Question:  Why does a coffee table book have to be about furniture, or pictures of other people’s houses?

Answer:  It does not.  This is the perfect coffee table book (that is,  after you have finished reading it) that needs to be shared with everyone that steps foot in your house (and then they need to buy their own copy).  For all those adults that still like cartoons, but have a sense of style, this is for you.  For adults and children alike that appreciate good artwork, this also is a book for you.  Kung Fu Panda fans should already own this so there is no need to sell you with this review.

The oversized book is broken down into a Preface by Jack Black, then each character is detailed by both text and artwork.  Moving on in the book we get The Dream Sequence, locations in the film, then a brief crew, acknowledgements and colophon at the end.

If you are one of those people who just want to know everything, like things that were changed before the movie (The panda worked in a chime shop before it became a noodle shop) as well as storyboard ideas and some of the concept art, you are in for a treat. 

The oversized volume is huge, coming in at over 190 pages of glorious artwork.   Director Mark Osborne tells us of how they envisioned the dramatic setting and background that they use to play out the comedy and we get a nice high level view of their thoughts regarding the overall movie in the introduction.  Included are some fold out pages that should be gracing walls as well as book pages.  There is lots of early concept art of the characters, where you can really see that the team progressed to the final representation of each character.  We also get to hear about characters that did not make the final cut, and how the story evolves from concept to film.

The Dream Sequence is not only explained to the reader, but we see early concept, character design and visual development.  Some of the early concept work is stunning in itself.  We then move on to the portion of the book that deals with the locations in the film.  It is interesting because we see some of the stills and early concept art actually surpass the film in beauty.  This particular section is really a joy to look at, not from a movie tie in standpoint, but from an art standpoint.  There are many pieces I would enjoy seeing as standalone wall art that you could put over the fireplace.

The Crew, Acknowledgments and Colophon finish up and give visual credit as well as written credit to many of the people that made both the movie and book happen.

As with most DreamWorks movies there is so much underneath the surface of what the audience sees at first glance, this book is like your guide to unraveling all those hidden treasures.  It is nice to see the 2d pre art come to life as the 3d art, but which one is more beautiful is still up for debate.  As the title states for us this is a book that showcases the art of Kung Fu Panda, it is by no means just a marketing tool, and for this we can all be grateful.

So to sum it up for the person looking to purchase this book we have the following.

Pros: Mostly everything, you even get a small movie poster in an envelope in the back.  Every detail is taken care of.  The 2d artwork could grace walls and museums.

Cons: Price, but you get what you pay for as they say.  My wallet is not as large as it once was, but I have seen it on discount though so that is no excuse. 

From my 4 year old: “I like it a lot, Daddy”  There isn't any better praise then that.

The subject matter of “Drawing Dragons and Those Who Hunt Them” by Christopher Hart, is self-explanatory. Except that calling this a drawing book is an over simplification. A drawing book is what I was expecting. There were definitely drawing tips, and there were beginning drawing pointers. But this book was presented as almost a field guide to dragons, describing a past where dragons did really exist. My guess is that this approach was intended to inspire passion and excitement in more advanced drawers, to pull them into the realm of fantasy drawing.

The “mythology” of the world that wove its way through the book was rich and interesting enough to keep this book appealing to me, even though I don’t have an artistic bone in my body. I am definitely not of the gifted artist target audience of this book. But the book still catered to my fascination with dragons. This book has a home on the bookshelf of not only the drawing lover but also the dragon lover.

Great care was taken to discuss the anatomy of the dragon and other background elements important to knowing the subject matter. I have previously read elsewhere that drawing fantasy creatures can be considered just another form of wildlife art. That makes sense. Understanding the anatomy of a creature, mythical or otherwise, would make it easier to draw, and that seemed to be the approach taken here.

The pages and the illustrations were colorful, well captioned, and informative. I did take exception to the portrayal of dragons as one-dimensional hunting and killing machines. The point of view of the author seemed to be that this was “the depiction” of dragons and “the way” that dragons should be properly drawn. Technique is one thing, but originality and thought outside the box is also a key talent in any creative endeavor. While the reader gets a solid lesson on hunting and killing dragons, there’s no mention whatsoever of good dragons, of dragons who don’t live to hunt and kill humans, etc. There are many other forks in that road, and none of them were acknowledged in the slightest. There are also other legitimate depictions of dragons. Take for example the Eastern, or Chinese, dragon. It looks much different than the stereotypical medieval dragon. So there is not a specific way that dragons “should” be drawn.

Exploring some of these other creative options would have moved away from the field guide feel that the book was trying to portray, which was as significant a theme in my eyes as the drawing subject matter itself. Also, I think the author was trying to lay the foundation for as vivid a world as possible so that the reader would understand the subject matter. Again, I’m no artist, but I imagine that technique is better for learning than using a strategy of “here is a dragon, draw it!”. We learn what they eat (humans), how they live, how they breed, how their firebreathing works (which was a very neat description by the way), etc. Within the framework of this alternate history Earth that works very well. But it’s not the only path that one can take in regards to dragons.

Not to be left out of the ecology of this world, the book does contain some lessons about drawing the humans who shared this world with the dragons, dragon hunters, merchants, etc. Some of the best drawing advice of the book, of portraying strength, action, perspective, and energy that gives life to an otherwise flat drawing, came out of this section. So the people were not relegated to an afterthought. No book of fantasy art could be complete without a section on fantasy warrior women. “Drawing Dragons and Those Who Hunt Them” is no different, although to their credit the women are not as absurdly skimpily dressed as many in fantasy art. No dragon hunting wearing chain mail barely large enough to make a chainmail handkerchief in this book. For those who want a good look at their fantasy girl artwork, fret not because they’re not exactly wearing full plate mail either.

I rate this book a worthwhile book for both the artist and the dragon fan. There are some very nice drawings and pictures for those who just like to have the pictures to admire. There is good content for those who are looking for advice about the drawing end of things. However, this does not seem to be a beginning drawing book. Some previous understanding of drawing principles seems to be required. The colorful artwork and the format of the page might make it appear that this book is intended for a child or beginning artist, but the principles discussed do seem to be more advanced. So if you know an artist and you’d like to expose them to fantasy art and dragon drawing, this would be a good book. But if you’re looking for a “beginner” drawing book this one is not the one that you’d want to start with.

Still though, it’s a solid book and I give it a 7 on my scale.

Complete Cross Sections: The Spacecraft and Vehicles of the Entire Star Wars Saga is an entirely different sort of review. This was a fun review. It will inspire two different schools of thought though. If you’re a Star Wars fan, and like me someone geeky enough to want to look at 139 pages of fully color, beautifully drawn technical schematics of almost every ship that appeared on screen in the 6 Star Wars movies, you’ll love this book! I’m also a role-playing gamer, and I run adventures as well. If I ran a Star Wars campaign I would definitely use this book as a visual reference for ships.

So I just had fun looking over this book. There were small paragraphs of descriptive text with the ships, but the detail was in the diagrams. Great detail in fact. This book lists authors on the back covers but it was the pictures that carried the books, and the illustrators, Hans Jenssen and Richard Chasemore, who get their names on the large shiny silver front cover. In fact, I’ve listed them as the authors for the purpose of the book, as they definitely deserve credit and recognition for their artwork here.

The Millenium Falcon? It’s in there. AT-AT? In there. X-Wing? TIE Fighter? Star Destroyer? Death Star? All in there. The Death Star’s diagram was a 4-page centerfold type pullout, as were several other larger ships, but it was a bit disappointing. But I guess that fine detail on something 99.4 miles in diameter, housing 1.2 million personnel, even with four pages to work with is going to be tough.

The book did also make sure to include dimensions, top speeds, etc, just in case you want to read about the ships like the back of a baseball card.

I’d previously read the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual. That was about 15 years ago, but as I recall it was soft color with black and white schematics. This is glossy and in full color. Much more stylish!

If you’re looking for a book to read there’s not a lot of text here. There’s no “story” here. It’s a reference book for your inner Star Wars geek. Even if you just want nice detailed color drawing of the ships, without having any curiosity about where the hyperdrive conduits are on the ship, you’ll enjoy it.

The illustrators even included a glossary of Star Wars terms in case “blaster cannon” and “hyperdrive” don’t mean anything to you. That’s cool, but I’m not sure that you’d be reading the book at that point if they didn’t.

Of more interest was a section where they described their creative process in putting together all the drawings. Obviously an impressive amount of work, in doing the drawings and in going through the steps of making sure they matched the continuity of the books. Lucas Films isn’t going to let anything make it to the shelves if it’s not, so lots of collaboration and care was taken there.

I did find that some of the cutaway drawings got a bit confusing, when trying to look at many captioned arrows pointing to different levels on the ship. Some ships offered a small untouched image so you could get a feel for what the ship looked like from the outside, without trying to envision that from the cross-sections. It would have been helpful on all of the ships, especially the ones from the prequels, which have not burned themselves my mind from dozens of watchings, like the originals.

I’ll admit, looking at the ships from the original Trilogy made me giddy like a kid. A numerical score here is kind of tough. I don’t know that it’s really meaningful even as I apply a general all-purpose figure. Either you find the book cool or you consider it a needless overkill of information. I’m not sure how much middle ground there is.

Eson is the heir to his family's legacy of steam power and possessed of almost-sorcerous abilities with paper and ink that have granted him power over others in business dealings. Yet, despite all that he has, Eson is lonely and unlucky in love.

Kyra has been sent to the enchanting Broken Glass City to find Eson, as punishment for stealing from her employer. Upon finding Eson and pretending to be someone else to win her way into his confidence, she gradually falls under his influence and struggles with her affection for him and her knowledge of his unethical use of power. In time, she draws others into Eson's orbit, setting off a chain of events that will change all of their lives.

The Steam Magnate is interesting from a number of angles. Of particular note are the strong characterizations: Eson, Kyra, and Jado are all well-drawn and very human in their struggles to come to grips with their various natures and the events unfolding around them.

I also enjoyed the depiction of the Broken Glass City, to say nothing of the various other locales featured in the story: stone walls with patterns of stained glass that seem to form words or images of past events, depending on how one looks at them. A number of interesting sketches of various locations (the High Bank, Jado's tea shop, etc.) are included throughout the book as well.

As with the other debut I've read this year, I have to say I'm impressed this was a debut novel. Copithorne has a gift for prose and characterization, and I enjoyed the slow approach she takes, as well as the almost dream-like feel of various parts of the story (Jado's first encounter with Eson, etc.).

The only nitpicks I have is that Eson's abilities never seem completely explained, not to mention just why Eson was meeting Sarah (the woman whose identity Kyra ends up assuming) at the beginning of the book never seemed to have been touched upon. In any case, those are minor issues and I wouldn't say they detracted significantly.

In sum: An excellent debut and the hinted-at sequel certainly has a hard act to follow.

Dougal Dixon’s “Man After Man: An Anthropology of the Future” follows in the footsteps of “After Man: A Zoology of the Future” in its conjectures on how life might evolve over the next millions of years. Rather than speculate on a variety of life forms, however, “Man After Man” focuses exclusively on human evolution – just as its title suggests.
After a tutorial on human evolution, “Man After Man” starts its fictional narrative 200 years from now. Humanity has nearly destroyed the earth and its habitats through rapid over-population. Starvation is rampant. The division between the “haves” and “have nots” has created a near-Wellsian situation in which the “haves” have become almost entirely dependent upon technology and the “have nots” have been reduced to a Hobbesian existence that is nasty, brutal, and short.

In order to save itself, humanity has turned to radical genetic engineering and space exploration. Pioneers are ejected into space to form colonies, while back on earth the split between the “haves” and “have nots” steadily results in two forms. The first becomes more and more tied to technological solutions to keep itself alive. Effectively, this first group undermines the process of evolution so that its members become weaker and more sickly over time, in turn increasing their dependence, in turn increasing their weaknesses. The second group, left without most of the benefits of technology and medicine, continues to be weeded out by natural selection. This group becomes more and more hardy. Slowly, the earth begins to repair itself.

When the magnetic fields of the earth change, technology and those living with it are destroyed. But the cyborg “hiteks” have made provisions – having forseen the future of humanity in the repairing hinterlands, they have engineered a groups of primitive humans to occupy niches such as the plains and released them into the wild to face changing climates and ecosystems, the greenhouse effect, and other adversities.

“Man After Man” is told through the accounts of individuals as they struggle to survive the next 5 million years, which leads to a more disjointed and less illuminating read than it might otherwise be. The species are less scientific than in Dixon’s other works (specifically unscientific are retained memories).

The overall result is rather disturbing. Dixon’s future is pessimistic and far more than a simple environmental warning. It is a future in which humans have so utterly destroyed themselves and their planet that their only hope for “survival” is de-evolution and virtual abandonment of all it means to be human. Considered liabilities to survival, intelligence, creativity, and the like are deliberately engineered out of humanity, and Dixon implies that it is precisely these traits that lead to our downfall.

