Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Tuesdays with Tarinae 12/17

Tuesdays with Tarinae

Real Life Dolls

There is a new trend where girls are doing themselves like dolls. Valeria Lucanovya was the first and is proclaimed the real-life barbie doll. But it doesn't stop there. Venusangelic is a YouTube sensation known for her makeup tutorials. Here is the official video for her YouTube channel.


I Ship It

Well, shipping is just something that you do in a fandom. I'm going to leave this here.


Miraculous Finger Painting



Thursday, December 12, 2013

Featured Read: The Geek's Guide to Dating

The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith

Publisher: Quirk Books (December 3, 2013)
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 208 (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9781594746437
Genre: Non-Fiction (Dating)

You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your bedsheets are officially licensed Star Wars merchandise. You’re hooked on Elder Scrolls and Metal Gear but now you’ve discovered an even bigger obsession: the new girl who just moved in down the hall. What’s a geek to do? Take some tips from Eric Smith in The Geek’s Guide to Dating. This hilarious primer leads geeks of all ages through the perils and pitfalls of meeting women, going on dates, getting serious, breaking up, and establishing a successful lifelong relationship (hint: it’s time to invest in new bedsheets). Full of whimsical 8-bit illustrations, The Geek’s Guide to Dating will teach fanboys everywhere to love long and prosper.
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This book will grab any geek from the very first page of the introduction. Full of references and a conversational tone, Eric Smith teaches you how to get the girl and fly that geek flag high. There are references and pop culture Easter eggs throughout this whole thing and what a find they are!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Episode 6: Afternoon of the Doctor

TEGP: Episode 6

This episode is a little late due to Thanksgiving, moving, and The Day of the Doctor! But really that is what we're talking about. We're hear to ramble about the longest running sci-fi show in history: Doctor Who. We're both newvians and we are totally going gaga for The Doctor. We talk about our reactions to the 50th anniversary, we talk about our fondest memories and we share in hope for the Christmas special.


Show Resources:


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If you have a question, comment, or want to say hi leave a comment below or email us at theeclecticgeekpodcast@gmail.com.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Book Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (October 22, 2013)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 526
Series: Divergent
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9780062024060
Genre: Dystopian
Author: Twitter | Blog
Series Reviews: Book 1 (5★)

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
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This review may contain spoilers for previous books in the series.


Overview

The first part of this book was great nad had me eating out of the palm of Veronica Roth’s hand. However, by the halfway point I could see where we were headed in terms of pacing and I began to get discouraged. By the end, I was ready to climb through the pages of this book and mutilate all the characters in a fit of PMS rage. I was so disappointed with the decisions, the purpose, and outcomes. I can see why there was a backlash.

Review

If someone asked me if they should read this trilogy I would undoubtedly say, yes! If someone asked me if I liked this series I would contemplate and say yes. If someone asked if I were disappointed in this series, I again would say yes. When Veronica Roth released Divergent as her debut novel it hit the scene leaving a trail blazing behind it of awesome. It was the next best thing since The Hunger Games. While the hype remained in tact for each of the three books, the brilliance has faded.

The beginning of this book was fantastic. I was so excited to be taking the journey outside the city with Tris and the gang that I could barely contain myself let alone put the book down. I just had to know what was waiting for us. And what I found took me to a new level of disappointment. I was taken aback by the fact that within the city limits these people had no idea about the land surrounding them. When it came to light that they were unaware of what the United States was, I was shocked; I assumed that had been a given. They might not know what is out there know but surely they know where they came from. Regardless, I did not like having to drudge through an elementary level explanation of the rest of the country, its twisted government, and biased genetic wars.

Unlike any other book in the series this book is told in dual perspective from both Tris and Four Tobias This was a welcome change but not executed very cleanly. I really appreciated and loved how Tris changed fromInsurgent to Allegiant. She grew up, she figured out how to handle herself and her grief, and she developed a new foundation of strength. She was amazing in this and I am so glad she came back from the angsty twerp she was before. I also really enjoyed getting to know Tobias and being inside his head. This gave a depth to him and to his relationship with Tris which had not previously been present. With that said, these two individuals should each have very distinct and clear voices but the lines were very blurry in the alternating POV. There were several occasions where I had to reread passages after double checking the chapter heading to see who I was reading at the time.

My biggest problem with this book was the plot. Reflecting back, Divergent was full of intrigue and deception and it was powerfully awesome. Insurgent was just a lay-over for me in terms of connecting this series. But this, I had hopes for this and it comes down to America being Nazi-fied into genetic purity? This book loses points for its heavy descriptions of genetics, science, and continual use of GP/GD acronyms. This was a whole new aspect that had never been part of the story and it was handled poorly. The pacing of all the action was pitiful, by a certain point in the book you know the ending is going to be rushed and you’re thinking “How could this possibly be finished in 200 or less pages!” With that said, all this crafted action, tension, and intense plotting against the government the book just ends in this not-so-perfect-but-convenient ball. Sacrifices and decisions were made that had no outstanding resolutions and no evident spark of changing anything else.

