Tag Archives: wizards

Put a Zork in It

I remember seeing magazine ads for Zork and other text-based adventure games when I was a kid, and thought they seemed pretty fascinating. I never actually got to play any of them at the time, though. I don’t think they … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Authors, Douglas Adams, Games, Greek Mythology, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, L. Frank Baum, Lewis Carroll, Magic, Maps, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Video Games, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Been a Long Time Since I Rinkitinked

I’ve previously reviewed the 2016 Oziana, which consists of fifteen different alternate endings for Rinktink in Oz. I thought I should say a little more about each one, however, so here we go. Susan Johnson starts out by going in a … Continue reading

Posted in Book Reviews, Characters, Chris Dulabone, Dennis Anfuso, Eric Shanower, Food, Humor, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jared Davis, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Need for Speedy

The 1996 Oziana is unusual in that it contains only one story, Umbrella Island in Oz, by Ruth Waara. As such, it’s kind of weird that the cover picture has nothing to do with it, instead being a Dick Martin … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Characters, Dick Martin, John R. Neill, Magic, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Relationships, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Technology, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Purple Horse, Pink Goat, Blue Woozy

Scan by Jared Davis The 1992 Oziana gives us a rather striking cover illustration, a picture by Eric Shanower of the Wicked Witch of the East as she realizes she’s about to be crushed by a house. “A Christmas Tree … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Characters, Christmas, Comics, Eric Shanower, Holidays, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, March Laumer, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

That Vodou That Yo Dou So Well

The Hollow Places, by T. Kingfisher – When a woman named Kara is going through a divorce, she moves in with her uncle, a conspiracy-minded man who doesn’t believe in evolution until he figures he needs to in order to … Continue reading

Posted in Arthurian Legend, Authors, Book Reviews, British, Dreams, Language, Magic, Mythology, Names, october daye, Poetry, Prejudice, Relationships, Religion, seanan mcguire, Voodoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sparrowhawk, Shabba Doo, and Shang-Chi

Tales from Earthsea – The directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki’s son Goro, it’s a loose adaptation of Ursula K. LeGuin’s Earthsea series, mostly The Farthest Shore and Tehanu. From what I’ve read, LeGuin didn’t really care for the finished product. … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Cartoons, Chinese, Comics, Families, Frank Black/Black Francis, Japanese, Magic, Mario, Monsters, Music, Mythology, Prejudice, Relationships, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Television, Ursula K. LeGuin, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Coping with Immortality

We’re up to the 1978 Oziana, with a cover by Bill Eubank that appears to be partially based on a John R. Neill illustration from Kabumpo in Oz. Then there’s an Oz-E-Gag by Eubank, comparing The Wizard of Oz to … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Characters, Comics, Games, History, Humor, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Language, Magic, Magic Items, March Laumer, Melody Grandy, Music, Mythology, Names, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Poetry, Religion, Ruth Plumly Thompson, Star Wars, Winnie-the-Pooh | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Bake Love, Not War

The Great Troll War, by Jasper Fforde – It’s been eight years since the previous book in the Chronicles of Kazam, but we finally have the conclusion to this series. Set in a version of Britain that’s made up of … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Chronicles of Kazam, Food, Greek Mythology, Humor, Jasper Fforde, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Relationships | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Magic

The word “magic,” with or without the K at the end that Aleister Crowley preferred, derives from “magus,” a term for a Zoroastrian priest. I’ve seen indications that it might have referred to a specific tribe or caste. When the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Myriapod Mania

I played a little bit of Centipede at the Silverball Retro Arcade in Asbury Park this past weekend, and I remembered seeing something online about the manual for the Atari 2600 version having a crazy back story. The game, introduced in … Continue reading

Posted in Advertising, Animals, Biology, Comics, Donkey Kong, Magic, Mario, Monsters, Science, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments