Tag Archives: Fantasy

Game of Yetis – Part 6 – House Alien

Previously on Game of Yetis:

PART 1 – House Bookshelf – Lord BQB hides out from the War for the Iron Throne, coming up with various excuses as to why he’s been unable to assist various claimants to the throne all the while positioning himself to declare allegiance to whoever emerges as the victor. Alas, a complication in his plan arises when a band of Yetis under the control of Lord Yeti abscond with his supplies of snacks and Dew of the Mountain.

PART 2 – House Yeti – Lord Yeti of House Yeti, the ruler of Yetifell, a territory North of the Wall, where abominable snowmen love to frolic because it is ridiculous cold, mocks his son Yetyrion, calling him a dwarf because he is 6’5″ (which is really short for a Yeti).

PART 3 – House Bookshelf – The usually not so easily rattled Lord BQB is enraged when he discovers that his supply of Special Edition Code Red Dew of the Mountain has been stolen by dirty yetis in the employ of Lord Yeti of House Yeti. Unable to purchase an army of eunuchs because Daenerys Stormborn bogarted them all, he turns to his trusty banner men. Alas, they were only in it for the Dew of the Mountain and now Lord BQB must fight this battle alone.

PART 4 – House Yeti – Lord Yeti is aghast when he spies white walkers on their way to Yetifell.

Part 5 – House Bookshelf – Lord BQB takes it easy as his elderly lackey, the decrepit Maester Monty pulls his master across the countryside all the way to Riverrun, the land of House Tully.  Along the way, Lord BQB confides in Monty that he has long dreamed he would one day meet an enormous warrior woman, one capable of providing him with love and vanquishing his enemies.  Lord BQB refuses to take a wife until he meets such a lady.

And now Game of Yetis continues…

Across the Narrow Sea, a tiny being walked through the marketplace, his face obscured by a weathered cloth hood.  He was weary from a long voyage and his feet ached for rest.  He took a seat inside a tavern and ordered an ale.

“Hey!”

The small figure ignored the brooding hulk who, despite without so much as an invention, took a chair across the little one’s table.

“Hey half-man!”  the brute said.  “Take off your hood!”

The small being refused to look up.  Instead, he sighed the sigh of a creature who, on a daily was forced to realize that the burden of being the smartest one in the room would always belong to him.

“You deaf or something?”  the man said.  “Take off your hood or I’ll cut it off for you along with your head!  Queen Cersei’s put out a hefty reward for her brother the imp’s head and I’ll be damned if you aren’t just about Lord Tyrion’s size!”

Seeing that it was pointless to wait for the little one to comply, the man reached a big burly hand across the table, intent on pulling the hood off.  Just then, quicker than a flash of lighting, the small one threw off his cloak, withdrew a laser blaster, and incinerated the intruder until there was nothing left but a pile of ash.

The last thing the would-be bounty hunter saw?  The face of an alien – two almond shaped eyes and a ginormous cranium.

“Gadzooks,” the alien said.  “It’s getting so that a highly evolved being can’t even have a drink in peace around here.

The alien ran a three-fingered hand over his wine glass and sucked the wine particles into the air and up into his pores.

“Aww,”  the alien said as he emitted an obnoxious burp.  “That is, how I believe they say on this primitive planet, ‘the good shit.'”

“Caw!  Caw!”

A raven landed on the table carrying a scroll in its beak.  The messenger bird dropped it on the table but refused to leave.

“Thank you,”  the alien said.  “You may go now.”

“Caw!  Caw!  Tip!  Caw!”

The alien wished he had the type of eyes that could roll.

“Here’s a tip,”  he said as he pointed a finger to his laser blaster.  “Flap your wings outta this joint before I put fried raven on the menu!”

“Caw!  Caw!  Cheap ass!  Caw!”

And with that, the raven skeedaddled out the window, leaving the alien to unravel the parchment across the table.

It read:

LORD BOOKSHELF Q. BATTLER:  Salutations, Lord Alien of House Jones!  This week’s “Ask the Alien” question comes from Mereen!

@DothrakiDragonMama4Eva tweeted:

“Alien Jones – how u trn dragnz?  Helps!  LOLZ!”

Lord Alien put his cloak back on, left the barkeep a coin for the wine and another for the ashy mess he left and exited the establishment.

This was a question that required a house call.

Sigil of House Jones

Alien Jones (aka Lord Alien of House Jones) is the Intergalactic Correspondent for the Bookshelf Battle Blog, on a mission to raise Earth’s collective intelligence levels one question at a time.  Do you have a question for the Esteemed Brainy One?  Tweet it to @bookshelfbattle on Twitter, leave it in the comments on bookshelfbattle.com, or stop by Bookshelf Battle on Google Plus.  If he likes your question, he might even promote your book, blog, other project in his answer.

