Quick Look at Another Fantasy Blog

After searching Technorati, I finally found another blogger who discusses fantasy books, TV shows, and movies http://sqt-fantasy-sci-fi-girl.blogspot.com/. Unfortunately, I could not find an “about me” page so I am not exactly sure who the blogger is and why they created this blog. I am assuming from the website name that the blogger is female. 

What I like about this blog is that it covers a wide array of material that interests both sexes. However, there are still many popular series that she has not covered. For instance, she has not discussed The Black Dagger Brotherhood, Vampire Academy, or House of Night. The main material covered seems to be older material. Another thing I like about her blog is that she discussed both the pros and cons of her topic. For example, when she was talking about Underworld: Awakening, she discussed both the good and bad things about the movie in her post. In addition, she has been regularly posting since 2006 and has giveaways of books. Lastly, I really that she has these posts called “waiting on Wednesday” where she has these two other bloggers SQT and Jim’s can’t wait to read section. This is cool because she allows other bloggers to recommend material that they are interested in. 

When it comes to the presentation of her blog site there are several things I like and dislike. I like that she also provides easy access to sci-fi-fantasy sites and blogs as well as ways to purchase the material. She also provides an email address so you can contact her as well as links to her facebook, twitter, google + account and more.  On the other hand, her blog site is a little cluttered with a lot going on. Also, she does not have an “about me” or “purpose” page so you can learn more about her.

Overall, this blog site is pretty awesome and allows you to learn about a wide variety of fantasy and sci-fi material.

Wrath of the Titans

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Wrath of the Titans just came out in theaters April 30^th. I went and saw it Thursday night at the 11:59pm show because I was so excited and couldn’t wait. Wrath of the Titans is the sequel to Clash of the Titans that was released back in 2010. To access the official website go to http://wrathofthetitans.warnerbros.com. 

A decade after Perseus, demi-god son of Zeus, defeated the Kraken; he is now living as a village fisherman and single parent to his ten-year-old son, Helius. One day his father, Zeus, comes to him and asks him once again to join him but Perseus refuses to leave his son. Zeus, Poseidon, and Ares alone travel to the underworld to confront Hades. However, Ares betrayers his father and uncle and joins forces with Hades in an attempt to free Kronos and the titans. Due to the lack of worship from the humans, the gods are too weak to fight and Poseidon is killed and Zeus captured. 

Perseus is once again forced to save the world from the evil forces that are threatening the human existence. Teaming up with Andromeda and a son of Poseidon, the three set out to find “The Fallen”, Hephaestus, whom they believe will help them find a way to defeat Hades and Ares before they unleash Kronos. 

This movie was full of action, suspense, gore, and romance. It was cool to see what had happened to Perseus after his defeat of the Kraken in Clash of the Titans. I hope to see more of Perseus, Andromeda, and Helius in the future.  

Immortals

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Immortals is a movie that was just released on DVD a couple of weeks ago. For additional information and access to videos, photos, games and more check out http://www.immortalsmovie.com/flash.html. 

It is based in a time where the Greek gods were worshiped and ruled over the mortals. The evil King Hyperion has created a murderous army that has been rampaging across Greece in search for the legendary bow. “Village after village falls to Hyperion's legions and each victory takes him one step closer to his goal: unleashing the power of the sleeping Titans to vanquish both the Gods of Olympus and all of humankind”.

 The story follows a stonemason, Theseus, who is the bastard son of a poor woman who had been raped. After his mother is killed in one of Hyperion’s raids, Theseus vows to avenge her death. While Theseus is being held captive by Hyperion’s army, he meets Phaedra, the Virgin Oracle. “Her disturbing visions of the young man’s future convince her that he is the key to stopping the destruction. With her help, Theseus assembles a small band of followers and embraces his destiny in a final desperate battle for humanity”.

This movie also introduces several of the Greek gods:

Zeus: god of the heavens and ruler of the gods. He has banned any god from coming to the assistance of a human.
Athena: daughter of Zeus and the goddess of wisdom and battle strategy.
Ares: son of Zeus and god of war.
Poseidon: Zeus’ brother, god of the sea.
Helios: Titan of the sun.
Heracles: son of Zeus and the greatest of Greek Heroes.
Apollo: son of Zeus and god of music, healing, plague, the sun prophecies, poetry, and archery.

 For more information on the Greek gods check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Greek_mythological_figures.

Resident Evil

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The Resident Evil movies are based off the Japanese video games. There are currently four movies but the fifth one is coming out in September of 2012. I like these movies because they have a lot of action, gore, and suspense. 

 Resident Evil (2002): After the “T-Virus” was released into the secret facility called “The Hive” the staff has been transformed into flesh-eating zombies. In order to stop the infection from getting out of the underground facility, the complex computer shut down the entire base. The parent corporation, Umbrella, decides to send an elite military team into The Hive to see what has happened. We are introduced to Alice, who is suffering from amnesia, as the team is about to enter The Hive. In order to survive, the team must shut down the computer and fight through zombies, mutants, and the computer itself before the virus is released and infects the rest of the world.

 Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004): “Alice awakes in Raccoon City, only to find it has become infested with zombies and monsters. With the help of Jill Valentine and Carlos Olivera, Alice must find a way out of the city before it is destroyed by a nuclear missile”.

 Resident Evil: Extinction (2007): “Survivors of the Raccoon City catastrophe travel across the Nevada desert, hoping to make it to Alaska. Alice joins the caravan and their fight against the evil Umbrella Corp”.

 Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010): “While still out to destroy the evil Umbrella Corporation, Alice joins a group of survivors who want to relocate to the mysterious but supposedly unharmed safe haven known only as Arcadia”. 

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012): “Alice fights alongside a resistance movement in the continuing battle against the Umbrella Corporation and the undead”. 

*The quotes and information from this post was gathered from http://www.imdb.com. To purchase these movies now click the link below!

X-Men

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X-Men was first introduced as a Marvel comic in 1963 by writers Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Over the years, the X-Men stories have appeared on TV shows as well as in movies. While I have never read any of the comics, I absolutely love the recent movies. For more information on the comics and the movies check out http://marvel.com. The following are the movies in the order they were produced:

X-Men (2000), in this movie we were first introduced to Rouge, a teenage mutant whose abilities manifested with dire consequences. After she runs away from home she encounters Logan, a ruff mutant with a mysterious past and razor sharp claws. After the two are attacked by evil mutants they are saved by the X-Men and brought back to Professor Charles Xavier and his School for Gifted Youngsters.

X2: X-Men United (2003), in this movie the fate of the mutant race is once again in the hands of the X-Men. We are introduced to a rouge government official, William Stryker, who plans to use Professor X’s powers to wipe out the mutant race.

X3: The Last Stand (2006), a cure has been found that can make any mutant into a normal human. After breaking out of prison, Magneto is determined to get his hands on the boy whose powers supply the cure.

 X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), this movie is chronologically the first as it follows Logan, whose real name is James, throughout his childhood and into adulthood.

 X-Men: First Class (2011), follows the formative years of the X-Men and the relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr.

To purchase these movies click the link below. 

Clash of the Titans

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Clash of the Titans is a movie that was released back in 2010. The story line begins with a baby being discovered at sea, in the coffin of his dead mother.  Perseus was then raised by the fisherman and his wife and grew up knowing nothing about his real parents. Years later, the family witnesses a group of soldiers knocking the statue of Zeus into the ocean. Hades, the revengeful god of the underworld, appears and kills Perseus’ family. Perseus soon discovers that he is in fact the son of Zeus and that he is the only person who can defeat Hades before he unleashes hell on earth and seizes power from Zeus. Perseus is determined to defeat Hades as a man, not a demigod, and refuses any help from the gods. However, no man has ever been able to survive what he must do. He must face monsters he never dreamed existed and go to the underworld itself in order to return peace to his world and the heavens.


The reason why I really like this movie is because it has great special effects and action mixed with your usual taste of romance. There are some action scenes that happen so fast you almost have to watch it a couple times to understand what is going on. In addition to, the monsters they introduce are beautiful done. They have giant scorpions that would make me run and hide, and the well known titan, Medusa, looks completely different than I have ever seen her portrayed. A great website that gives details about the movie and has photos, games, and more is http://clash-of-the-titans.warnerbros.com/dvd/index2.html. To get purchase this movie now select the box below. 

The Hunger Games

While I haven’t read The Hunger Games’ books I just went to the movie opening night and then love it so much I went again later that day. After seeing the movie I am psyched about getting the books and seeing what happens next. A great website that includes information on the movie and books as well as fun trivia games is http://www.thehungergames.co.uk/home and also http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/.

The author of The Hunger Games Trilogy is Suzanne Collins. The series is set in the near future where people are separated into twelve divisions based on their careers. One male and one female from each of the twelve divisions is required to be offered up as tribune and forced to fight to the death in The Hunger Games TV show. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdee, from division twelve, volunteers after her little sister’s name was called at The Reaping. Katniss and Peeta are forced to represent their division and are sent off to the capital where they will be trained for the fight that will likely be the end of their lives.

The reason why I really enjoyed this movie was because it shows a world in which television has evolved beyond just reality shows about drama and gossip to watching real children fight to the death. This may seem totally barbaric to us today but if you think about it, it’s not that far off. People already watch rough and tumble games, such as football, soccer, etc. Also, reality shows like Survival where people are sent to an Island to survive and compete are especially popular today.

If you are interested in reading this series select the books below to order them now from Amazon.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood Series

There are currently ten books in The Black Dagger Brotherhood series which were written by J.R. Ward. The newest book Lover Reborn will be release March 27, 2012. This series is really amazing because each book focuses on a different person’s story. Even though each book focuses on a different person, the same characters appear in each book and you get to see them evolve and grow. Overall this series is full of action, sex, death, romance, hate, and more. I definitely recommend you check out this product I guarantee you will love these characters.  A great source for additional information on the books is J.R. Ward’s website http://www.jrward.com/bdb/index.htm. For example, Wrath is character in which the first book focuses on but he appears in all of the other nine books as well. The Black Dagger Brothers are:

·        “Wrath is the last purebred vampire on the planet and the vampire race's king. Essentially blind, he is the leader who is not willing to lead until he is forced to care for a half-breed he falls in love with”.  I love Wrath’s character because he is pretty much a badass with some major issues in his past that have always haunted him.

·        Rhage: the strongest of the brothers and the best fighter. Cursed by the Scribe Virgin, he is possessed by a dark side which is a danger to everyone. Ultimately, though, he is gentled by a very special human woman”. Rhage is hilarious! His nickname is Hollywood because he is always such a smartass and acts like he’s a movie star.

·        “Zsadist: the most lethal of the brothers. A former blood slave who was mercilessly tortured during the first hundred years of his life, Z is the one who has fallen farthest from grace. But he is utterly worthy of redemption”. Z’s story was one of my favorites. The other books portray him as quiet and deadly with an evil quality to him. It was really cool seeing things from his point of view and getting to know why he is that way.

·        “Phury: the loyal one, the one who sacrifices himself for others. Phury is Zsadist's twin brother and a celibate who cannot truly live because of everything his biological brother has lost. Used to giving rather than receiving, he needs love coming back at him to bring him alive”. Phury’s story was probably my least favorite because there were times when I just wanted to slap him and tell him to “Man up!”.

·        “Vishous: the most intelligent and the one who is specially gifted. His curse is his ability to prognosticate: he sees the future, though not the 'when' of events so he is tortured by his inability to save those he loves from danger. His love puts him at odds with a secret about himself he did not know and could never have guessed”. Vishous is another character with a lot of dark secrets and pain in the past.

