If you haven’t seen Game of Thrones, don’t read my review because it will have SPOILERS. 

Sunday night, the highly anticipated fantasy series Game of Thrones premiered on HBO.  I thought the show was great.  The acting was excellent as were  the sets.  The actors all played their roles close to the characterizations of the novels.  The ages may be off a bit.  For example, Eddard Stark, played by Sean Bean, should be in his mid-thirties.  All is forgiven because Sean Bean is fantastic as Eddard Stark.  Peter Dinklage as Tyrion was cast brilliantly. 

The little bit of CGI didn’t bother me because there probably aren’t that many walls covered in ice that they could have used for the film.  I was concerned that the incest scenes would make me uncomfortable.  However, I didn’t feel anymore uncomfortable than when I read the book.  Indeed, this is one of the few fantasy series that I’ve actually read and had hoped would get the Lord of the Rings treatment, but a television series is just as good.  The story elements they used for this first episode were so well done that I didn’t notice any of the elements that they left out.

All in all, I thought the show was fantastic and it pleases me that HBO has already decided to do a second season.  If you aren’t watching, I suggest you do so.

Source: Superhero Hype

Here is another shot of Jason Momoa as Conan. Is it me, or does the release of all the pictures and promotional material make it seem like they are over-selling the idea of Momoa as Conan? He looks the part and I don’t really think people need any more convincing. If they want to generate interest, they should release a teaser trailer or something like that. Check out Superhero Hype for more pictures by clicking here.

For those of you who missed the announcement (like me) they are canceling War Machine.   In this week Cup O’ Joe Marvel head honcho goes into the details and the future of the character.

“Why Cancel War machine? Why not put a Big artist on the book to attract attention why not try a little harder to move him from behind Tony Starks shadow and establish him as his own character by putting him on an Avengers book or something?”

Joe Quesada: Here’s the skinny  when you ask, why not just put a BIG artist on the book to attract attention, you make it sound like we operate under a business practice that just tells creators what they have to do as opposed to what they like to work on. Also, let me add that Leo Manco is an AMAZING artist and has done the work of his life on “WM,” and Greg Pak is one of the industry’s top writers, so we put some of our best creative talent on the title. However, in the case of “War Machine,” much like “Runaways,” we’re retooling and eventually looking to relaunch the book in a way that will garner it some extra attention and hopefully some added readers. We’ve done this quite successfully in the past, “Runaways” and “She-Hulk” being perfect examples of this, and also, while I’m not at liberty to say this, with War Machine, we have some very big plans that have been put into motion, but you’ll have to wait a bit to find out what those are. What I can say is that my gut tells me you’re going to be seeing more of Jim Rhodes doing his thing, than you ever thought possible.

I have heard about “Bayou” for quite a while but I have always been to busy with other things to check it out.   After it won Glyph awards for Story of the Year, Best Writer and Best Artist for creator Jeremy Love,  I decided that it was time to go to the  Zuda website.  It was worth it.   It the best thing I have read in quite a while.    Bayou started as webcomic which can still be found on Zuda.  If your not into webcomics then check out the print version .

You can also listen to a interview with the the author at Comixology

South of the Mason-Dixon Line, lies a strange land of gods and monsters. Born from centuries of slavery, civil war, innocent bloodshed, hate and strife lurks a world parallel to our own. LEE WAGSTAFF is the daughter of a poor, sharecropper in a depression-era, Mississippi Delta town, called Charon. She’s an introspective, brave child and hard labor in the fields has made her sturdy and strong. One day, Lee and her father help the sheriff retrieve the body of a boy who’d been lynched and thrown into the river. Lee dives into the depths to tie a rope around the boy. While under water, she catches a glimpse of a strange world. Ever since that day, Lee hears voices in the trees and rivers. When Lee’s playmate, Lily, is snatched by BOG, an evil inhabitant of that place she saw, Lee’s father is accused of kidnapping. The worst thing a black man could do in the 30’s was harm a white child. Lee must pursue Bog into his world in order to save her friend before her father is lynched. Lee enlists the help of a benevolent, blues-singing, swamp monster called BAYOU and together they trek across a Southern Neverland in search of Lee’s friend. Along the way, they meet several colorful characters, like BR’ER RABBIT. Lee soon realizes that Bog has some sort of hold on all the inhabitants in this world and feeds off of hatred and strife in our world. As the racial tensions grow, Bog grows more powerful, so not only are Lee’s friends and father in peril, but all of Charon.

