Jared Shurin's Blog, page 112

"Our candy's real gone"

Awesome Dr. Pepper ad from the drive-in era (probably late 1950s?)

Post-script: Girls Aloud, Submissions and Selling Out

On Saturday, I achieved some sort of impossible life dream when I got to be a guest on Mahvesh Murad's "89 Chapters" program on CityFM89. We chatted about books, blogging, awards, mummies and all sorts of fun things (per usual, her questions were better than my answers). In an attempt to alienate her loyal listeners, Mahvesh let me choose the show's playlist. My taste being what it is, I may have just done irreversible damage to US/Pakistan relations. (Sorry.)

The program is up here.(Also, c...

David Gemmell Legend Awards: Summary

Since August 12th, I've reviewed all nine books on this year's David Gemmell Legend Awards shortlists. A huge thanks to everyone that joined in the discussion - over 75 comments (as of writing this), plus all the chat on Twitter and Facebook. It has been a lot of fun, and I hope you've enjoyed it as well.

Given that voting is closing in a few short days, I suppose I should probably make up my mind. As you'll see below, I've found it easy in two categories and difficult in the third. Regardles...

Joey Hi-Fi's Weirdness Rodeo

Welcome to theWeirdness Rodeo- wonder and strangeness, courtesy of Joey Hi-Fi.
You can follow Joey on Twitter at@JoeyHiFiandadmire his work here.

There is an 8-bit game based on the cult bad filmManos: The Hands Of Fate!

13 books that have been either banned or 'contested' in America. Includes The Lorax, Where's Wally and...a dictionary!? [The Week]

The Curiosity rover has found water in a surface sample from Mars! [NASA]

Conan O'Brien plays vintage Atari video games - including the...

Underground Reading: Irenicon by Aidan Harte

This is part of a series of reviews - my attempt to coverall nine finalists for the David Gemmell Legend Awardbefore the winner is announced at the end of October. I'll be approaching these books in a slightly templated fashion: plot summary, good stuff, not so good stuff, conclusion.

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Like a bridge over troubled water

Irenicon (2012) is Aidan Harte's debut - a combination of epic fantasy and alternate history, set in an early Renaissance Europe not too dissimilar from our own. Except for...

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming

Underground Reading: The Gathering of the Lost by Helen Lowe

This is part of a series of reviews - my attempt to coverall nine finalists for the David Gemmell Legend Awardbefore the winner is announced at the end of October. I'll be approaching these books in a slightly templated fashion: plot summary, good stuff, not so good stuff, conclusion.

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E for Epic?

The Gathering of the Lost(2012) is the second book in Helen Lowe's Wall of Night series. The first, Heir of Night, won last year's DGLA Morningstar award for the year's best debut.

Gatheringpick...

Underground Reading: The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks

This is part of a series of reviews - my attempt to coverall nine finalists for the David Gemmell Legend Awardbefore the winner is announced at the end of October. I'll be approaching these books in a slightly templated fashion: plot summary, good stuff, not so good stuff, conclusion.

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Hey now, all you sinners

The Blinding Knife (2012) is the second in a (currently) four book series, The Lightbringer Trilogy. The first book, The Black Prism, introduced the key players, primarily Gavin the...

Post-script: Barbarella, Banshee, Banks and Brand

We returned from a weekend in Nottingham and the Peak District with a stack of goodies (and a bag of squash). Including, but not limited to:

- Barbarella.Massive 1966 hardcover, printed by Transworld. It is so Sixties. The cover, the type, everything. Absolutely fantastic comic though.

- The Political Sturwwelpeter. A less massive hardcover, but from 1899. Some wits of the day used the popular book of (gory) children's stories for political satire. To quote a contemporary review: "The pictur...

Joey Hi-Fi's Weirdness Rodeo

Welcome to theWeirdness Rodeo- wonder and strangeness, courtesy of Joey Hi-Fi.
You can follow Joey on Twitter at@JoeyHiFiandadmire his work here.

Meet "Traddino" - a 51-foot, 11-ton, walking, fire-breathing dragon robot.

11 obscure TV spinoffs. Includes X-files spin-off The Lone Gunmen written partly by Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan. [Mental Floss]

Worf once appeared on Webster! Webster dreams himself aboard the Enterprise, where he explains 'feelings' to Worf. [Topless Robot]

New book...