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By:
Heidi MacDonald,
on 7/29/2012
Blog:
PW -The Beat
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Friday’s Olympic Opening Ceremony was perhaps the most deliriously audacious live spectacle of the Internet age. Devised by the Anglo-Irish Danny Boyle, it celebrated the uniquely English heritage of industrialization, socialized medicine, drug-inspired music trends, James Bond and fantasy literature. God, how did I even write that sentence? Anyway, it was a night of both triumph and tragedy for nerds—while the geek-friendly moments of the ceremony were copious and unashamed, there was still Twitter outrage over a rumored appearance by Doctor Who somehow being cut for time. As I tweeted at the time, this was somehow nerd privilege overrun. As some anxiously pointed out, there was a “Doctor Who Tardis sound” at the end of the pop music/social media segment, but that was not quite enough to drown out the other supremely nerd-centric moments that were viewed by a billion people worldwide:
Glastonbury Tor is a place renowned in Christian and pagan mythology and figures prominently in both Celtic and Arthurian lore. Its central place in the Olympic festivities gives it an even more modern allusions. The sacred tree around which the national flags are planted goes back to pagan tree lore. Go read The White Goddess if you need any more explanation.
The whole forging of the ring sequence — surrounded by belching smokestack towers — was overtly Tolkienian, even if it didn’t directly reference the professor. It echoes the “Scouring of Shire” chapter of Lord of the Rings—Tolkien’s own allegory of the destruction of agrarian Britain by the advent of industrialization— while the visuals seem to reference Peter Jackson’s take on Isengard. I would say there is also some Wagnerian/Norse Das Rheingold in there, but best not to bring up Germanic lore here.
Kenneth Brannagh appeared as Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a cigar chomping engineer and architect, who designed railway grades and bridges. While he lived before the internet, Brunel seems the kind of guy who would today play D&D as an undergrad; he also designed the “train shed” where the Bristol Comic-Con is held.
Writing team Frosty Ogre hope to raise $10,000 on Kickstarter to cover the production costs of the first volume in their graphic novel series, 13 Legends. Above, we’ve embedded a video about the project–what do you think?
13 Legends features a re-imagining of the classic King Arthur legends set in an alternate universe. Once the project is completed, the team plans to seek publication in 2013. Kickstarter supporters will receive an exclusive edition of the first volume.
Here’s more about the project: “Volume One follows the exploits of two redcoats, Arthur and Lancelot, as they fight the armies of the Venetian Republic for control of the New World. The two soldiers embark on a life-or-death mission to prevent the outright defeat of the English, and move ever closer toward their destinies, and to uncovering powers greater than the massive empires that carve up the globe.”
continued…
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Synopsis:Set at some future time when the Earth's survival is uncertain, Lucan is forced to travel to a distant planet of Pendragon in his search for King Arthur's Holy Grail. The Grail is the possible solution to the infertility problem that is facing mankind. If Lucan fails, his whole race faces extinction.
Lady Cael is the high priestess of Pendragon. Trained in her duties from a young age, Cael has been isolated since her family was forbidden to touch her at age five. She is equally revered and feared by her people because of her properties as a dragonshaper. It is forbidden to touch a dragonshaper. When she first meets Lucan, she is surprised that he is unafraid and treats her like a woman.
Lady Cael and Lucan narrowly escape the fire at the excavation site. Unsure of who sabotaged the search for the Holy Grail, Lady Cael and Lucan are forced into hiding. As they work together each with their own secrets, they fall deeply in love. When their secrets are revealed, Lady Cael and Lucan must work together to save those that they love and their threatened peoples.
Review:This is the first Susan Kearney novel that I've read and the first in her new series The Pendragon Legacy. I loved
Lucan. First, the characters draw you in. You find yourself sympathizing with Lady Cael from the start of the novel. She feels her isolation deeply but is committed to serving her family and her peopled as the High Priestess. You wish that she could have something beyond the Pendragon equivalent of the life of a vestal virgin. I admit to hoping that Lady Cael would indulge in a show of strength or black humor when faced with her jealous and mean spirited sisters. Lucan is a wonderful romantic lead: strong, a scholar of ancient languages, funny, fiercely protective of Lady Cael. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but Lucan reminded me of a mix of Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones with special powers.
Whether you're looking for a romantic read or a fun fantasy novel, I highly recommend
Lucan. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next in the Pendragon Legacy. In the meantime, I'll look for Susan Kearney's older novels!
Publisher: Forever (September 5, 2009), 368 pages.
Courtesy of the publisher.To read an excerpt, visit
Susan Kearney's website.Sign up to
win a copy of Lucan on Starting Fresh or from one of the many participating blogs listed below!
Participating Sites:
Thank you so much to Susan Kearney and Anna and Hatchette Books Group for this opportunity!
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Since test cricket is played over 5 days (6 hours each day) I sincerely doubt its any less manly than baseball or Wrestling ! :)
Yes there now T20 (3 1/2 hours) and One Day Cricket (7 hours) but the real deal remains test cricket.
The doctors and baby stuff was a reference to the creation of the National Health Service.
GOSH is Great Ormond Street Hospital which still receives funds from Peter Pan but is also part of the NHS
Loved the music selection too. While in the USA, Meredith, Costas, and Lauer seemed to glom onto the boomer-friendly Stones, The Who, Beatles & McCartney, I liked that we got some OMD, Bowie, New Order, Clash, Sex Pistols, Frankie, and The Jam.
Rowan Atkinson was my favorite part though.
Have more respect and don’t use the lord’s name as a random exclamation. People need to quit the double standard and respect christianity like any other faith.
A little surprised they didn’t get a shot of David Tennant carrying the torch at some point.
so, no one else notice the bit lifted from the league of extraordinary gentlemen, 2009? danny boyle gets ideas off of alan moore?
@shark jumper – hate to tell ya, but bowie, new order, clash, the jam, frankie, and the sex pistols, while not on the scale of the stones and beatles, are pretty boomer-friendly in their own right. it’s all good.
@the beat – oh, and i loved that pic of the queen with the caption underneath, made me laugh out out. :)