Hi guys, it’s Hanako, the Potter Geek returning to Black Geekdom after a long absence (caused in large part to Warner Bros. decision to postpone the release of Half-Blood Prince to this summer). But anyhoo! Now that the release is less than 4 months away and Deathly Hallows has begun filming, it’s time to update you all on what’s going on in the Potterverse. (Warning: this post will contain casting information and potential movie spoilers).

Half-Blood Prince
Finally! We are getting closer to the long-awaited release of Half-Blood Prince, which will open in theaters and IMAX on July 17, 2009. Recently, the Japanese International trailer was released, and it can be viewed here.

Other videos:
International Featurette
Regal First Look

You can also find out current HBP information by visiting the official website.

Deathly Hallows
Release dates:
Part 1 – November 19, 2010
Part 2 – July 15, 2011

Casting News: Recently, the casting of several key characters have been confirmed, suggesting that Warner Bros. will try with the final two movies to make up for the mistakes/omissions they made in the first 5 (or 6, depending on how HBP turns out). DH see the return of Dobby the House-Elf, along with Mr. Ollivander and (possibly) Fleur Delacour. Other casting notables include Bill Weasley (finally!), Mundungus Fletcher, Xenophilius Lovegood, Aberforth Dumbledore, and Reg Cattermole, among others.

With the casting news has come confirmations of several key scenes being filmed, including the much-debated Epilogue, Malfoy Manor, Shell Cottage, and possibly the Bill/Fleur wedding.

With the casting of these characters with small yet significant roles, as well as some of the key scenes that made DH the best book in the series (in my humble opinion, of course), it seems as though WB will use the two-movie arc to fully play out the final chapter in Harry’s story, which is as it should be.

As part of my ongoing quest to discover minority fantasy and scifi writers, I have found another gem that I am going to recommend.  I just finished the book Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell.  The story follows Loic, the first born and heir to the Warrior Chief of the Doreni Pagatsu clan, and Satha, the daughter of one of his father’s oldest friends.  Loic sees Satha one day and demands that he marry Satha.  What follows is a quest by Loic to find the Creator and bring him back to the three tribes who thought that he had abandoned them.

The story concerns four tribes.  The Ibeni, Theseni, Doreni, and the newly arrived Angleni.  It seems to me that the story is a retelling of African history and colonization by the English.  The backdrop of this is the spiritual journey that both Loic and Satha take separately.  When  I first began reading the book, I was distracted by the new vocabulary I had to learn.  But the further into the story I went, the more I was drawn into the world that McDonnell had described.  The characters and their personalities came alive.  This is the second book that I have read (see The Alchemist) that has given me a visceral emotional response.  The Christian themes are very apparent in the book, but the story is not meant to be preachy.  The characters and their motivations are not hidden and aren’t impossible.  Without spoiling the ending, I was taken by surprise.   However, in retrospect, I realized that Loic and Satha’s story could not end any other way.  The amount of research that the author put into this book must have been daunting.

As far as Christian fiction goes, I thought this was a very interesting and thought provoking book.  Am I a fan of Christian fiction?  Not really.  I read the entire Left Behind series and found that series of books to be over written, drawn out, and preachy, which most Christian fiction novels tend to be.  Not so with Wind Follower. 

The best thing that I liked about the book was that it was one fantasy story that began and ended in one book.   Most of your Fantasy stories take place over several novels.  Lord of the Rings had three volumes.  We followed the adventures of the Shannara decendents in 12 novels; The Belgariad and the Mallorean were 12 novels.  Not that I don’t like series like that, but it’s nice to have a story begin and end in one novel.  Though I do see where she could write a prequel or two.  And I wish I had known about the glossary before I finished the book.

Not long ago, I complained to someone that there aren’t any minority Science Fiction and Fantasy writers.  That person looked at me and said that I wouldn’t know since I haven’t tried to find any to read.  So, with my foot in my mouth I went to the bookstore with the intention of reading as many minority Sci-Fi and Fantasy writers I can.  I will try to read two or three books a week (once I pay my library fine) and post a review here picking one.  This week I only read one, The Alchemist.  Next week, I’ll do better.  If anyone has any recommendations you can email us at blackgeekdom@gmail.com, or send a message using the Contact Us link.

The Alchemist is a novel written by Brazilian author Paulo Coelho.  It follows the journey of a young shepherd named Santiago as he pursues his dream of finding treasure in Egypt near the pyramids.    I first heard about this book when Lawrence Fishburne was attached to direct, produce, and star in the film version of the book.   (Also, my nephew chose this as his summer book to read for school, so I was going to read it in case he didn’t.)    The overall theme of the book is that a person should pursue his or her soul’s desire, or what the author calls one’s personal legend.  Many people will have different reactions when they finish the book.  But for me, I found it inspirational.

The long-awaited Hobbit movie, first mooted over a decade ago by New Zealand director Peter Jackson, is edging its way towards the screen.

The adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s 1937 novel is set to be split into two films which are scheduled for release in 2010 and 2011 – despite some fairly unequivocal denials from both Jackson and New Line Studios as recently as a month ago.

The production has been repeatedly derailed by rights issues and Jackson’s desire to remake King Kong for Universal Pictures, which soured relations between New Line and the director.

Jackson will be producing the new films, with a director yet to be appointed. No casting details are expected to emerge for quite some time.

It’s easily the best book in the series.

There were so many twists and turns, surprises (good and bad), and tears that it’s a wonder that I got through the book at all! JKR certainly ended the series in a way most of us couldn’t have imagined; answering many of our questions but also leaving doors open for discussions in the years to come.

Most of the questions we’ve wondered about in the Potter Fandom are laid to rest: Is Harry a Horcrux? Did Snape love Lily? Who’s side is Snape on? Will Ron and Hermione ever get together?

But there were also some plot twists that I’m sure most readers never thought to ask about. For instance, I never had reason to ask, “Who is the real Albus Dumbledore?” I agreed with most people in fandom that the Deathly Hallows were a “where”, and not a “what”. I also never expected the revelation that Harry found out when searching for the Ravenclaw horcrux.

I’ve listened to and read the interviews that J.K. Rowling has done in the past two weeks, and although I agree with her ideas that “war is not pleasant and everone is at risk”, I really could’ve done without some of the deaths she wrote, in particular the deaths in Chapters 24 and 31 which each had me crying for over 20 minutes. But I think that the way she wrote the deaths, and the particular meanings for them (as she mentions in her interview on “Dateline”) were beautifully written and with meaning behind them, especially for those of us who are die-hard fans of the series.

The Best Chapters for me: “The Prince’s Tale” and “King’s Cross”

My favorite scenes: The scene in the chapter “The Silver Doe” where the horcrux is destroyed by Ron cements him as my favorite overall character of the series. The anguish and struggle he faced when facing his fears and the bravery in his character at overcoming them were very heartwrenching for me. Harry’s scene in “The Forest Again” where he comes to terms with his fate; read it and you can feel what he’s feeling.

The epilogue, I felt, was too “happy” and without enough information. But J.K. Rowling has filled in some of the blanks during the above mentioned interview (check out what she says here), and has implied that maybe, a few years down the road, she will answer more in her “encyclopedia” of the HP world, which will include more information and back-story on some of our favorite (and under-used) characters (Quote: “I’ve said before that Dean Thomas had a much more interesting history than ever appeared in the books”).

As for this Potter fan, I’ll be eagerly waiting.

I walked out of Barnes and Noble on Saturday morning at 12:03 am, the first person in line at the Camp Creek location to purchase “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

Twelve hours later and on 30 minutes of sleep I have finished reading it and I can honestly say that, although an emotional roller coaster, the book does not disappoint.

I do realize that lots of people don’t read as fast or will not have the time that I had to set aside to read, so I will wait to post a review/discussion until I get the okay from Anthony.

On July 17, the news and media outlets reported that someone had leaked the entire book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows prior to its Saturday Release. Now it seems that the New York Times and the Baltimore Sun have both reviewed the book. Rueters is reporting that J.K. Rowling is highly upset. Both papers conclude that if they were able to buy the book from their local bookstores, then a review of the book is fair game. You can read the New York Times review here.

I know Hanako, our resident Harry Potter expert, would disapprove, but I downloaded the book in question and read it. At first, I was convinced that it was the actual book, then I began to have my doubts. Now, after reading the reviews, I am reassured that I did read the actual book. I am not going to write a review; hopefully, Hanako will write be able to pull herself together after she finishes the book to write a timely review. (I bet she’ll be done by Saturday night.) Anyway, J. K. Rowling is probably more upset with that result. The reviews only confirm that the “leaked” copy of the book was authentic. Hardcore fans, even if some of them download the book, will still buy the book, and parents hoping that their kids will read something other than video game strategy guides, will also purchase a copy. I am not going to spoil it, but if you’ve read the previous six books, you already know how its going to end.