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Graceling | Mesmerising Fantasy

10 Apr

Graceling, Kristin Cashore’s first book was a welcome change from the standard rehashed fantasy so often found in book stores. A friend recommended the book and I must commend her taste in Fantasy. I devoured Graceling in record time.

The story follows Lady Kasta, a young woman with an exceptional talent for fighting. Marked by her mismatched eyes, one green and one blue, Katsa is easily recognised as King Randa’s graceling (gifted) enforcer. The king’s orders are becoming ever more unreasonable and Katsa strikes back by forming a secret council of like minded people who promote justice over cruelty.

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Posted in Book reviews, Fantasy

Random Pretties | Adoptabots

06 Apr

Brian Marshall is the creator of these quirky orphaned robots. The building blocks for his art are found items, bric-a-brac and other cast-offs with which he creates hopeful little objects. Quite fittingly he calls his collection the world’s first robot orphanage. You can get your very own orphaned robot from his Etsy shop. If you’re keen for more, you can view Brian’s Flickr stream where he posts photos of all his creations. I am particularly fond of his doggy bots since they resemble my beloved dachshunds with their long ears and little legs.

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Posted in Random pretties, Sculpture

Happy Snak | Aliens need snack food too

04 Apr

Buy the Book

Happy Snak by Nicole Kimberling is one of those serendipitous finds that crosses one’s path all too seldom. I came across it in one of the newsletters that I subscribe to and the synopsis intrigued me immediately. The book was even better than the synopsis.

The story revolves around Gaia Jones, an entrepreneur who’s only desire is to make a name for her snack bar on A-Ki station. Unfortunately fate interferes when she rushes to the aid of a dying alien. And not just any alien, but Kenjan, the lover of the alien leader, Oziru. Events take an even stranger turn when Oziru asks Gaia to be the guardian of Kenjan’s ghost. Trapped between the human government and alien authorities on A-Ki station, Gaia can’t refuse their generous offer of a new shop in return for her services as guardian. After all, how much trouble can one alien ghost be?

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Posted in Book reviews, Sci-Fi

Fleshing out ideas | Part 2

31 Mar

It’s been more than a week again and I am still working on my next t-shirt design as and when there is time. I still find it amazing that more often than not, what started of as a good idea in my head, turns out to be completely different once it’s on paper. As a reminder here is my initial preparation sketch for this idea (click on the images to see the larger view). After much tweaking, quite a bit has changed from my original idea.

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Posted in Illustrations, T-shirts

Dante Valentine | Urban fantasy meets Cyberpunk

29 Mar

Buy the book

When I first read on of Lilith Saintcrow’s books, I thought she was enjoyable enough, but not one of those authors I would put on my “must have” list. That was until I read the first Dante Valentine book, Working for the Devil. I didn’t know much about the series, but thought I should at least read the first book to see whether it was worth getting the rest. Was I in for a surprise! This book is gritty, brash and just like the main character, takes no prisoners.
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Posted in Book reviews, Cyberpunk, Urban Fantasy

Oh look, a squirrel! and some interesting stealth items.

28 Mar

Yes, I’m still here. It’s been a bit crazy since I’ve signed up for some contract work, but I promise to keep the blog updated as and when I can with interesting bits and pieces.

Speaking of which – I came across some great anti-theft devices while surfing (and generally just bumming around) the intrawebs. As an avid gadgeteer, the thought of someone nicking my toys is utterly horrifying and I’ll go to great lengths to protect said toys. And here is where I have to admit that my food is included in that statement. Below is my list of must haves to conceal your tech and sammiches. Read the rest of this entry »

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My favourite gadget

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Posted in Gadgets, Squirrels

Bent Objects

20 Mar

This week’s random pretties come from Terry Border’s blog. Terry is a sculptor that takes everyday objects and transforms them into thought provoking characters. The characters and situations he creates are funny, quirky, sometimes sad but always offer some commentary on life that is worth considering. His unusual imagery had me chuckling delightedly while browsing through his blog.