Vampire Hunter D, drawn by one of my favorite artists, Yoshitaka Amano.

As I don’t forsee much work being completed this weekend, let me fire off a shot before this mad weekend begins… HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Now that I got that out of my system, let me say that if I don’t dress up as War Machine this time next year, my life can be summed up as an all-around failure. Until then, we got some good stuff coming in the near future. I’m charging through Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings (literally 75% done), and hope to have a review done for the coming week. I also have something major to announce on the site next week in honor of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month!), as well as some tips to get my other aspiring writers on their grind.

Good things are coming folks, so stay tuned!

p.s. – we’re also looking for a few good writers for the site, so if you’re interested, get in touch with me at shaka@paperspaceships.com

And since I actually have been using it lately (to stalk great writers), hit up the twitter account and we’ll make fun of the internets. TOGETHER.

Yes, as the natural world winds down to the deep sleep of winter, we humans ramp up plently of nerd friendly entertainments.  First, I am really excited for the Spiderman musical.  This is not to say I think it will be great, or possible even good, but roaring success, or catastrophic failure, I will be there to review it myself.  Apart from the seeming impossibility of putting almost any superhero on stage (yes, Toxic Avenger already got an off-broadway musical), Bono and U2 are doing the music.  And when I first moved to New York, Alan Cumming was going to play the Green Goblin.  Tragically, He has since left the show for other obligations, and considering it was supposed to start in Feburaury and is currently selling tickets for opening in November….who can blame him?  Since it looks like this is finally cast and snag-free, I look forward to trying to find an inexpensive, good seat…..hmmm, I may have to work a little harder on that.

Next, New York Comic Con is on its way in October.  I am going to try and go on my day off.  James Marsters and Kate Sarkoff, among many others will be present.  I keep checking for an updated event list, but that it must stil be under development, as I can’t find one.  I am sure many other great names will be there, but I should state here, that while I enjoy comic books I read mostly The Uncanny X-men in high school, and am sadly uninformed on most other comics and their related star writers and illustrators. 

Also, new television season brings with it the hope of another first season of Heroes….There is ABC’s offering of No Ordinary Family..Basically, family goes on vacation…freak accident…Fantastic Four…oh wait, copyright infringement…The Incredibles….Well anyways, family with superpowers, and everyday problems tries to continue living an ordinary life when they are anything but. 

NBC  has The Cape, about a cop and father who becomes his son’s favorite superhero, to fight the corruption he finds in his workplace and the city at large.

For you Zombie lovers out there, AMC is premiering a series called the Walking Dead.  Yes, an entire series about Zombies.  I wonder how they will create meaningful storyline or at least varying action sequences, but this network has held its own with Mad Men and Breaking Bad, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt.  And it is based on a popular comic, which gives AMC something to work from.

Stephen Speilberg’s Terrnova may have potential, but as a midseason replacement, with little info, it is hard to tell. The synopsis has to do with humans trying to go back in time to reverse the damage we did to the planet, which made it unlivable.

I know there are many more new shows  out there.  For example, I really look forward to Running Wilde, the new comedy starring Will Arnett from Arrested Development.  It may be too quirky to last long, but if it is anything like Arrested Development, I will enjoy the ride as long as it lasts. 

 Enjoy the fall and all it has to offer, and let me know what if I have left out anything of interest, for I would hate to miss something out of ignorance of its existence.

Hello out there all you Terry Pratchett fans!  Already I can hear some of you thinking…”Terry Who?” I know he is not a very well known author here in the states, but he is a terrific fantasy/satire writer.  He has written over 36 books in the discworld series, all of which satirize a few different themes found here on planet earth (rock and roll, religion, crime procedurals, the banking system, the postal system, etc). 

Yes, this is basically a convention for one author.  It takes up a whole convention space, and is filled with crazy people like myself that love Terry Pratchett and all the wonderful books he has brought into this world.  We watch movies, have masquarades, banquets, and seminars on that range in topics from Terry’s works to how to write your own book and get it published.  There is drinking and singing and dancing and board games and free food and great people from all over the world (I met a guy from Switzerland at the first convention). Again, all gathered in one place to celebrate one author.  But really, how many authors can claim to have written a truly funny and educational/thoughtful book about the banking system?  I mean it sounds like an oxymoron.  Or to be the most shoplifted author in 1996? (I have no current stats).  How about over 55 million copies sold in over 36 languages?  Also, Terry Pratchett has been knighted for his work in literature.

Knighted for work in fantasy literature! 

Too cool.    How did we not know about this guy in the states?

Sir Terry Pratchett, writer extradanoire!

His books are funny, thoughtful and have great, if sometimes meandering, plots (depends on which book you read) and though some of them are advertised as “young adult “, I assure you they know no age limits.  Nation and the Tiffany Aching Books are some of my favorite books of his, hands down.  The last Tiffany Aching book, I Shall Wear Midnight, is released Sept 28th, 2010.  Yes, I have already pre-ordered a signed UK first edition.

Also, if you are into audio books (another debate for another day), his readers (Stephen Briggs, Nigel Planer) are awesome.  I actually prefer to read the Tiffany Aching books on audio book, because of the accent and character inflection and sheer vitality added by reader Stephen Briggs. 

Everyone who works with Terry is a fan.  He only licenses people he trusts to work officially with his material and it pays off.  Paul Kidby’s art brings characters to life that look as you imagine them in the books and the Cunning Artificer does an awesome job with the stamps,(among many other unique items), created after Going Postal (Now a live action movie).  He even makes stamps that are intentionally screwed up which sell for thousands of dollars to collectors.  No Joke!

Each unique and with extraordinary detail

What else can I say?  I guess since I am currently reading all of his books in order, and since I went to the first North American Discworld Conference in Tempe AZ, you will know me for the obsessed fan that I am, (if this adoring post didn’t already give that away).  However, after reading only 5 of his books (5!), I decided to sign up, pay for, and attend my first geek convention in 2009.  That’s huge in my book.  Conventions always seemed too overwhelming and hardcore for me, and then I went and met such great people and had so much fun. I might make it a habit…..

The First North American Discworld Convention (NADWCON)

If you don’t know who Terry Pratchett is, if you haven’t read his books, then you need to!  And then you can join me in attending the second convention to be held here is the states (Madison, Wisconsin, here I come!), where you can meet and have a beer with Sir Terry himself, Stephen Briggs, Bernard and Isabel Pearson and all of the other people Terry’s inner circle.  In addition, there are all the other crazy awesome fans you will meet and make friends with, just by sharing a few quotes.  Yes, we are all crazy, but in a good way! Come join the fun.

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.”

“An education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease. It made you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on.”

“Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he’ll be warm for the rest of his life.”

“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”

“Time is a drug. Too much of it kills you.”

“If you have enough book space, I don’t want to talk to you.“

April is National Poetry Month, and to celebrate, here are a couple of spots to geek out online, poetically speaking:

Geek Haiku “Forgot your flashlight? / In the darkness you have been / Eaten by a Grue.”

Godzilla Haiku “King of All Monsters / Protector or Destroyer / Soothe my troubled heart.”

Amber Tamblyn You might know her as Joan of Arcadia. You might roll your eyes because she was in those Traveling Pants movies. But her book “Bang Ditto” was recognized as one of the most noteworthy of 2009.

It’s a great month to be a word nerd. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must go compose that love sonnet to my own personal Scott Pilgrim…

So, it’s no wonder that I almost hyperventilated when I found this video–albeit just glimpses of the park–on Scholastic, Inc.’s blog earlier this week from a piece USA Today did.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Also, if you’d like to check out the really unique rides and other attractions that’ll be in the park, head on over to the official website here.

I’ve already started saving for my trip.

Hopefully better condition Dalek's are available.

Just like Peter Dinklage, this will be short and sweet.

I wish I was rich and was able to come and go as I pleased because on the 24th of February starts the big Doctor Who auction where they’ll be selling tons of items from the show’s years of wonderful sci-fi goodery.

Yes, it’s so dorktastic, I’m making up words as I go along.

It’s going down at Bonhams in Knightsbridge. Anyone want to lend me £3,000 so I can buy myself my very own Dalek? I know I don’t have any room in my apartment but I’m thinking I need it to live now.