Monthly Archives: March 2016

Save Our Slaves

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Nathan

As a fan of the Oz books and someone who has often taken comfort in them, I don’t always like pointing out the negative aspects of them. Still, they’re there, and it’s probably better to confront them head-on than to … Continue reading →

Posted in L. Frank Baum, Melody Grandy, Oz, Oz Authors, Prejudice, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Aslan Is Just All Right with Me

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Nathan

The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventure in Narnia, by Laura Miller – The author, a writer for Salon, takes a look back at some of her favorite books from her youth. At age thirteen, Miller felt betrayed when she found … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Authors, Book Reviews, Buddhism, C.S. Lewis, Christianity, Chronicles of Narnia, Douglas Adams, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Magic, Mythology, Neil Gaiman, Norse, Oz, Oz Authors, Piers Anthony, Prejudice, Religion, Semitic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

Give Me Resurrection or Give Me Death!

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Nathan

I’ve looked at the concept of gods dying and being resurrected before, and it really seems like there’s a tendency to ascribe more similarities to the various myths of the sort than there really are. It’s a common theme, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Conspiracy Theories, Egyptian, Greek Mythology, Hinduism, Judaism, Mythology, Norse, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Legends of the Levant

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Nathan

Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times, by Donald B. Redford – This was an interesting read. The prose was rather dry and a LOT of information was packed in, but I guess I’m putting my history degree to use. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Christianity, History, Judaism, Middle East, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Hyrule Tech

Posted on March 25, 2016 by Nathan

For the most part, the Zelda series is set in a quasi-medieval world, the traditional setting of sword-and-sorcery fantasy. There are kings and princesses living in stone castles, and Link fights with swords and rides a horse. There are some … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, Urban Legends, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Attack of the Killer Sprout

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Nathan

I’ve finished a few books recently, and I think some of them deserve their own posts. Here are a few about which I don’t have quite as much to say, which shouldn’t be taken as an indication that I didn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Humor, Robert Rankin, Tom Holt | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Riches Do Not Bring Contentment (But Neither Does Poverty)

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Nathan

Throughout the works of L. Frank Baum, we’re constantly seeing praise of contentment. The last chapter of The Marvelous Land of Oz is called “The Riches of Content,” and Ozma tells the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman that these are the … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I’m Feeling Fine in the Modern Age

Posted on March 22, 2016 by Nathan

The concept of dividing history into several different ages is a common one, which shows up in multiple societies, but perhaps most famously in the work of the Greek poet Hesiod. In Works and Days, he splits history into the … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Greek Mythology, Hinduism, History, Mythology, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Trials of Tribalism

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Nathan

Occasionally, I’ll hear a bit of weird tribalism I just don’t understand. Like, I believe Donald Trump recently said something about how you wouldn’t like it if you lost your job to an undocumented immigrant. I don’t want to lose … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate, Current Events, Economics, Politics, Prejudice, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Is Your World-Building Up to Code?

Posted on March 19, 2016 by Nathan

While I generally find the results to be the really interesting part, I also find how fictional worlds are created to be quite intriguing. J.R.R. Tolkien is often held up as an author whose fantasy works take place in a … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia, Discworld, Dragon Quest, Fairy Tales, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Maps, Mario, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Politics, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Star Wars, Terry Pratchett, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment