In the third book, Alyss (now queen of Wonderland), attempting to prove the treachery of the Lord and Lady Clubs, ends up leaving the city of Wondertropolis and the power of the heart crystal, which the leader of nearby Boarderland, Arch, takes advantage of, seizing the city and attempting to destroy the crystal, and eradicate the power of Imagination, which can be wielded by those who are exceptionally gifted with it, allowing them to create illusions, or even solid, fully functionable weapons.

I found it to be a very enjoyable book, and a quick read, not that I like that as much.

Jon Snow is across the Wall, investigating the supernatural events that have been occurring. Arya is on the road, running from the royals at King’s Landing. Robb is waging war against the Lannisters. Bran is managing Winterfell. Sansa is still Cersei’s hostage down at King’s Landing. Meanwhile, Daenerys Targaryen and her dragons are working their way toward Westeros…

In A Clash of Kings, George R. R. Martin is finally starting to incorporate some magic into the story. (The sorceress/priestess and the mysterious Jaquen come to mind.) It’s a good read, though it suffers from a lack of Eddard Stark.

Martin does a good job of character development. My favorites being Eddard Stark (the lord of the most northerly lands, on the edge of the fantasy dwellings), Jon Snow (Eddard’s bastard son, raised and trained as his sons but ostrasized by his wife, goes to guard the Wall between the Northern lands and the Others), Arya (Eddard’s wayward daughter, left mostly to roam free and train with the boys, she is now expected to become a proper lady), and Tyrion Lannister (dwarf son of Tywin Lannister, not expected to inherit or make much of himself, yet he seems to have inherited the brains).

The kingdom is in upheaval. King Robert is believed to have been murdered. The King’s son takes over with the help of the Queen. Eddard, the King’s right Hand, doesn’t have a good fate. There is plenty of intrigue coming from several directions. Eddard is about the only one who didn’t have a desire to kill the King, his best friend. The Queen is a Lannister who is on the opposite political side as the Starks. The King’s Council is made up of yes-men, scheming behind the King’s back (who didn’t pay much attention to what was going on anyway). The ex-King’s (before Robert) daughter, Daenerys, is exiled across the sea, and there are men in the kingdom plotting to bring her or her brother back to rule. The Others (creepy fantasy people/spirits, not explained much yet) are moving Southward.

Though I enjoyed the book, wanting it to move quicker at times, but not ready for it to end, there is the sense that the story is just now starting. The first book was only an introduction. There are 4 other Stark siblings (3 of them at least will grow in importance in the series). Sansa was meant to be wed to King Robert’s son, until the Court is in chaos. Robb has already inherited Eddard’s title and is involved in his first battle in the book. Bran is the smart one, meant to rule secondary lands, but has been crippled by a fall from a tower. Rickon is so far not much more than a baby. Jon and Bran have already been influenced greatly by Tyrion.

Towers of Midnight is currently scheduled to be released on November 2nd.

• QuickTime
• QuickTime HD (1080p)
• Windows Media (1080p HD)
• Flash
• iPod

It’s about two minutes long and shows scenes from both parts one and two of the movie. Part one will be released on November 19, 2010 and the second part will be available the following July.

Thanks to HPANA for the video links.

Deadline.com is reporting that Peter Jackson, executive producer of The Hobbit and director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is stepping in to fill the role of director. (Lord of the Rings fans have been hoping this would be the case.) A contract is being negotiated with Warner Brothers.

Jackson seemed the obvious person to take his place as the director of the JRR Tolkien novel, particularly to keep those release dates on track. While he has been engaged with Steven Spielberg on the Tin Tin films, Jackson has been a creative partner with del Toro from the beginning. He certainly knows the terrain better than anyone alive, having shot three installments of The Lord of the Rings during a single production stint.

The next section of the book explains about the attack on Liir. He had set off for the Emerald City in search of his half-sister Nor, imprisoned by the Wizard’s forces. After initial attempts, he’s discouraged and joins the Home Guard to hide. After years in the Guard, Liir is sent with a unit to Quadling country. Disappointed with the situation in the area, the Commander gives orders to attack a village, which stirs up a local war, and Liir deserts. He’s asked to attend a Conference of the Birds and determines to go because it is what Elphaba would have done. He’s attacked on the way. After he heals at the Cloister, he’s drawn into political events. The Wizard is gone, and management of Oz is worse than ever.

Like Elphaba in Wicked, Liir is drawn to political intrigue, and others assume he has more power or magic than he has. He has Elphaba’s broom and cape after all, and he can fly the broom. They both oppose current regimes and work as rebels. They both feel inferior to the situation yet persevere, and they both disappoint those relying on them.

Through much of the story Liir obsesses over his connection with Elphaba – whether or not he’s her son, her lack of affection or maternal relations. Like the disappearance of Nor, there is no conclusion, though there is innuendo for both. I think part of the answer for both is that it doesn’t really matter. Is Nor behind the Elhpaba Lives? Maybe. I like that injection, by the way, since there was so much discussion about whether or not Elphaba really died in Wicked. The point is he needed to get on with life instead of obsessing. He could live as Elphaba would, no matter the connection. If Nor has survived through everything, likely she can still survive.

Candle kept me going through a good part of the story. Who is she? I thought at one point she was possibly Nor. I don’t know, but she is intriguing.

I like Maguire’s different take on the Land of Oz. I also like his literary style of writing. It gives the work a sense of importance. I like Elphaba’s character better, though. But Son of a Witch is a reasonable continuation of the Land of Oz.

I am glad I found out about this series recently instead of when it was new, since it was 10 years in between books. Onward to A Lion Among Men.

Part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be released in theaters on November 19, 2010.

The bane of the companies that run online games is gold farming. Denizens of underprivileged countries are often paid to “farm” (by repeatedly playing quests or killing monsters) the virtual currency of multiplayer games, which is then sold to gamers seeking an easy way to level up their characters and acquire better equipment. The game developers aren’t happy about this sort of behavior, as it’s considered unfair to players trying to play the game without cheating, so they go to great lengths to discourage (and sometimes ban) the gold farmers.

Now what if Wall Street was in on all this? What if trading “gold futures,” in a manner sanctioned by the game companies, was the new big thing in the financial “industry?”

What if the gold farmers banded together to form a labor union in order to demand higher wages and better working conditions from their employers?

That’s the basic premise behind For the Win. The resulting tale is packed with action, economic theory, and gamer terminology. (It seems to be set in the not-to-distant future, having a fairly contemporary feel to the setting.) I can’t think of another book like FTW, but it does share a few similar themes to Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. It’s definitely worth a read.

For the Win is released under a Creative Commons license. It is available in print form from booksellers such as Amazon, or as a free download from the author’s website.

The story takes place in the city of Hallandren, a strange tropical paradise full of odd fruits, unusual cultures, and a religion focused around people who died, then miraculously came back to life. These people, known as… well… gods, live in lavish palaces, give out blessings, and do other god things.

The magic, though, is well thought-out. Rather than making Warbreaker’s  magic a strange, mysterious power, Sanderson has crafted an unusual, unwieldy, rather expensive to use arcane art… and I totally thank him for it.

I don’t wish to spoil, but I do suggest this book. If you haven’t read Sanderson, read it. If you’ve read Wheel of Time and enjoyed it, read this, for this is the author who is finishing the series.