Fandom Classics Part 11: The Archer and the Smith

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I don't really have any opinion about the upcoming fifth edition of D&D; as a DM, I'm still perfectly happy with the original AD&D books, and as a player, I figure it doesn't really matter what the system used is.  A good DM's gonna make it his or her own no matter what, right?

I will say, though, that I've got a bit of a twitch after hearing that Kender will be an available race in 5e.  They were one of the worst things to happen in 2e; why on earth would you bring back a race composed entirely of kleptomaniac halflings whom you're somehow not supposed to get mad at when they steal your stuff?

Below the break, my review of Sharaloth's The Archer and the Smith.

Mini-Reviews Round 17

Some of you might not know this, but I like to read fanfiction every now and then.  I know, I know, shocking.  Sometimes, I even read fanfics which aren't on my "to be reviewed" list, and (being me) I have opinions about them, too.  Here are a few recent (or recent-ish) fics I've come across, along with a few brief thoughts of mine about them.  Check them out below the break!

Fandom Classics Part 10: The Combinatorics Project

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I feel that, to the greatest extent possible, children should be encouraged to read.  I feel that this applies even when the content of the books they chose to read would be considered excessively graphic, violent, or sexual for children their age were it present in another medium (video games or movies, for example).  Relatively young children reading, say, Ender's Game or Lord of the Flies doesn't bother me at all; on the contrary, it makes me glad to see that they're reading for pleasure, and I hope that experiencing a book with themes that they might not be ready to process helps them to grow as readers and as people.

That said, I was more than slightly disturbed when I saw a 12 year-old toting around 50 Shades of Grey today.

Once you scrub your mind of that image, head down below the break for my review of Ringcaat's The Combinatorics Project.

A Corned Beef Dinner Isn't Easy To Share Over the Internet, or I'd Give You All a Slice

I just got back into town after a weekend with the family, and don't have anything post-worthy to, um, post.  Reviews return Wednesday!

Until then, maybe go watch What Does the Fox Say a few more times.  I saw it for the first time Friday, and even past the sheer comic weirdness, I have to give it props for being catchy as all get-out.

Fandom Classics Part 9: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

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I've been having fun--for a particularly OCD definition of "fun," anyway--watching the "fandom classics" tag climb up the category list on the right-hand side of the blog.  It's right behind "episode talk" and "actual books" and gaining fast!

..."6-star reviews" looks like it'll stay in the top spot for a good long while, though.  Anyway, click below the break for my review of Wynneception's Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

For a Change, Let's Talk About Actual Books (Part 10)

I don't know if it still counts as "for a change" if I've done it ten times now, but I thought I'd take a short break to look at the non-pony reading I've been doing lately.  As always, I've grabbed all the books I'm actively reading at this moment, the better to provide a cross-section of my literary preferences, and am offering my thought on them (up through however far into them I am, anyway).  Click down below the break to see what I'm looking at these days, and what my opinion is.