I rate “Man After Man” a 7.

The Complete Visual Dictionary is nothing more than a consolidation of four books (books were published previously for Episodes I, II, III, and IV through VI). The cover claims new cut-away art, but the new art lacks the detail you would expect from Dorling Kindersley. Nothing on par with their Star Wars Cross Section books. Instead, you get poorly rendered cartoons plainly overlaid on photos.

While the art is lacking, you do get is a decent collection of production photos with explanatory paragraphs. And if you look at each of the four sections separately, they are great, but combined, they overlap too much. R2-D2, Boba Fett, Darth Vader, they all get too many pages devoted to them. Simply redesigning the book to consolidate the duplicate articles would have made it much easier to read.

“…this revised and expanded guidebook illuminates even more nooks and crannies of that far away galaxy.” - Page 8

Now, I freely admit I have a severely jaded view of this book and I blame my Star Wars book-collecting neurosis for that. Thus, I found most of the material covered in the Complete Visual Dictionary to be elementary for a well-versed Star Wars fan. Yet, I did on occasion find certain entries to be entertaining. Here’s what I found:

- A Comlink looks just like a woman’s razor handle painted silver.
- The Hangar Deck Scrubber Droid looks like an upside down tote painted yellow.
- The Scalefish on Naboo (called Ray, Faa, See, Laa, Tee, and Mee) sound like music from Julie Andrews.
- I found the Freighter Trampers to be the shining light of this book, something new and visually pleasing.
- The Interrogator Droid looks just like two R2 domes stuck together.
- The character Delva Racine looks an awful lot like Natalie Portman.
- Lando’s “winning smile” looks like it came from a Colt 44 commercial.

In the end, I was hoping for something that most fan-boys did not already know, thus improving my status among their ranks. Instead, I was dropped to the mat on numerous occasions by the competition with the simple phrase “I already knew that.”

Neil@tk42one.com
© 2006 TK42ONE.com Productions – Fantasy Book Spot Exclusive

The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell…two of my favorite things…art and the female form, this was going to be a treat. As everyone knows I am not a learned art critic, but I feel I keep up on my fantasy art: Vallejo, Bell, Elmore, Lockwood, Parkinson, etc… While viewing their art you can tell that there is something special in Boris and Julie. The transcend their relationship as artists; it is their uncanny ability to depict the human form that is reminiscent of the great renaissance masters. This is not just fantasy art folks. When Boris and Julie paint it is Art with no need for any other label.

This is a book, not a canvas, so Boris and Julie get to provide blurbs that accompany the artwork which are quite insightful. Have you ever been in an art gallery and wondered what the artist was thinking? Well wonder no longer. Each piece of art can be looked at over and over again and new nuances found and alternate meaning found, new and different stories told in each painting as you go back and look at them repeatedly. You will need to fully appreciate each piece of art, to digest it in multiple sittings to get full enjoyment here.

Some of my favorite pieces of art from this book are listed below; every piece is appealing in its own right, and this is only a matter of personal taste.

Alfa by Julie Bell 2002
Russian Fairy, Julie Bell, 2002
Dangerous Kiss, Julie Bell 1994
End of the Day, Julie Bell, 2003
Dragon’s Mentor Julie Bell 2000
Dueling Bitches, Julie Bell 1996
The Storyteller, Julie Bell, 2002
Brinke, Julie Bell, 1995
Young Apollo, Julie Bell 1997

The Hippocampus, Boris Vallejo, 1991
Serpent Song, Boris Vallejo, 1994
Tara, Boris Vallejo, 1997
Amber, Boris Vallejo, 1994
Julie Strain, Boris Vallejo, 1996
Bird woman, Boris Vallejo, 2002
A Second of Forever, Boris Vallejo, 1994

Another interesting concept that the husband and wife team do from time to time are the collaboration pieces. From my understanding they both do their own artwork and then by use of the digital magic that is available these days, the two pieces are combined with very impressive results. Vampires, Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell, 2004 is one such piece that came out exquisite, they think and paint on the same wavelength, one would not be surprised if they finished each others sentences at the dinner table. One thing that I got to take away from Boris in his brief blurbs throughout the book is how he interprets myths. “Since Myths are not true, I have flexibility to interpret them as I please.” I thought this was a pretty refreshing take on the myths of old and it really shows Boris’ ability to look way past where a story takes place to some sort of inner beauty and interpretation.

