Here it is August, and most every gamer and fantasy fan worth his or her salt is already poised to buy (or has long-since pre-ordered) The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. This first installment is a beautiful and mostly faithful rendition of the classic that shaped the face of fantasy.

Looking ahead, it's only a short while until December when the second in the trilogy, The Two Towers, makes its theatrical debut. Fans are eagerly anticipating the appearance of the Ents, the battle of Helm's Deep, and more Gollum!

Find out all the details at http://www.lordoftherings.net/

They Bounce?

Congratulations to Sabledrake contributor GAK, whose cool and twisted artwork appears in the new anthology, Dead Cats Bouncing. This limited edition trade paperback is from Necro Publications and includes works by authors such as John Skipp, Brian Keene, and Jack Ketchum.

http://store.yahoo.net/shocklines/deadcatboune1.html

Another Helping, Please!

Eden Studios is in the process of assembling yet more gleeful and gory zombie tales for The Book of More Flesh, a follow-up to the Origins Award winning The Book of All Flesh (congratulations to Matt Forbeck, whose "Prometheus Unbound" beat out my own "Dawn of the Living-Impaired for the coveted prize - go, Team Zombie!).

The new installment is slated for a Halloween release and word from editor Jim Lowder is that there've been many impressive submissions.

http://www.allflesh.com/flesh.html

A Few Good Heroes

Cyber Age Adventures has changed its name to iHero Entertainment, still committed to bringing you the best in superhero fiction and gaming aimed at a more grown-up audience.

The Boy Who Lived

Rumor has it that the long-anticipated 5th book in the mega-hit series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is not going to see print until sometime in 2003. Some sources claim that the manuscript isn't even finished yet due to author J.K. Rowling's real-life responsibilities of marriage and family; other sources have it that the original manuscript needed intensive edits. Rowling's publicist apparently reports that these aren't true, that the author is busy and happy with her writing.

The movie version was released on video and DVD earlier this summer and includes a few bits of unseen footage, provided that the diligent Seeker can get through the puzzles and trials necessary to find them.

In the meantime, fans can look forward to the second movie, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The addition of Kenneth Branagh to the cast as Gilderoy Lockhard promises to be another smash hit with fans of the series.

Illuminations

Among the new releases coming this fall from Steve Jackson Games are: Xbugs, Star Munchkin, Hellboy, GURPS Modern Firepower, Cardboard Heroes Cavern Floors and Castles, GURPS Alpha Centauri, the Munchkin d20 Player's Handbook, GURPS Assassins, Chez Greek, and more supplements for GURPS WWII and Transhuman Space.

Items currently in playtest include: GURPS Blue Planet, GURPS Age of Napoleon, GURPS Magic Items 3, Ogrethulhu, and the In Nomine Ethereal Players' Guide.

Also in playtest, courtesy of Grey Ghost Press, is The Deryni Roleplaying Game. Based on the fabulous series of novels by Katherine Kurtz, it will present a world of historical intrigue, religious conflicts, and secret sorcerous powers.

Keep an eye on the new releases: http://www.sjgames.com/newproducts/newrel.html

Dragonflight

Seattle University hosts its annual gaming convention on Agust 23-25. This year's Gaming GoH is Steve Jackson, and many of his shady MIB agents will be on hand to run and demo games.

Look for yours truly to run GURPS on Saturday and Sunday, one a fantasy adventure set in the world of my novels, the other set in the world of Harry Potter and aimed at the younger con-goers.

http://www.dragonflight.org

ElfLore II

I'm delighted to announce that Knight of the Basilisk, the second in my ElfLore trilogy, is on its way to the printers. This is the story of Kai Tilanne, a young woman given a duty of inheritance from a dying knight. Her chosen destiny will lead her to challenge the customs of her people in order to save them.

http://www.christine-morgan.org/

http://rapbooks.biz/

A New Frequency

Josh Ortega, critically acclaimed Seattle author of ((FREQUENCIES)), welcomes a new addition - his baby daughter Aurora. Look for Josh at Bumbershoot and the Northwest Bookfest.

http://www.omegapp.com/index.html

The Box Is Locked

Season 5.0 of my favorite robotic combat show, Battlebots, will premiere on August 20th on Comedy Central. Also look for these fighting bots in an article in the September issue of National Geographic World Magazine.

http://www.battlebots.com

And Speaking of Bots …

I've got a bunch of spare Battlebots "mini-bot" toys for trade. These are all still in their individual plastic wrap with the little stickers that go with.

The ones I have are: Hammerhead, Shish-ka-bot, Scrub, Red Scorpion, Bad Attitude, Sabotage, Berserker, Punjar, Frenzy, and Scrap Daddy HW210. I have multiples of several of these as well.

The ones I'm looking for include: Ziggo, Crusher, Sallad, Backlash, Mecha Tentomoushi, Spaz, Deadblow, Fusion, El Diablo, Doorstop, Turbo, Biohazard, Nightmare, Frostbite, Blunt Force Trauma, Vlad the Impaler, Tazbot, Overkill, Diesector, Minion, Tripulta Raptor, War Machine, Atomic Wedgie, DoAll, and Rammstein.

Anyone interested in selling, buying, or trading to help a botfiend out, contact me at christine@sabledrake.com

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