Overall, I couldn’t imagine having not read this book and having the closure that I have now but in the end it was just another love affair that left me cold, lonely, and broken.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Watch It or Buy It DVD Review: Man of Steel


Watch it or Buy it Quickie DVD Review

This is not my Superman movie. There were so many things about this movie that irritated me and so many things that I could just pick apart and scoff. This is a disappointment because I actually enjoy Superman and I know how awesome he can but this isn't it.

Things that bothered me about this were Clark's ready acceptance of Jor-El and his heritage as a Kryptonian. He also just seemed to know everything there was about Krypton from a 5 minute conversation with the conscience of his dead father. And whoa, slow it down Kansas Cowboy, just because Lois Lane is your lore lover doesn't mean we have to force and rush something as awesome as your relationship with the candid reporter. And while we're on the subject of fast paced, how about how fast Zod and his minions absorbed all that yellow sun radiation in what took Clark years to absorb, manifest, and control!

This doesn't even mention the pointless destruction of Metropolis. We are talking billions of dollars in property damage here; and people got into a tiffy over how the Avengers left New York. But at least we got cool Krypton back story!

And in close, my open plea to Christopher Nolan et al. Please leave Henry Cavill with a beard. He is sexy.


Saturday, November 16, 2013

Episode 5: Timey Wimey Bullshit

TEGP: Episode 5

So if last week was our speculations, hope, and dreams about Blizzcon this week is the coverage, possible let down, but extreme excitement over everything that was announced in Anaheim this past weekend. There is talk about the biggest annoucement of all the next World of Warcraft expansion: Warlords of Draenor. We also talk about Blizzard's new games Hearthstone (F2P CCG) and Heroes of the Storm (MOBA). We even have a few Warcraft movie details to discuss!





World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor





Other Show Resources:

*Beta Opt-Ins are available through Battle.Net

Friday, November 15, 2013

Doctor Who Withdrawals


The Day of the Doctor is coming...

But if you're anything like me you are desperate to get your hands on anything that can sustain your overwhelming need for anything Doctor Who. Whether your Doctor is Christopher Eccleston or D10 or Matt Smith, there is still a love of who the Doctor is and these things are wonderful and enjoyable for all Whovians.

Comic Who

Comic Who is a lovely and exciting piece of fan art that comes as a comic strip featuring the Doctors in wonderful chibi cuteness. They have adventures and even cover super companions and have recently taken the Delorean back 50 years. This comic is worth checking out if you can handle squeeing!



Doctor Puppet

This is a fantastic Youtube series that features hand-crafted Doctor Who puppets filmed in stop-motion technique. This is produced in New York and you can follow them and subscribe to the Youtube channel for all the new episodes.



In Print Comic

In Print is another style of comic strip for Whovians to enjoy. Their "About" page wraps up the summary best:
Ever wonder what happens to the Doctor’s past selves when he regenerates? Well in the world of In Print they get saved into his own personal Matrix. All the previous models are in there, although the strip focuses mostly on the 7th and 8th Doctors as they were the highest profile Doctors during the Doctors run ‘In Print’. There’s not much to do when you’re a merely a memory stored in a post temporal psycho construct housed within the Doctor’s mind, so 7 and 8 tend to fill their time by snarking about the current incarnations adventures.
The Doctor Who Hub

This facebook page that features all sorts of wonderful, hilarious, and feel-inducing memes for Whovians. This page also engages fans with discussion questions and they have tendencies to travel the world and meet Whovians from all over. They have over 555K likes and they provide excellent materials that reach hundreds of thousands of those fans each day.


Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Episode 4: Warlords of the Dark Below

TECP: Episode 4

This episode was intended to be a light speculation on Blizzcon that would have been happening in a few days and some serious game talk but...it turned into full World of Warcraft expansion speculation and we are okay with that. So here is where we note the rumors, instill hope, and wait anxiously for the news!

Also....NaNoWriMo and NYT Bestseller Allegiant is discussed.




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If you have a question, comment, or want to say hi leave a comment below or email us at theeclecticgeekpodcast@gmail.com.

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tuesdays with Tarinae 10/29

Tuesdays with Tarinae bringing you things recently in geek...

League of Legends Gets Jinxed

LoL, the extremely popular MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game of the moment, has released a new champion for players to utilize in their battles. Her name is Jinx. Jinx is an unhinged and outrageous. She is lewd, crude, and has major attitude. She is also an ammunitionist of sorts and her major attraction is the "Switcheroo" between a minigun and rocket launcher! Check out this amazing music video they did for her release!