There are a few things I would like to comment on as I took in the book that are personal preference only. Boris and Julie mostly use body builders as models for their pieces, and one can appreciate the physique needed to survive in the imaginative worlds that are created I think sometimes I wished for a little regular beauty if you know what I mean. Another thing I find a bit fun while reading this book was the following. I would look at the hairstyle of the model in the piece of art and then try to guess within 5 years of when it was created. I got really good at this game and I could feel at sometimes their artwork could be dated a bit, as I looked at the beauty of the 1970s I didn’t connect with it as much as some of the newer work (which you can tell from my favorite pieces of the book listed above). Also be warned there is tasteful nudity and one rather phallic piece which made me cringe a little bit.

I would love to see the studio of Boris and Julie, they live rather close so maybe I can cross my fingers make some calls and talk them into an interview for the wonderful readers of Fantasybookspot. When you read a book and you have a perfect picture of what a fantasy world looks like, Boris and Julie can bring that perfection to life. With vivid and imaginative characters and settings, you can picture each of these women as a central figure in a wonderful fantasy story.

"What can be said about Ambergris that has not already been said? Every minute section of the city, no matter how seemingly superfluous, has a complex, even devious part to play in the communal life. And no matter how often I stroll down Albumuth Boulevard, I never lose my sense of the city's incomparable splendor - its love of ritual, its passion for music, its infinite capacity for the beautiful cruelty."

Thus we are introduced to the city of Ambergris, the centerpiece of Jeff VanderMeer's City of Saints and Madmen and as much of a character as any of the eponymous personages that wander its pages.

"City" is comprised of an interesting mix of stories including, as well as a number of scholarly (yet occasionally humorous) pieces (attributed to various people from Ambergris) that all combine into one surreal mosaic of the city of Ambergris, where the gray caps lurk just behind the scenes, fungus sprouts in profusion and artists inspire fanatical loyalty or hatred.

There isn't much common style across the book, as there are a couple of novella-length stories and some short stories, as well as the aforementioned "scholarly" pieces that provide some background to Ambergris. It's an unusual approach but rather interesting, made more so by the distinct artwork and "cover" pages that precede each of the sections, as well as the different fonts and page styles used for the second half of the book (the "AppendiX", which purports to be a collection of stories gathered by a mysterious patient of an asylum in Ambergris known only as X, who is clearly intended to be VanderMeer himself). Even the cover of the book (the original edition from Wildside Press, as opposed to the recent re-release from Spectra) features a brief story about a fisherman and his encounter with a giant squid, with the title of the book and VanderMeer's name cleverly worked into the text.

With such a diverse collection of work in one volume, you might expect it to be uneven in quality, but I'd have to say I enjoyed the book from cover to cover. In particular, I enjoyed the introductory story Dradin, In Love (a surreal tale of a missionary recently returned to Ambergris who falls in love with a woman only seen in a window high above the street), as well as the World Fantasy Award- winning story The Transformation of Martin Lake (an interesting story about an artist and the sudden changes his artwork undergoes). As well, the section entitled An Early History of Ambergris is a intriguing story about the founding of Ambergris presented as part of a "travel guide" to Ambergris, replete with (often amusingly sarcastic) footnotes by the fictitious author.

The latter half of the book has some interesting work as well, including The Cage (a dark tale that plays up one of the themes of VanderMeer's Ambergris work: the constant encroachment of fungus throughout the city), The Strange Case of X (in which an unidentified stranger clearly meant to be VanderMeer elaborates on his delusion that Ambergris is real), and In The Hours After Death (a story about what transpires in one man's "life" after death).

To be sure, City of Saints and Madmen is a very unusual work, but an excellent one on many levels. VanderMeer paints a surreal picture, yet does so with a flowing prose brush.

“After Man: A Zoology of the Future” is one of Dougal Dixon’s more than 20 books on natural history, including speculative earth science. The premise is simple: Dixon has removed humans and their domestic animals from the earth and allowed 50 million years to pass. Climates and geography have settled down, and evolution has continued to work its magic (pardon the pun).