·        “Tohrment: the steady one, the calm one. He is the one whose betrayal by fate will cut the deepest”. Tohrment is not in many of the series because of a major event that makes him lose faith in himself.

*The information from this post was taken from http://www.jrward.com/bdb/index.htm
** Click the product below to order the first six books in the series.

The Twilight Saga

 

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The Twilight Saga was the series that got me back into my fantasy streak. I remember reading the first three books before the series even became famous. My high school librarian had told me about this new series that was supposed to be really good.  At first I was really hesitant but decided to check all three books out. I ended up reading all three books within a couple days because I was instantly hooked. While there were some parts in the series that were a little cheesy, I still enjoyed it and found myself becoming emotionally tied to the characters. After I finished the first three books I was upset because I had to wait over a year for the next one. I was constantly checking Stephenie Meyer’s website, http://stepheniemeyer.com/index.html, for updates as well as information about her other projects.

November 21, 2008 was the day the first Twilight movie was released! Unfortunately, the movies were not as good as the books but I still enjoyed them all. I have gotten almost all of my friends obsessed with both the books and the movies. We have a huge group that all goes to the theaters opening night to see the movies. To get more information on the movies or to see trailers check out this website http://www.breakingdawn-themovie.com/. The release date for the final movie, Breaking Dawn Part 2, is November 16, 2012!

For the people who have been living under a rock for the last five years, The Twilight Saga is made up of four books:

Twilight

New Moon

Eclipse

Breaking Dawn

To purchase the entire set select the books below.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

 

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The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a movie that was released in 2010 and was based off of the Disney movie Fantasia from 1940. To get more information on Fantasia check out this website http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032455/. On more information on The Sorcerer’s Apprentice check out http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/sorcerersapprentice/#about/synopsis. This website also has videos, games, pictures, downloads and more. 

The movie starts out back when Merlin was alive and Balthazar Blake, Maxim Horvath, and Veronica were all his apprentices. However, Horvath betrays Merlin to his arch-nemesis Morgana but Veronica performed a spell to take Morgana’s “soul” into herself. Knowing that Veronica’s body could never hold Morgana, Balthazar captured them into a set of nesting dolls (Grimhold) until the ancestor of Merlin’s blood could destroy her. 

The movie then fast forwards to New York City year 2000, where a 10-year-old student Dave Stutler runs into Balthazar in a Manhattan antique store. Balthazar discovers that Dave is the Prime-Merlinian but before he can explain to him what he is Dave accidentally opens the Grimhold releasing Horvath. While fighting over the Grimhold, Balthazar and Horvath end up imprisoned in an ancient Chinese urn that has a 10 year lock. When Dave runs out of the store screaming, he is ridiculed by his classmates who believe he imaged it all. 

2010, 10 years after the incident at the store, Dave is now a physic student at New York University. After Balthazar and Horvath are released from the urn, they both begin to hunt down Dave, who was the last one seen holding the Grimhold that Morgana resides in. Dave finds himself once more throne into the world of magic and the fight against its dark forces.

The Chronicles of Narnia

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The Chronicles of Narnia was written by C.S. Lewis and the first book was published back in the 1950s. This is probably one of the oldest series I have read but I believe it is still relevant today and everyone can still connect with the characters. The characters struggle with the same issues that we all encounter; greed, shame, lust, hate, love, power, etc. This series ties together the creatures from Greek mythology with witches, giants, dragons, and many more fantasy characters. A great website that covers both the books and the movies is http://harpercollinschildrens.com/feature/chroniclesofnarnia/.

The series has been made into movies several times over the years but most recently was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005, Prince Caspian in 2008, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010. According to http://www.imdb.com/ they are planning to make The Magician’s Nephew in 2014 and Silver Chair in 2015. I also came across another blog that gives some additional insight into the progress and prospects from the upcoming movies check out the blog at http://narnia-4-movie-trailer.blogspot.com/. This blogger’s post provides the plot summary for the movie, a quote from the President of Walden Media, as well as the opportunity to voice your opinions on how the movie should be produced. 

There are seven books in the series:

The Magician’s Nephew: Book 1, English Years: 1900, Narnian Years: 1

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Book 2, English Years: 1940, Narnian Years: 1000

The Horse and His Boy: Book 3, English Years: 1940, Narnian Years: 1014

Prince Caspian: Book 4, English Years: 1941, Narnian Years: 2303

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: Book 5, English Years: 1942, Narnian Years: 2306

The Silver Chair: Book 6, English Years: 1942, Narnian Years: 2356

The Last Battle: Book 7, English Years: 1949, Narnian Years: 2555

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a series containing five books: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian. The author of this series is Rick Riordan and his website is http://percyjacksonbooks.com/. The first book was also made into a movie in 2010; you can check out more information on the movie at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814255/.  

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0814255/

 

The series starts with twelve-year-old Percy Jackson struggling in boarding school where he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork and keeps losing his temper. After his pre-algebra teacher turns into a monster and tries to kill him he begins to freak out and tells his mother. His mother decides that it is finally time to tell Percy the truth about himself and who his father is. She decides to take Percy to Camp Half-Blood where she believes he will be safe, but on the way they were attacked by a Minotaur and his mother was captured.

 After only a receiving minimal training, Percy finds out he is the son of Poseidon and that Zeus believes him to be the one who stole his Master Lightning Bolt.  Percy must embark on a dangerous quest with only the assistance of his two best-friends, Grover the Satyr and Annabeth daughter of Athena, in order to save both his mother and the world as they know it. 

As the series progresses we are introduced to various monsters, gods, heroes, and even some titans!

*Information from this post was gathered from http://percyjacksonbooks.com/ and google images.

Grimm

Grimm is another new drama series introduced this year. The Grimm series is inspired by the classic Grimm Fairy Tales. You can get information on the series as well as access to full episodes from http://www.nbc.com/grimm/about/ and http://grimm.wikia.com/wiki/Grimm_%28TV_Series%29. 

“Detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he is descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," charged with keeping balance between humanity and the mythological creatures of the world” (nbc). After this discovery, Nick is continually confronted by creatures both good and evil. The hardest part about his newly found calling is hiding it from his girlfriend and partner, especially when it starts to interfere with his everyday life. 

 Each episode of Grimm is themed around a specific fairy tale and introduces you to new creatures every time. Some of the creatures presented in the series are: (taken from http://grimm.wikia.com/wiki/Grimm_%28TV_Series%29). 

Wieder Blutbad: (pronunciation: VEE-dir BLOOT-baat, Grimm: BLOOT-baad; Germ. wieder "again" + Blutbad) is a reformed Blutbad of a different church. The Wieder Blutbaden stay reformed through a strict regimen of diet, drugs and exercise, whereas normal Blutbaden give in to their animalistic impulses and live on the wild side.

Hexenbiest: (pronunciation: HEK-sin-beest; Germ. Hexe "witch" + Biest "beast") is a witch-like creature that resembles a demon or goblin. They are based on witches, probably from Snow White, as at first they look beautiful and then horrible. They work at the command of royalty and are extremely loyal creatures. Untransformed, they can be identified by a dark birthmark on the underside of their tongues.

Geiers: (singular: Geier; pronunciation: GY-uhr; Germ. "vulture") are vulture-like creatures based on the witch that lived in a gingerbread house and the birds that ate the crumbs of bread, both from Hansel and Gretel. They have an innate ability to move through trees. These vile creatures are harvesters who take pleasure in the pain of others. Geiers gut humans for their organs and blood as homeopathic medicines and aphrodisiacs within the Grimm creature community.

Hässlich (pronunciation: HAYS-likh; Germ. "ugly", "nasty"), also known as the Reapers of the Grimms, are a secret society dedicated to killing all Grimms. They are usually troll-like creatures clothed in a black trench coat and equipped with a hard-sided briefcase, which holds a large scythe.