Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

Middle Earth stands alone as the greatest fantasy creation of all times. And it is no wonder that it lives on stronger than ever. It continues to grow, evolve and spread its beauty in many different ways. There are two very big developments in the world of Middle Earth that you can enjoy and they are both being released this month.

Something old

The Children of Hurin by J.R.R. Tolkien - Yup that’s right. It’s a new book by the master himself. He began the work in 1918, and worked on it through many drafts but never finished it and never published it. His son Christopher, who himself was also a teacher at Oxford, has completed it.

It is scheduled for release on April 17 and you can now pre-order a copy either in hardcover or in limited deluxe hardcover.

Here’s a quote from the Tolkien estate about the book:

“The story deals with a hero of the First Age, Húrin, of the race of Men, who is cursed by the Dark Lord Morgoth, and the effect this curse has on his children Túrin Turambar and Nienor.

The Children of Húrin takes the reader back to a time long before The Lord of the Rings, in an area of Middle-earth that was to be drowned before ever Hobbits appeared, and when the great enemy was still the fallen Vala, Morgoth, and Sauron only his lieutenant. This heroic romance is the tale of the Man, Húrin, who dared to defy Morgoth’s force of evil, and his family’s tragic destiny, as it follows his son Túrin Turambar’s travails through the lost world of Beleriand.”(The Tolkien Estate)

If you are a fan of Tolkien this is a must add to your collection.

More Resources about this book:

• Wikipedia article about the book (With Spoilers)
• Tolkien Library about the book (Including a contest to win a free signed copy)
• The Children of Hurin (Hard Cover pre-order at Amazon)
• The Children of Hurin: Deluxe Edition

Something New

Lord Of The Rings: Shadows Of Angmar

True that Lord of the Rings and Middle Earth are written works yet the magic has been well translated to the big screen and the computer screen. And on April 24 Midway is launching its new game Lord of the Rings: Shadows of Angmar. It is an MMORPG and it looks like it’s going to be a big hit. There is already a lot of hype about it.

And here is a great thing about this game. Before you shell out the dollars for it you can give it a real try to see if you like it. Gamespot has a special program that let’s you try the beta for free. They are calling it the Middle Earth World Tour and Playable Preview. Can’t beat that!

Heres the Link to the gamespot free playable preview Shadows of Angmar

If you can’t wait to own the game you can pre-order it on Amazon:

• Lord Of The Rings: Shadows Of Angmar

Popularity: 14% [?]

I have been writing a lot lately about the dark ages and about weapons that wreak destruction and havoc. So I thought it might be nice to stay within the genre of medieval things yet take a look at the fun side of it.

That brings me to a website you should check out:

 Dungeons & Dorks (www.dndorks.com) Is an online resource for gamers. But it’s not your usual gamer site. They take a serious look at games in the vein of  D&D, and cover a lot of different aspects of gaming in unique ways. But what makes them really unique is the series of comics that they publish. Where else are you going to get comics that poke fun at wizards, dungeon adventurers or errant knights? Nowhere but at dndorks.com! This is a really well designed site with some highly creative content. Buzz on over and check them out. It’s a site that’s not just for dorks!  

Popularity: 9% [?]

I play warcraft and if you are a regular visitor to this blog you probably already know this. I have been playing online games for years and really enjoy them. And one of the best things about online games, for me, is the people factor. Playing with/against other people is a great opportunity to witness human nature first hand. And being a writer this experience really gives me a lot of material to draw from.

People are people whether they are in reality or in virtual reality and I love to observe this and comment on it. So I have put together a section of my webpage called: Tales from the World of Warcraft.  Right now I have three true stories posted.

• There’s a Dragon in the Village It is the unexpectedness that makes it fun
• With This new Armor We are going to win! Hilarious
• When you finally get your Horse you will do this! - It’s Human Nature!

If you play warcraft you are going to laugh! If you don’t play an online game these stories are going to make you want to play to see what all the fuss is about!

Here is a link to the stories: Tales From Warcraft - and I have lots of other stuff there about warcraft including pics of the virtual reality pod I made to play inside.

Popularity: 18% [?]