Unlike many books of its type, “After Man” devotes considerable space to discussion of science. Seemingly half its pages relate to genetics, evolution, animal behavior, food chains, plate tectonics, various environments, and the like. Much of this science should be unnecessary review for adult readers; more realistically, it is an important refresher. On the other end of the reader spectrum, much of the scientific discussion is well above children’s reading comprehension level. At least high school science is needed. Still, the science review lets the reader appreciate even more the amount of thought and research that Dixon has used to create his animals of the future.

The resulting animals range from the familiar – a myriad of “rabbucks,” descendants of rabbits who have grown long legs enabling them to take over the niches of deer and other hoofstock – to the downright bizarre. Imagine amphibious monkeys diving for fish, gibbon-like cats swinging through the tropical forest, and wolf-like predator rats prowling the temperate grasslands. Among the most disturbing was the clef-back antelope, whose vertebrae have elongated into a double-ridge in the middle of which nest birds. There is more to this creature, but let me sum it up by saying, “yuck.”

No matter how strange the animals, they are all firmly routed in science and well illustrated. The half-dozen illustrators do a fine job of convincing the reader that each animal could actually exist. From the Introduction (by Desmond Morris, world-renown zoologist and acclaimed author of “The Naked Ape” (1967) among other books) to the appendix, “After Man” is a fine lesson in biology and imagination. The word is “After Man” has been optioned by Dreamworks. Let's hope so.

God’s Acre: The Ravens and the Rhyme

Story and Characters

This is truly a fairy tale for the adult, even though the central characters hearing the story are children. We have two places where we are introduced to in this book, the old house where Norman and Isabel (the two children) live with their grandmother Eudora (Sidebar: Linux Mail Program is all I could think about), and God’s Acre which is the cemetery where we meet Cephus the gravekeeper. We have two stories going on which I am sure are going to tie together in the end, the first story of the children and what happened to their parents and why the grandmother Eudora is so protective of them. The second underlying story is Cephus and all the stories he tells the children while in the cemetery about the inhabitants.

Let's talk about the first storyline with the children, the grandmother and old house that seems to be a fair bit away from town. There is a bunch of fantasy going on here as well as Isabel seems to be able to communicate with the rats which Eudora is trying to catch and kill. This leads to an interesting confrontation where Norman (who is older then Isabel and out to protect her) is told to kill one of the rats that Isabel knows as Mr. Micmacs. There seems to be a lot more going on then we are told about in this book. From what I understand this is only book one, but more on that later. This storyline should come to intercept the second story line to bring all the players to the same table, I think we will be getting little tidbits of how this will happen through out the series.

The second storyline is where Cephus tells his first story to the children about Norman Criddle who is buried in the graveyard "God’s Acre". This is great as it allows us to hear the stories of many people but still feel that binding to the whole first storyline as well. The story was good as it has many speculative fiction elements to it and comes around nicely in the end as a morbid piece of work, in a good way. We are in for some more grand tales from our friend Cephus in subsequent books, even maybe one of his own at some point.

Artwork and Design

What I can’t comment on here is the quality of the paper in the book or the quality of the cover paper as I was given a full color PDF to review, so no coming back and harping on me about that. This is a mix of Tim Burton and old school Davey and Goliath meets Stephen King, and then slap a wall of an art galley on the next page, smush it all together in one book and there you have it. Ok, Ill paint you a clearer picture so you know a little bit more of the delightful senses that your eyeballs will be feeling as you open the book. They have decided to make use of two different types of art to fit the two different story lines of the book for the most part. In the “real” world we have the mix of Tim Burton/Davey and Goliath where we have wood carved characters of Eudora, Norman, Isabel etc… , they are sketched a few times in the book as well. The style of the second storyline which is classical painting on the wall you would see at a museum style (wow Im not an art history major). This is the medium in which the story of Norman Criddle (don’t confuse with Norman the boy) is magnificently told.

Miscellaneous

From the Omnibucket company press release and talking with Scott this is a whole media event we are embarking on, not just a book. After the release of the book, Scott says “we’ll be releasing a [free] video podcast version which will have a full two-hour soundtrack”. That’s pretty awesome as it seems all our senses (who knows maybe the book smells and tastes good) will be involved. There will be at least one story in the book about someone buried in the graveyard, but they may have different writers and artists come in on each one. That is also pretty cool. It is currently projected to be 12 books. You can read more at Omnibucket’s site http://www.omnibucket.com/ All and all the two storylines mesh nicely but the two artwork styles work together so fluidly that sends this book into another league altogether. This is a must see book for the artwork alone and heck your getting a good story to go with it. In book one of this series the artists win though as they steal the show in relation to the story, lets see if book two can bring the story to the level of the artwork. A mighty fine piece of work from Omnibucket and an adult story book worthy of being a delight to any visitor to your home should they happen to pick it up. That is if you let the limited edition copy in their grubby hands.