Costumed Disney Princesses

Apparently I am currently addicted to Disney Princesses. I am approaching my birthday so perhaps I am regressing and reliving my childhood. But I am also celebrating Halloween and costumes and that is why I can't help but share this awesome collection of art by Isaiah Stephens that I discovered. You can see the full gallery here.


MovieFone Thor 2 Clip

This new clip from Thor: The Dark World features the sky battle action with Thor & Loki!



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Drop a comment and tell me what you found out this week in geek life!

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Book Review: Vol'jin: Shadows of the Horde

Vol'jin: Shadows of the Horde By Michael Stackpole

Publisher: Gallery Book s(June 16, 2013)
Age Group: Adult
Pages (Hardcover): 352
Series: World of Warcraft #12
Source: Library
ISBN-13: 9781416550679
Genre: Fantasy | Lore Supplement
Series Reviews: Arthas (5★)

Shadows of the Horde follows Vol’jin to the lost continent of Pandaria, where the troll chieftain's loyalties are put to the ultimate test when a member of his own faction moves to assassinate him. . . .

Aided by the renowned brewmaster Chen Stormstout, Vol'jin takes refuge in a remote mountain monastery to recover from his wounds. His time there, however, is far from peaceful, as intense visions of the past assault the Darkspear chieftain, and the ancient Zandalari tribe mounts a series of attacks on Pandaria. In his struggle to make sense of what’s happening, Vol'jin must ultimately decide where his allegiances lay—a choice that could save or doom his people . . . and forever alter the fate of the Horde.

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Getting used to the writing style of Michael Stackpole was considerably interesting. The slow points in this book that were story and history based were on the slow side, this really captured that nature of the Pandaren but it also meant for a laborious read. But then in times of war and times of action his writing was action-packed and one blow after the other. This left me on a roller coaster of reading interest; while I absolutely loved this story and everything in it, I slugged through it at an unusually slow pace.

The character of Vol'jin is so critical to the World of Warcraft lore that this book is an integral part of the story. It connects the events in game of the Dagger in the Dark scenario and the 5.3 content patch Escalation. This book is inundated with amazing amounts of lore for both troll, pandaren and the mogu.

Stackpole did a wonderful job at fleshing out characters that we wanted to see more of including Taran Zhu, Chen Stormstout, and Li Li. He also did a wonderful job at introducing us to new characters including Yalia and Tyrathan Khort. He made the lives of these people jump off the pages and they held on to you with a vice-like grip.

If you're a fan of World of Warcraft novels this books is a must read in my opinion. I am a troll fanatic and I just love everything this book has to offer. I should declare that given its subject matter that is does speak in strong dialects at time but that is akin to Stackpole's great job of creating mood, voice, and setting!

Rating out of 5:
 

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Watch it or Buy it: World War Z



Watch it or Buy it Quickie DVD Review

Let me just start off by saying that Brad Pitt did an amazing job in this film. I have always been a Brad Pitt fan and I think this movie highlights why that is. This movie had everything you would want from a zombie film including desperation, action, brutality, and gore. But it also had something else, it had motivation. Motivation and hope to cure the world.

One of my favorite things  about a dystopian setting is the reason things are the way they are. What I really enjoyed about this movie was the search for Patient 0 and the idea that they were really going to know what happened this time. The problem with this is that once you know where it is going, once you have seen it, the movie loses something and leaves you with a weird since of ending that perhaps isn't calling for more than one watch.

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Watch it or Buy it is The Fandomonium's attempt to save you time and money with real life reviews handed to you at the speed of light.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Episode 2: Hero Hype

TEGP: Episode 2

This week Natasha and I are talking comic book movies. We talk about our favorites and I dish out movies that are almost 10 years old and blubber through terrible pronunciations of names and calling people by the wrong name. This episode is full of silly and awesome all at the same time!




You will need this as a reference, I promise:

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If you have a question, comment, or want to say hi leave a comment below or email us at theeclecticgeekpodcast@gmail.com.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Tuesdays with Tarinae 10/8

Tuesday with Tarinae bringing you this week in geek...

Desolation of Smaug Trailer

Warner Brothers released the official movie trailer for the second Hobbit film. This comes after a teaser trailer this summer and the movie is due to release on December 13. My first reaction to this trailer is that the proportions look tremendously better than in the first movie. A hobbit is tiny and dwarves are short; those are not facts you saw in the sizing of The Legendary Journey.


Matt Smith Musical

The 11th Doctor has been actively engaging in other roles and preparing himself to continue his career once his stint as The Doctor has come to an end. After shaving his head and ripping out, he had debuted his new look for the Ryan Gosling film, How to Catch a Monster, earlier this year. Now he accepted a role in a musical production of Ameican Psycho; he is taking on the role as Patrick Batemen who was played by Christian Bale in the 2000 cinematic version.