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Game of Thrones Wrap-Up – Season 5, Episode 2 – “The House of Black and White”

Hey there noble readers,

Time to talk about tonight’s Game of Thrones!

  • Arya has made it to the House of Black and White
  • There’s friction in Dorne over the Viper’s death
  • The Mereenese are displeased (and hissing) at the Mother of Dragons
  • Speaking of, Drogon’s back! (To protect his mom from unruly rock throwing subjects?)
  • Cersei gets no respect, no respect at all…it’s open season on imps!
  • Jamie’s on a mission to Dorne
  • The Spider and the Imp are on a road trip!
  • Jon Snow is the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch (and Stannis wants him to be Lord of Winterfell)
  • Brienne of Tarth should probably think about finding another cause.  The Stark girls just aren’t interested.
  • What is Littlefinger up to?

What say you, bookshelf battlers?

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Game of Thrones Tonight!

IMG_1757Just a reminder – after tonight’s episode I’ll be doing a show wrap-up.  So many GOT fan bloggers out there.  Feel free to stop by, chew the fat, offer your latest conspiracy theory, debunk some of mine, and while you’re at it, toss in a plug for your blog.

I’m always happy to do what I can to send my 3.5 readers (including my Aunt Gertrude) your way.

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Game of Yetis on Wattpad

Dear 3.5 Readers,

I hate to call it fan fiction, but I suppose there’s no other label.  Game of Yetis is basically me just goofing around and having fun with my favorite TV show.

I posted the first part on Wattpad, mainly out of an experiment to discover the process of posting something over there.

I had no cover other than the “House Bookshelf” banner from the GOT sigil creator.

But it turns out, it’s fairly simple to put up a story.

Even better, I was able to pull it up on my phone – it felt very “e-bookish” and for good or ill, seeing something I wrote in a mobile digital format, no matter how trivial, caused that little old self-publishing bug to sink its teeth into me that much harder.

Crap.  I might actually have to start doing some work around here.

We’re 5 parts in on Game of Yetis here on bookshelfbattle.com, but should you desire to read Game of Yetis while out on the town (and let’s be honest, if that urge hits you, you must be on a real lousy day), then head on over to Wattpad:

Game of Yetis on Wattpad

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Game of Yetis – Part 5 – House Bookshelf

Previously on Game of Yetis:

PART 1 – House Bookshelf – Lord BQB hides out from the War for the Iron Throne, coming up with various excuses as to why he’s been unable to assist various claimants to the throne all the while positioning himself to declare allegiance to whoever emerges as the victor. Alas, a complication in his plan arises when a band of Yetis under the control of Lord Yeti abscond with his supplies of snacks and Dew of the Mountain.

PART 2 – House Yeti – Lord Yeti of House Yeti, the ruler of Yetifell, a territory North of the Wall, where abominable snowmen love to frolic because it is ridiculous cold, mocks his son Yetyrion, calling him a dwarf because he is 6’5″ (which is really short for a Yeti).

PART 3 – House Bookshelf – The usually not so easily rattled Lord BQB is enraged when he discovers that his supply of Special Edition Code Red Dew of the Mountain has been stolen by dirty yetis in the employ of Lord Yeti of House Yeti. Unable to purchase an army of eunuchs because Daenerys Stormborn bogarted them all, he turns to his trusty banner men. Alas, they were only in it for the Dew of the Mountain and now Lord BQB must fight this battle alone.

PART 4 – House Yeti – Lord Yeti is aghast when he spies white walkers on their way to Yetifell.

And now Game of Yetis continues…

“This journey has been agonizing, Maester Monty.  I’m not sure if I can put up with this any longer.”

Maester Monty wiped beads of sweat off his brow and stopped to rest.  The old man was out of breath and felt feint.

“I didn’t say stop, Monty,”  Lord BQB said as the Maester set down the rickshaw he’d used to carry his Lord from the shores of Casterly Rock all the way to Riverrun.  “I’m just saying, you know, all of these bumps along the road.  They’re very unsettling and causing me to spill my…what did you say this clear, tasteless liquid was called again?”

“Water, sir,”  Monty replied as he heaved the handles of the rickshaw onto his decrepit shoulders and marched forward.

“Blech,”  Lord BQB as he took a swig from a jug.  “Disgusting.  We must recover my Special Edition Code Red Dew of the Mountain without delay.  Mush, Monty, Mush!”

“Mushing sir,”  Monty replied.

They continued along the King’s road for hours until a question popped into Maester Monty’s mind.