Animal Planet recently aired a special, “Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real.” Anyone who enjoyed this special effect-laden mockumentary narrated by Patrick Stewart will naturally be interested in its inspiration. Peter Dickinson’s “The Flight of Dragons” and illustrated by Wayne Anderson was one of the many inspirations and sources used.

Almost thirty years ago, Dickinson undertook the same mission as Animal Planet’s special: to indulge in a science fantasy that proves dragons could have existed. To do this, Dickinson researched ancient and historical texts, myths and legends, and even fantasy books. He compares European and Asian dragon traditions, focusing on similarities. A kind of proto-dragon emerges from these “primary” sources. Dickinson grounds this proto-dragon in science fact to uncover a creature that could have – just maybe – been consistent with both tradition and science.

Dickinson strives to answer all manner of questions about dragons. How did dragons evolve? How could they fly? Why did they live in caves? Why and how did they breathe fire? Why did they hoard gold and gems? What about all those stories about the magic of dragon blood, invulnerable scales, hypnosis, and sacrifices of virginal princesses? What was their lifecycle? Why isn’t there a fossil record? Dickinson does not separate out the answers. Rather, he weaves them together into a coherent animal.

Anderson’s illustrations are distinctive and light-hearted. Although not horrific images of terrifying dragons scouring fields, attacking castles, and making short work of virginal sacrifices and dragon hunters, Anderson’s images avoid the opposite, cartoonish extreme as well. Instead, they are a hybrid of Western and Eastern tradition, realistically colored and surprisingly textured.

If anyone is qualified to create a book as audaciously titled as “The Goblin Companion: A Field Guide to Goblins,” it is Brian Froud and Terry Jones. Froud is long-time collaborator of innovator Jim Henson (creator of the Muppets) on beloved projects such as “The Dark Crystal,” “The Labyrinth,” and “Jim Henson’s Storyteller.” Jones is an alumnus of “Monty Python” and the scriptwriter for “The Labyrinth.” Together, they created book that seems familiar from the first page.

“Familiar,” in this case, is not a bad thing. The artwork varies from minimalist stretches such as might be found in a naturalist’s textbook to full color portraiture. In all cases, the reader has the disturbing sense that Froud is drawing from living models. The art is detailed, life-like, and full of personality, and the goblins’ joy of their capricious lives is clear.

The text in “The Goblin Companion” is given second-billing and it’s not hard to see why. There is precious little text compared to the volume of artwork and its quality is not as immediately evident. Do take the time, however, to read through what sparse text there is. It’s well-worth it. Jones has peppered the guide with real gems. There are subtle jokes that can make the reader smile slyly as well as satirical jabs that can make the reader laugh out loud. Even the goblins’ names are fair game for jokes. Consider Bec & Caul, Pug (pronounced, according to the guide, as “guppie”), Spue, and Hywr & Lowr.

One of this reader’s favorite goblins is Anges, who “is capable of collecting and carrying seventy times her own weight in discarded economic theories and abandoned political objectives. The empty promises, hollow opinions, and worthless public statements that litter the Wide Tract are all snapped up by this voracious creature. She then delivers them to Gurdy the Burnisher, who polishes them up as good as new, if not better, and resells them to the ambitious and unscrupulous of all ages.”

There are a few other surprises, particularly those expecting family-friendly fare. There are, for example, the Boing—“feared by goblin maidens… for their detachable members.” Froud has kindly provided illustrations of the Boing’s talent. The entry might be, depending upon perspective, shockingly funny or crass.

All in all, a fine coffee-table book that will always be ready to provide a smile. I rate it an 8.

... the country of Inner Horner was so small only one Inner Hornerite at a time could fit inside ...

This simple, absurd, description introduces us to the world of George Saunders' The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil, which the author describes as 'a kid's story about genocide'.