Ender's Game Clip

Summit Entertainment has released a full 40 second clip from Ender's Game that releases in Novemeber. The clip is Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield during the scene where Colonel Graff assigns Ender to lead the Dragon Army.




Professor X

I found this really amazing fan art of Professor Xavier from Marvel's X-Men! It was done by artist Mark Kelly!

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Drop a comment and tell me what you found out this week in geek life!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Featured Game: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag



Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Release Date: October 29, 2013

New Era. New Assassin. New Rules.

It is 1715. Pirates rule the Caribbean and have established a lawless pirate republic. Among these outlaws is a fearsome young captain named Edward Kenway. His exploits earn the respect of pirate legends like Blackbeard, but draw him into an ancient war that may destroy everything the pirates have built.

Set sail on the high seas in Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, a pirate-filled adventure in the Assassin's Creed saga. Become Edward Kenway, a charismatic yet brutal pirate captain, trained by Assassins. Command your ship, the Jackdaw, and strike fear in all who see her. Plunder and pillage to upgrade the Jackdaw with ammunition and equipment needed to fight off enemy ships as you venture out to discover the most diverse Assassin's Creed world ever created.

*Synopsis provided by IGN.com

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Episode 1: Fall TV Preview

TEGP: Episode 1

This week Natasha and I discuss the things that are coming on the telly this fall. Conversation ranges from Once Upon a Time to The Witches of East End and everywhere in between. We also have our first segment of First Watch and a trailer talk! Give it a listen!



Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Featured Read: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia


Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers (October 1, 2013)
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 320 (Hardcover)
ISBN-13: 9780316210171
Genre: Action/Adventure & Supernatural

I am so excited for this book to release because that means the awesome that this book is can now be obtained by people everywhere! This book is everything that makes things like Da Vinci Code and National treasure exciting. It is like a treasure hunt of epic proportions that have been dumped onto these children out of default. And it has ghosts.

If you live in Lexington, Kentucky this is the Book of the Month at Joseph-Beth Booksellers.
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I never believed in ghosts. Until one tried to kill me.

When Kennedy Waters finds her mother dead, her world begins to unravel. She doesn't know that paranormal forces in a much darker world are the ones pulling the strings. Not until identical twins Jared and Lukas Lockhart break into Kennedy’s room and destroy a dangerous spirit sent to kill her. The brothers reveal that her mother was part of an ancient secret society responsible for protecting the world from a vengeful demon — a society whose five members were all murdered on the same night.

Now Kennedy has to take her mother’s place in the Legion if she wants to uncover the truth and stay alive. Along with new Legion members Priest and Alara, the teens race to find the only weapon that might be able to destroy the demon — battling the deadly spirits he controls every step of the way.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

An Eclectic Geek Podcast Celebration Giveaway!

So Natasha, Kentucky Geek Girl, and I have a thing. And it is a podcast. It is also quite official and awesome. In honor of this years in the making event, I have decided to host a giveaway! Check out the prize and details then enter to win!


Listen to: Episode 0

Prize Details
1 Star Wars Jedi Academy Prize Pack

This book is in the same line as Darth Vader & Son and Vader's Little Princess. This is recommended for Star Wars fans and fans of a snarky attitude. It is also recommended for young readers! Jeffery Brown's first two books are hilarious and this follows suit! There are also 6 awesome buttons! Enter below to win!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Watch it or Buy it: Star Trek Into Darkness


Watch it or Buy it Quickie DVD Review

So I did a bad geek thing and I watched this movie without watching the first one. That doesn't mean I didn't have a Star Trek foundation but most of my days watching this show were of TNG. So even though I didn't have all the background for this movie, I can honestly say this movie is still worth the buy. This movie has its sins but it was a great action ride and an enjoyable story. It has all the appropriate amount of sci-fi tech, explosions, and emotions! The casting is also quite good and by now, everyone knows I have a thing for casting!

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Watch it or Buy it is The Fandomonium's attempt to save you time and money with real life reviews handed to you at the speed of light.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Tuesdays with Tarinae 9/24

Tuesday with Tarinae bringing you this week in geek... 

Surreal Mother Geek 

I learned about this little nugget from listening to the latest episode of Beaucoup Pop. Written by Diana Pressnell and illustrated by Brett Hatfield this book is a self published geek twist to the nursery rhymes that many of us grew up on. For example This Little Piggie...as retold into This Little Cultist and a full out (AMAZING) Cthulhu/Lovecraft twist.

 This book comes with a variety of Easter eggs hidden throughout for children and adults alike. It is also a great way to introduce your little one to the world of geek. On top of all of that Diana's husband is an iDeveloper and has developed an app that goes along with this book and provides reading support for your little independent readers. I just think this is awesome! Check out all the details on their website, The Surreal Mother Geek.

