Alternity! A Lord of the Rings counterfactual

Electronics Arts released last week a video game based on the Return of the King film, with voice-overs done by the trilogy’s cast and a liberal sprinkling of film footage from the three films bridging the gaps between missions. As with a DVD, there are bonus films that can be unlocked, and earlier this evening,Continue reading “Alternity! A Lord of the Rings counterfactual”

Warped and Deep Space Nine Hardcovers

Alas poor Warped! K.W. Jeter’s novel goes in for a lot of abuse within fandom–the story was inaccessible, the writing was bizarre, the take on the Star Trek universe was unbelievable, the book sold so poorly that Pocket wouldn’t think of doing another DS9 hardcover for a decade. I’ve heard all of these arguments, I’veContinue reading “Warped and Deep Space Nine Hardcovers”

Return of the King: A Preview

Yesterday I got back from the company’s annual manager meeting/trade show. (I’ll tell the story of the trip back another time; needless to say, it wasn’t fun getting from Charlotte to Raleigh in the middle of a hurricane, and there are other managers who I know had a much worse time of it.) Well, EAContinue reading “Return of the King: A Preview”

The Lucas Law of Planetary Development

I know the Lucas Law of Planetary Development states that ice planets are only ice planets, jungle planets are only jungle planets, desert planets are only desert planets, and planetwide cities are big freaking cities, but the Lucas Law of Planetary Development forgets one very important fact. Earth isn’t one climate. And for the LucasContinue reading “The Lucas Law of Planetary Development”