The citizens of the tiny country of Inner Horner rely continually on the generosity of the much roomier nation of Outer Horner which surrounds it. They occupy the Short-Term Residency Zone, sleep standing up, and spend their time whispering mathematical proofs to each other.

Having six close-huddled Inner Hornerites on their soil cause the Outer Hornerites a mix of resentment and pride. Pride in their own generosity, and resentment of the Inner Hornerites' ungratefulness ('they never wept with gratitude anymore').

This (literally) long-standing and unsatisfactory arrangement comes to a head when, for unknown reasons, the nation of Inner Horner suddenly shrinks.

Suddenly three-quarters of Elmer, the current citizen-in-residence of Inner Horner, are sticking over the border (a length of string) into Outer Horner.

The Invasion In Progress Alarm is sounded, the militia is summoned, but attempts to expulse the invader fail (pushing him back over the line makes him inadvertently reinvade across the opposite border).

The situation is ripe for exploitation by Phil, bitter, middle-aged nobody who discovers a talent for demagoguery and dictatorship.

This whimsical, hilarious and insightful book is an allegory about war, patriotism, and some of the major issues of our times.

It took five years to write, beginning when Saunders was challenged by a friend to write a book in which all the characters were abstract shapes.

Oh, I forgot to mention: all the characters in the book are abstract shapes. Despite the illustrations, the book's characters are mostly impossible to visualise from the descriptions of their assorted racks, spouts, fronds and bladders.

Phil, a tyrant with a brain only loosely attached, is probably most reminiscent of the current United States president, but he has much in common with populist rabble-rousers and dictators.

He uses the language of patriotism to flatter and threaten his fellow citizens into stealing the resources of Inner Horner, bullying and disassembling its citizens and their own compatriots.

The Hornerites of both nations are all too human, despite their abstract shapes. Saunders tells a marvellous tale about the impact of dividing the world into Us and Them, about the harm done to real people when you follow an overly simplistic ideology or succumb to fear of the other.

The story is particularly relevant in the context of the global war on terror, but is timeless because it's about human nature. The slim novella is full of insight into the way people live their lives, make decisions, and view others.

The book can probably be enjoyed by people of all ages, too. It's easy and entertaining to read, and will hopefully leave you with a reinforced cynicism about politics and the media, and a bit more empathy for your fellow humankind.

I can honestly say that I love this book and really urge you to get a copy. You'll love it too.

Does your robot disobey you? Make repetitive stabbing motions? Does it have glowing red eyes?

If so, then it and its fellow machines could be on the path to outright rebellion against you, and the human race. Activate your escape plan: head for the country, don't forget your supplies and your copy of How To Survive A Robot Uprising, by Daniel H. Wilson.

The first thing you notice about the book is its stylish design (by illustrator Richard Horne). That, combined with the intriguing title, makes it very pickupable.

I knew that I just had to buy it from reading the table of contents, an extensive list of chapters with names like:

• How to survive a car chase with an unmanned ground vehicle
• How to escape from a smart house
• How to fool a thermal imaging target tracker
• How to treat a laser wound
• How to establish a hidden base in robot territory

What makes this book so great is that the author, Daniel H. Wilson, has a PhD in robotics, and has consulted extensively with other experts in writing the guide.

If you wanted to find someone who knows more about robot attacks, you'd have to speak to Doctor Who. Or an actual robot (and after reading this book, I'm wary of getting too close to one).

The author presents a wealth of information in a series of bite-sized chapters, and he makes it a delight with his references to popular culture and a hilarious sense of humour reminiscent of Douglas Adams.

I'd recommend HTSARU for anyone who wants to know about the current state of robotics, as well as predicted developments. The device of linking descriptions of robot abilities to discussions of how to thwart them works particularly well.

The overarching defensive message of the book is that robots have a clear advantage in some areas, like reaction speed, and chess playing, but that humans can make use of their adaptability and native cunning to win through.

Reading this book would help any prospective resistance fighter to pick their battles wisely and to use their strengths and robot weaknesses.

Science fiction authors will find this an especially useful volume if they want to add realism to their depictions of robots (even in non-hostile circumstances).

Wilson's intentions aren't to spread uncritical robophobia. He reminds us at the end that most roboticists are working to make our lives better - except for the evil roboticists, who are sowing the seeds of apocalypse.

Hmm ...

Get your hands on a copy of How To Survive a Robot Attack. It's an excellent addition to your collection of popular science books, and is also available as an audio book.