Warcraft Movie News

Deadline.com has reported that Colin Farrell and Paula Patton have been offered casting roles in the new Warcraft movie that is set to start filming in 2014. This is major news for WoWrs who have been waiting for this movie for a long time. There are still over 8 million people who play and we are all really hoping this works out. As a sidenote, WoW Insider had a great guess that Colin Farrell could be Medivh, the mad 'wizard', but I am not sure about Patton. It is worth noting this movie is set in the Warcraft timeline rather than World of Warcraft, and yes, there is a difference.

Diablo III Auction House

More Blizzard news comes to us in way of the announcement that Blizzard will shut down both in-game and real money Auction Houses in Diablo III. They argue that this takes away from gameplay because it should be determined that if you go out and kill things you will get the "epic lootz". I don't know whether this is effected in part by the release of the console version or not but I know there are some who are disappointed about this news. I enjoy in-game auctions but I hate micro-transactions that need me to spend real money.

Disney's Live Action Cinderella
Tip Credit: Kentucky Geek Girl

Disney has announced that it is doing a live action Cinderella. Disney is a princess animation kind of thing. It is rare (ever?) they screw up a Princess telling when it is done in animation. So here is to hoping that all of the newly acquired live action companies (Marvel & Lucas Films) has inspired them to greatness.

Image Credit: Comingsoon.net
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Drop a line and tell me what you found out this week in geek life!

Sunday, September 22, 2013

The Eclectic Geek Podcast: Episode 0

Episode 0: Introductions, Digressions, and Tangents, OH MY!

So Natasha of Kentucky Geek Girl and I got together and we made a podcast. It might be a thing we plan on doing. You should give it a listen! The podcasts will be cross posted to each blog and are hosted on Pod-O-Matic so you can always check it out there!




The Eclectic Geek Podcast for the geek who loves everything!

Sunday, September 15, 2013

The J.K. Rowling Surprise!

A recent surge in circulation of an internet article has resulted in rejoicing followed by immediate heartbreak with that only to be followed by joyful news. The article in question is a Story Carnivores article about J.K. Rowling having confirmed an 8th Harry Potter novel and it starts off with:
Yahoo News and the New York Times today confirmed that J.K. Rowling is writing the eighth Harry Potter novel, and is already 75% done with the manuscript. Details on the storyline are hush hush, but Rowling is said to be revealing more about the upcoming HP novel later this very week in a press conference in Scotland.

The thing that has been the catch point for this is that the article was indeed, posted on April 1. Sorry, no digs for that awesome piece of news. Given the time of year this article made a comeback, I of course fell for it (cue immediate heartbreak) only to realize early on I had been duped.

However, this news was followed rather quickly by an announcement that while J.K. Rowling is not continuing the saga of our favorite teenage wizard, she has decided and committed to writing a Potterverse screenplay, Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was—according to the in-universe lore—a Hogwarts textbook written by one Newton Scamander, a magizoolist, and published in 1927. Scamander was born in 1897 and was interested in magical beasts from an early age, and that his mother bred hippogriffs. Any flashbacks will likely include the humble horklump, a rather gross bristly mushroom-like creature, which Scamander apparently dissected as a youth. Rowling has also mentioned that the story starts in New York City; that and the date evoke the delicious possibility of some American-style Jazz-age wizardry.

The movie, based on the textbook from Hogwarts, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them has had all of the excitement of the past 15 years re-kindled in people young, small, and famous including the cast of the other 8 movies. Evanna Lynch who played Luna Lovegood posted this on Twitter:



It is just thrilling to think we can all get back into the thing that is so magical and such a literary milestone in our lives. These books changed everything for me when I was 13 (I was late to the game). On top of this most exciting news, we also have the new paperback art release for the 15th anniversary! If you need a break from life, just sit back and relax...let yourself enjoy being a Potterhead again!


Sources include: Time Entertainment & Story Carnivores

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Tuesday with Tarinae 9/10

Tuesday with Tarinae bringing you this week in geek...

Netflix for eBooks?

I found this write up of the new program/app called Oyster. This program will provide eBooks for reading just as Netflix supplies movies for a flat monthly rate. This program is backed by several large publishers including HarperCollins and Algonquin. It is also only intended to be an iOS program, sorry android? I can say that while this is awesome, you should still check your local library for downloadable eBooks. Lexington has over 8000 titles to offer.

Upside Down Movie Trailer

Apparently this has been out for a while but I juts came across this while watching the previews for What Maisie Knew. This looks awesomely trippy and from a youtube commenter, "Kirsten Dunst really loves upside down kissing, doesn't she?"


Allegiant Teaser

The conclusion to Veronica Roth's best-selling trilogy, Allegiant (Divergent #3), releases October 22. This teaser was recently provided, check it out and read these books if you haven't!

Image credit: Entertainment Weekly

Releasing last week was an e-Book novella, The Transfer: A Divergent Story!

Coldplay Releases Catching Fire Song


Friday, September 6, 2013

Movie Review: The Mortal Instruments - City of Bones


The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is a movie that has been adapted from the New York Times Bestseller City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. It is a young adult novel/movie that is set in a world of Shadowhunters, demon hunters that have been blessed by the blood of the angel Raziel. This grants them the ability to use runic symbols to boost their power and used angelic blades to slay their demonic foes.

In this first installment we meet Clary Fray (Lily Collins), our heroine. She is a teenage girl who lives a normal life with her mother (Lena Heady) in their small New York apartment. She is living the normal life until she
ends up in the Pandemonium Club on her birthday. There is where she sees a boy (Jamie Campbell Bower), about her age, murder one of the other club goers. Clary's world is unraveling as she realizes she is only one who can see him and after a confrontation she finds that club-goer wasn't even human. This is the key point where life changes for Clary and she realizes she is a Shadowhunter and she is cast into a dangerous world and an even more deadly plot.

The book captures a lot of what this movie failed to provide ultimately living up to the adage that the book is always better than the movie; that doesn't give slight to this still enjoyable movie. The star of this movie was simply Lily Collins. She was a magnificent cast as Clary and captured a lot of the confused, lost, and in love emotions that wash over Clary as she starts out on this journey. Some people don't like Clary as a character but I find that in the City of Bones, she is well rounded and realistic and Collins pulls through a lot of that in her work.

The rest of the casting and characterization of this movie was dismal at times. I had a explicitly difficult time while watching Jamie Campbell Bower portray Jace. There were times when I thought he was
inappropriately clothed for action in his want-to-be skin tight leather that had strange baggy parts or his greasy mop of hair being put off as sex appeal. This was all very distracting to someone I find has good acting skills but lacks the attractive qualities of Jace Wayland.

But that wasn't the only thing that fell flat in the way of people. This movie completely demolished one of the most amazing characters in the entire world Clare has created: Magnus Bane. Godfrey Gao was an attractive choice for our favorite warlock but he didn't bring any depth to this character that exists in every book. Instead his voice was very shallow and his attitude albeit vain and disconnected wasn't Magnus Bane. Magnus has an intriguing story that makes you want to know about him and that didn't come from Gao.

Did I also mention that Kevin Zegers was a little weird and old for the role of Alec? The role of Alec in this movie (unlike the book) was emphasized to be a little more homoerotic than that of a parabatai.

Oh, you don't know what parabatai is? The movie failed at explaining that the bond between Jace and Alec was deeper than that of blood, brother or friend. They underwent a bonding ritual of Shadowhunters that means they see their own life as the life of the other, nothing is more deep and sacred than this bond. But you wouldn't know that from watching this movie; you also wouldn't know much about the world at all really.


The book had a way of explaining this world to Clary and introducing her to things like Serpah blades, steles for runes, downworlders, etc. that the movie did not. The movie just thrust Clary into a world and she seemed to know everything like she had been a part of it for years which left people who hadn't read the book without explanation and with a lot of confusion. You would also be inclined to think that Shadowhunters are a bunch of tattooed bad asses running around invisible but that isn't the case either.

Overall, I find that I am extremely critical of the things this movie failed to provide in ways of information or satisfaction but that doesn't mean I failed to enjoy it. Quite the opposite, I still really enjoyed the film within its own merits. I went in to, yet another, book to movie adaptation with very low expectations. I knew this was a book they could screw up but while they did not hit the nail on the head, they still managed an entertaining movie and a good film.

*Image credits to Shadowiki, TMI Fandom, & TMI Source

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Featured Read: Dateline: Atlantis by Lynn Voedisch

Dateline: Atlantis by Lynn Voedisch

Publisher: The Story Plant (September 10, 2013)
Age Group: Adult
Pages: 285 (e-Book)
ISBN-13: 9781611880885
Genre: Action/Adventure

When you think of what a geek read is and a book summary tells you that this is a female Indiana Jones, you know you have struck gold. While I'm not too much on the Indiana Jones train, I am no stranger to the fandom and am still a fan of the action/adventure clue based tales. Stories about the buried empire are sure to be a thrill ride! Check out this book set to release for Kindle next week!
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DATELINE: ATLANTIS is a contemporary fantasy featuring a female Indiana Jones who dives underwater and accidentally finds what just might be the lost world of Atlantis. After she and her photographer document fabulous pyramids under the Caribbean sea, they return to their newspaper in the Los Angeles area, only to have all their evidence stolen. The sea rolls back and reclaims the ruins, and their photographer is kidnapped. Someone doesn’t want the undersea world found.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Featured Game: Diablo III

September 2013 | Game Feature

Diablo III Console Release
Release Day: September 3

Blizzard's long time running game, Diablo, is releasing its third game for PS3 and XBox this coming Tuesday. This game has been out for computer play since May of 2012 and is expected to have a PS4 release in 2014 as well.

Diablo III is a sequel to Diablo II that was released in 2000. The setup for this game is in Sanctuary some twenty years after the events of Diablo II. After a mysterious star falls from the sky, our hero Deckard Cain has disappeared into the depths of the crater left in the star's wake. You are called to duty at a time when the dead are rising from the star and are sent off to the crater.

This is the setup for the journey that will try and test your character at every turn. I have not made it very far into the story chapters as I have a tendency to die but the journey must go on! Check out this video from the official game guide that explains the story and game play and be sure to game on tomorrow!


Also be sure to check out the Shattered Soulstone podcast for resources and news!

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Watch it or Buy it DVD Review: The Host


Watch it or Buy it Quickie DVD Review

This movie is worth the watch but not the buy. If you find yourself confused it might even be worth a second watch just to ensure you didn't miss any information but this movie lacks a lot. It has a linear and slow plot that lacks the point of a true climax. In an end that is seen coming from miles away, this movie doesn't even seem to have a redeeming quality. It follows the trend that teens are always involved in love triangles (only it is a square?) and highlights impulsive behavior that doesn't even make a logical progression.

As a previous Stephanie Meyer fan, I am glad this is over. And because the book was made to be an  "adult" book this movie was definitely teen. 

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Watch it or Buy it is The Fandomonium's attempt to save you time and money with real life reviews handed to you at the speed of light.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Tuesdays with Tarinae 8/27

Tuesdays with Tarinae, covering the past week in geek...

Batfleck

The word is in that Ben Affleck has been cast as the new Batman due to make the appearance against Henry Caville in the second Man of Steel movie. This has caused quite the uproar in the geek community and there has been a lot of flack (See what I did there!) thrown towards the actor/director.

I wasn't against the idea that Christian Bale could have done the role of the caped crusader but I don't think I was prepared for this (though I love Affleck in romance!) and neither was the rest of the world, in fact there is a peteition with change.org that has over 77,000 sigs to rename someone else. Rumor has it Ben Affleck has been signed for multiple movies should "sequels continue to proliferate". What are you thoughts?

Just remember the boy from the dorky knight story turned out to be the best Joker the universe had seen.

Divergent Trailer

I love this book, if you haven't read it pick it up. Choose your faction, change your life, watch this trailer.




World of Warcraft TCG

The word as of August 23 is that Blizzard has pulled their license with Cryptozoic Entertainment that puts out the World of Warcraft Training Card Game. Here is Lexington this is pretty popular Magic-Style TCG. There are region tournaments and battlegrounds. This comes as a major blow to the community. No more new blocks, no new merchandising but if you are due to run a tournament you are on your own but you are still responsible for following Blizzard's rules.

This news comes shortly after their F2P Online CCG, Hearthstone, just entered the beta testing. It was suggested that the two games would not interfere with one another but it seems that is no longer the case as Blizzard has bought themselves out of the contract and does not plan to renew the license with any other company. Now is the time where I rush to stock with cards for my own decks, my art project, and loot cards. 

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Online Identities: Who Are We?

I have recently moved to playing World of Warcraft again and the situation came up that I felt it was finally time to make a server transfer; I wanted to be able to experience the MMO part of the game and at the time that just was not happening. So I packed up my things and decided to move Tarinae away from her 6+ year home.

What this ended up was a journey and discovery that online identities become a major part of a gamer.

When I first rolled Tarinae, I was the only one. It was a name that I drudged up from the creative parts of my brain and I loved it. From the very first moment I rolled her, she was perfect. I also happened to be the only Tarinae in the whole of the game. I took Tarinae a step further and made a Twitter account @TarinaesJournal to have a nerd place to document her progress and her adventures. That quickly evolved into @Tarinae when I decided to start blogging as a WoW blogger and a lot of people knew my name.

I made a couple different iterations of Tarinae across other servers, including a Tiny Tarinae, that I used as a blogging project. When someone said Tarinae, you knew it was me. When I left WoW blogging for something else I changed my Twitter handle and a spam bot that never tweets picked it up, when I went back to use that name again that was my first throw into "Who Am I World" because I didn't know what I wanted anymore. 

By this time, I had created a random assortment of gaming profiles and I had adopted Tarinae across all of them including XBox, Playstation, etc. (Steam is a different story). I even have Tarinae on Gmail! So in my Twitter hassle, it turns out they only release inactive names in batches and there is nothing that I can do about it. So I went with my BattleTag. By this time, this was a thing and everyone's Twitter Name was their tag, I decided to use it as my handle, and so I was @Tarinae1821.

But I digress, allow me to get back to the game. When I decided to move to a new server, this time there were 12 other Tarinaes, none of which were me. There are countless servers, somewhere way over 300. I had a 12/300+ shot at hitting a server with my name and I hit the nail on the head. The most insulting part was that she was only Level 1. She was a name saver, a waste of space, and I was furious

I consulted Twitter, I ranted on Facebook, I rambled on podcasts, I even petitioned to have the name flagged but it didn't work. I am Tarinae. That is MY online identity, it is my gamer identity. She and I are one in the same and I had no idea what to do. And in that moment, my inner sociologist kicked in and I really started to analyze who we are and who we claim to be. This identity meant the world to me and my online presence but to a non-gamer, to a non-geek I was behaving irrationally; this would have been all trivial but in my heart of hearts I felt like someone had stolen my identity. 

Most people would say that it is time to take a break from WoW at that point. But it was more than that. Tarinae is how people know me on Twitter, from communities, from games, from browser interactives, from a lot of things. Being Tarinae is how I have met some of my MOST AMAZING friends. 

And that was where the problem came in.

In the end, I opted for making a special character in the name and circumventing the system (as allowed by the TOS of course) but when I see her name and that it isn't written correctly, I know a part of me is still out there, floating in the limbo of online identity nether. 

I asked this question on Facebook and across Twitter and it has spurred a lot of wonderful conversation but who are you? Do you have an identity that you are attached to? So many of us do. You're in great company.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Tuesdays with Tarinae 8/19

Tuesdays with Tarinae, covering the past week in geek...

Trailer Mania

There were several trailers that released this week (or that I stumbled upon perhaps) and they absolutely blew my mind. This one is the movie trailer for the book-to-movie adaption of Richelle Meade's Vampire Academy.


I have never read this series, I chose to read Twilight instead and my Young Adult vampire fetish went no further. But these books are bestsellers and this trailer looks to be pretty action packed and little on that sexy side.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Cinema Feature: City of Bones

August 2013 | Cinema Feature

August 21, 2013 | IMDB

The hit of the fall is coming soon The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. This is a book to movie adaptation of the first book in the Cassandra Clare series The Mortal Instruments. Honestly, if you have never read these book and can appreciate anything Young Adult and/or Paranormal then you are seriously missing out.

These books were some of the first things that I read coming out of college and I was instantly enamored with them. Cassandra Clare has created such an intricate story with twists and turns the likes of which I had never encountered. The fact that Hollywood has decided to make one my favorites into a movie has me on the excited side to say the least.

I fashion that I will be sporting rune tattoos and buttons on opening weekend; a journey that will lead me to the cinemas with long time friend Natasha from Kentucky Geek Girl. This movie is about Clary Fray who finds herself wrapped up in a world of Shadowhunters. Shadowhunters are demon fighters whose blood has been touched and blessed by the angel Raziel. This journey takes us across worlds of reality and the hidden where the vampires and the villains lurk but you are never sure who is what or who to trust.

Check out the trailer and be sure to stay tuned after its opening weekend for a review!


Did I mention that this stars Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), James Moriarty (Jared Harris), and King Henry VII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers)? Oh, well it does! They appear alongside the stars of the film Lily Collins & Jamie Campbell Bower!

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Featured Game: Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn

August 2013 | Game Feature

Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn
Release Day: August 27

To continue the epic saga that has been Final Fantasy, FF14 releases this August as an MMORPG for Playstation 3 and PC. This is the second game in the Final Fantasy family to be an MMO other than XI. This game is expected to be a subscription based MMO. Square Enix as the developers have been known to put out fantastic products in the Final Fantasy franchise and between 2010-2012 when FFXIV recieved such negative criticism, Square Enix pulled the game to rebirth it. 

And this time it seems to be set up for success. I have heard firsthand feedback from the beta that is positive for the PS3 platform. The game is due to feature the same lore and intended story progression but with a different interface and client that is more slated towards successful MMO formats. This includes new maps, new graphics, additional content and servers. 

Here is the snippet from the website that sets up the entire existence:

Hydaelyn─a vibrant planet blessed by the Light of the Crystal.

Amid azure seas, encompassing the westernmost of the Three Great Continents, there lies a realm embraced by gods and forged by heroes. Her name...Eorzea.


It is here that your tale unfolds. Beckoned by the Mothercrystal─the source of all life─you must embark upon a quest to deliver the land from an eternity of Darkness.

If you are lost in the world of Final Fantasy, I strongly encourage watching Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. The DVD has a special feature that walks you through the entire story in approximately 15 minutes. It is also a great movie.