly, from the Dragonmount Twitter Feed:   Remember, you can always get up-to-date information about the Wheel of Time and Dragonmount from our Facebook and Twitter pages.  That does it for this week's Weekly Roundup! Have a careful and safe Halloween and I'll see you next month!

Everyone needs a good ice breaker, so I've compiled a list of them used by various individual and groups in the series.    Aiel: "I have caught you stealing my heart, you now have toh to me."        If you are ever going through an Aiel phase, this is prefect for you.   Rand: "I have real staying power, I am He Who Comes with the Dawn."      If you ever want to show how serious you are, just do what Rand does.   Cairhien: "Nothing is happening in my bedroom, no need to got there."    You might need to emphasize quite heavily and maybe a couple of winks, just try not to creep her out.   Tam: "The Dragon Reborn is the fruit of my loins."     Gross, ewww, and I can hear Rand groaning when he overhears his dad using that.   Domani: (Like they need a line.)     Fair enough....   Illuminator: "I want to light up your night."    To be honest, this is sweet.   Anyone: "I'm friends with Bela."    This is jackpot, it's been proven time and again that it's the most effective pick-up line, to be honest, that can be used in almost any situation....

Hello there! The Wheel Turns, and now it is time for a new edition of the Weekly Roundup!   First off, there is a very special event going on in the Black Tower for the rest of the month, a Tainted Days festival!  Events will include a new game called “Prisoners of the Black Tower” as well as Tainted Mad Libs. If you just want to watch the One Power Tournament, you can do that, or participate in any of the fantastic games going on with our Brothers in Black Jackets.   Do you have a burning question for Jennifer Liang? She has opened up a thread called “Ask me Anything!” in the General Board. So, go ahead! Ask her!   The Tuathan’an, our lovely rebranded Tinkers, have a fascinating October Challenge: Spooks and Spirits. Here is your chance to see what sort of spooky things our creative friends come up with or contribute your own haunted creation.   A new thread has popped up in the Ogier, a discussion on seasonal traditions.  No matter your country of origin or faith, you more than likely have some sort of seasonal traditions, holidays, or foods you enjoy eating during holiday times. Discuss them, your family traditions, or just learn what others do!   The Aiel also have a Halloween themed event: Aiel Hallows Eve! The Aiel have their own ways of celebrating the Spooky Season: Ghost Stories, a Witch’s Spell Game, Pumpkin Carving, and making Potions!   And, an update from the Roleplaying forums: The Children of the Light now have a new Roleplay Group Leader: WolfbrotherKronos!  Congratulate WolfbrotherKronos and the Children as they celebrate their new leader!   And now, from Dragonmount’s Facebook page:   Remember, you can get up-to-date information about Wheel of Time news from Dragonmount's Facebook and Twitter feeds!    That wraps this week's Weekly Roundup!

We're pleased to present our latest item in our Wheel of Time jewelry catalogue. Available immediately is a snake-wheel pendant available in Bronze, Silver, and 14k. Gold.     The bronze pendant starts at $19.99.   The Dragonmount jewelry store features over a hundred jewelry items for men and women, including Aes Sedai rings, Asha'man pins, Mat Cauthon foxhead medallions, and even cour'souvras.   If you're a Wheel of Time fan, or know somebody who would enjoy these items, please consider picking one up to support our website.  Each jewelry item is dramatically lower than retail price because we want to offer WoT fans the best possible deals.