Fantasy/SciFi: In Memory of David Eddings…
I just found out that David Eddings passed away last month and I cannot believe it. God Bless he and Leigh. I picked up Pawn of Prophecy in Caldors in Bridgehampton when I was around 11 and the love affair with David (and Leigh!) Eddings’ work and SciFi/Fantasy never ended. My father, God Bless, let me go back to the store the next day to buy the other volumes of the Belgariad already in print and I eagerly awaited each new novel thereafter…
It is one of my fondest memories of being with my Dad in fact, he also loved to read and he would chuckle every time he came through the living room that weekend as I sat in my chair with my pile of Eddings, NOT TO BE DISTURBED. I awaited each book, filled with excitement and dread over what the malevolent Kal Torak may be up to and how the wonderful group of adventurers young Garion, Silk, Barak, Ce’Nedra, Aunt Pol, the rascal Belgarath, the brave Mandorallen, and later Relg and Taiba along with the rest of the crew would live to tell another tale and save the world. Even the Orb had a very specific personality and character, the Prophecy itself had a sardonic wit not found in Tolkein….I was incredibly happy when Leigh’s name appeared as coauthor on the cover with the release of Belgarath the Sorcerer.
These are essential elements in any Fantasy fans library, to be read and reread. The Belgariad, The Mallorean, and the Sparhawk novels (The Elenium, Tamuli) that followed along with the stand lone companion pieces Belgarath the Sorcerer and Polgara the Sorceress are MASTER works in the field. The character development is unsurpassed. The Eddings’ will be missed and their work will live on forever.
From Mark Wilson’s scifi.fantasy blog:
…Eddings is best known for The Belgariad series, the first installment of which, The Pawn of Prophecy (1982), prompted Lester del Rey to tell him, “You’ve written a classic.” The series introduced many to fantasy, and inspired some to write themselves (including Stephen Hunt, whose tribute to Eddings is here). Eddings was himself inspired by the success of The Lord of the Rings, which he was startled to discover was in its 78th printing when he encountered a display copy in a bookstore.
The Eddings’ work includes The Belgariad series (5 books, 1982-1984) and The Malloreon series (5 books, 1987-1991), with three related books in the 1990s; The Elenium and The Tamuli (two trilogies, 1989-1994); and The Dreamers series (4 books, 2003-2006).
Eddings was famously old-fashioned, never using a typewriter or computer (he wrote out his scripts in long-hand) and was well-known for being self-effacing, once remarking, “I’m never going to be in danger of getting a Nobel Prize for literature.” He was most pleased when told that his books had turned nonreaders into booklovers. “I look upon this as perhaps my purpose in life,” he explained in a 1997 interview. “I am here to teach a generation or two how to read. After they’ve finished with me and I don’t challenge them any more, they can move on to somebody important like Homer or Milton.”
When asked in a recent interview what made his books so successful, Eddings replied with the same answer many of his fans would give: “Characters. My people are as real as I can make them.”
Fantasy/SciFi: ComicCon ABC/Disney to unveil sneak peek of Legend of the Seeker, panel features Terry Goodkind!! and the final panel for LOST…
PACKED schedule for the 2009 San Diego ComicCon. Despite the EMMYs dissing SciFi/Fantasy yet again (we had nominations for technical work and music but none for the creative process again, more on that later), ComicCon KNOWS the fans are out there and they won’t be let down this year, here is the ABC/Disney schedule:
THURSDAY, JULY 23:
LEGEND OF THE SEEKER
A sneak peek at the highly-anticipated second season of the action-adventure series “Legend of the Seeker” from executive producers Ken Biller (“Star Trek: Voyager”), Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man”), Rob Tapert (“Xena”), Ned Nalle (“Hercules”) and Josh Donen (“Drag Me to Hell”), and starring Craig Horner, Bridget Regan and Bruce Spence. Inspired by Terry Goodkind’s bestselling epic fantasy series “The Sword of Truth,” Richard, Kahlan and Zedd will soon discover that in defeating Darken Rahl, their victory is short-lived, as they inadvertently unleashed an even greater evil upon the world. Premiering in November, join executive producers Ken Biller and Ned Nalle, Bruce Spence and Terry Goodkind for a moderated interview and audience Q&A session. Room 6DE
MIM WILL GET FOOTAGE UP OF S2 SNEAK PEEK AS SOON AS IT IS AVAILABLE!!!
video by Spiegelwelt
FRIDAY, JULY 24:
CARE AND FEEDING OF A SERIES (MYSTERIOUS GALAXY)
Seven highly acclaimed authors discuss writing books in a series and the unique challenge of picking up a series where another author left off. Panelists: Eoin Colfer (“And Another Thing: Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”); Brian Herbert (“Paul of Dune”; San Diego Comic-Con International Guest of Honor), Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie (“Wicked: Resurrection”); D.J. MacHale (“Pendragon: The Solders of Halla”); Holly Black (“Ironside”) and Tony DiTerlizzi (“Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles-A Giant Problem”). Moderator: James Frenkel, Senior Editor, Tor Books. ROOM 5AB
FLASHFORWARD
Be the first ones to see exclusive never-before-seen footage and scenes from upcoming episodes of ABC’s new series, “FlashForward,” presented by executive producers David S. Goyer (“Batman Begins”), Brannon Braga (“24”) and Marc Guggenheim (“Eli Stone”). Joining them on the panel will be cast members including Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare in Love”), John Cho (“Star Trek”), Courtney B. Vance (“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”), Christine Woods (“In Plain Sight”) and Peyton List (“Mad Men”). And did we mention there will be a surprise guest in attendance that you won’t want to miss! Room 6A
Additional activities at the “FlashForward” booth on the convention floor:
Cast autograph session at 2:00 PM
Contribute your own personal vision to the Mosaic Task Force online experience.
SATURDAY, JULY 25:
EASTWICK
Be among the first to see the pilot of the highly anticipated series “Eastwick.” Based on the John Updike novel and the hit film “The Witches of Eastwick,” this sexy and bold comedic drama centers on three young witches whose powers are awakened when a mysterious man moves to town. Join series stars Rebecca Romijn (“X-Men”), Lindsay Price (“Lipstick Jungle”), Jaime Ray Newman (“Veronica Mars”) and Paul Gross (“Due South”), along with creator/executive producer Maggie Friedman (“Related”) and director/executive producer David Nutter (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”) as they answer questions from the audience after this exclusive sneak peek. Room 6A
LOST – The Final Season Begins with Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse
In appreciation of all the fan support through five seasons of “Lost,” co-creator/executive producer Damon Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse will pay homage to all of the fans at their final Comic-Con appearance for “Lost.” Questions will be answered. Fun will be had. And you won’t want to miss the surprises in store for the audience. This will be the must-attend event of Comic Con! Hall H
Other “Lost” treats at Comic-Con are:
“Lost” Magazine, a must-have for fans, available at Titan Publishing’s booth 5337
Free “Lost” promotional cards from Rittenhouse Archives.
“Lost” collectible bobble-head dolls from Bif Bang Pow! at Entertainment Earth Booth #2343
V
Already one of the most talked-about new series of the upcoming television season, catch a special screening of the pilot episode of “V.” The re-imagining of the groundbreaking miniseries will be followed by a Q&A with stars Elizabeth Mitchell (“Lost”), Morris Chestnut (“The Cave”), Joel Gretsch (“The 4400”), Morena Baccarin “(Firefly”) and Scott Wolf (“Go”), along with executive producers Scott Peters (“The 4400”), Jeffrey Bell (“Alias”), Steve Pearlman (“Related”) and Jace Hall (“Chadam”). Ballroom 20
As an added bonus, stop by the “V” booth and get recruited to be a Visitors Peace Ambassador.
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Update 2: Jeff Bezos apologizes and says it will NOT happen again!…Life imitates Art imitating life, or something like that, AMZN deletes Orwell’s 1984 from Kindles…
Update 2: and here is why I love me some Amazon and am a shareholder to boot, JEFF BEZOS:
Initial post: Jul 23, 2009 12:16 PM PDTJeffrey P. Bezos says:
This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our “solution” to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we’ve received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.
With deep apology to our customers,
Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com
Moderate in the Middle 