“My Lord, if I may be so bold, why have you never married?”

Lord BQB bit into an apple and winced.

“Yuck,”  Lord BQB said, ignoring the question.  “People really eat these things, Monty?”

“Indeed sir.  They’re considered most healthy.”

“The shame of it, Monty,”  Lord BQB said.  “The dirty yeti eating my slim jims while I’m forced to waste away on water and apples like a flea bottom beggar.”

“Yes, but the question sir?”

“Oh yes,”  Lord BQB said as he stared at the setting sun.  “If you must know, Monty.  I am partial only to a particular type of woman…one that is difficult to locate.”

“Elaborate, sir?”  Monty asked, as he struggled to not collapse under the rickshaw.

“I like big women.”

“Oh my lord,”  Monty said.  “Surely there are many fine corpulent ladies throughout the Kingdom that you might choose from.”

“No no no,”  Lord BQB said as he tossed the apple core at Monty’s head.  “I don’t mean big in that way, though this Lord has nothing against a bit of junk in the trunk as it were.  No, Monty, I prefer women tall in stature.  My whole life I’ve waited for a beautiful extra tall amazon to sweep me off my feat, provide me with all of the love and care that I deserve, and most importantly, be willing to hack my enemies to pieces.”

“That will be a tough woman to locate indeed, my Lord.”

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Game of Yetis – Part 4 – House Yeti

Previously on Game of Yetis:

PART 1 – House Bookshelf – Lord BQB hides out from the War for the Iron Throne, coming up with various excuses as to why he’s been unable to assist various claimants to the throne all the while positioning himself to declare allegiance to whoever emerges as the victor. Alas, a complication in his plan arises when a band of Yetis under the control of Lord Yeti abscond with his supplies of snacks and Dew of the Mountain.

PART 2 – House Yeti – Lord Yeti of House Yeti, the ruler of Yetifell, a territory North of the Wall, where abominable snowmen love to frolic because it is ridiculous cold, mocks his son Yetyrion, calling him a dwarf because he is 6’5″ (which is really short for a Yeti).

PART 3 – House Bookshelf – The usually not so easily rattled Lord BQB is enraged when he discovers that his supply of Special Edition Code Red Dew of the Mountain has been stolen by dirty yetis in the employ of Lord Yeti of House Yeti.  Unable to purchase an army of eunuchs because Daenerys Stormborn bogarted them all, he turns to his trusty banner men.  Alas, they were only in it for the Dew of the Mountain and now Lord BQB must fight this battle alone.

And now Game of Yetis continues…

It was the best drink that ever rolled across Lord Yeti’s tongue.

Not because it was particularly succulent…or even delicious.  He’d had better.

The Dew of the Mountain tasted so good to Lord Yeti because it was the property of his sworn enemy, one Lord Bookshelf Q. Battler.

“Father,” Yetyrion said.  “Why do you despise Lord BQB so?”

Lord Yeti grunted and sipped from a chalice filled to the brim with fizzy goodness.

“Is it because Lord BQB is ridiculously handsome?”  Yetyrion asked.

“What?”  Lord Yeti said.  “No.”

“Do you hate Lord BQB because he is exceptionally clever?”

“Lord BQB clever?”  Lord Yeti asked.  “Please.  I’ve seen yeti droppings with more wit and wisdom than that hack.”

“Jealousy then is it?”  Yetyrion asked.  “You’ve been bitten by the green eyed monster is a God among men?”

“Did Lord BQB write these questions for you?”  Lord Yeti asked.

“No,”  Yetyrion replied.  “Umm…maybe.  No.  No he didn’t.”

A hundred roars filled the castle walls, warning the supreme ruler that trouble was afoot.  Lord Yeti walked the spiral staircase all the way to very top of Castle Yeti, which overlooked the frigidly arctic wasteland that sprawled its way north of The Wall.

“Why have you roared an alarm?”  Lord Yeti asked.

“My Lord,”  the commander of the banner yetis said.  “Look!”

Lord Yeti peered through a spy glass to see a thousand white walkers trudge their way toward Castle Yeti.

It was a sight so unusual that Lord Yeti dropped his chalice of pilfered Dew of the Mountain, allowing it to spill all over the stone floor below.

Yetyrion finally made his way up the staircase to the rooftop, only to find his father and a band of awe struck yetis.

“What’d I miss guys?”

Yeah I know.  It's a bear.

Yeah I know. It’s a bear.

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Game of Yetis – Part 3 – House Bookshelf

Previously on Game of Yetis:

PART 1 – House Bookshelf – Lord BQB hides out from the War for the Iron Throne, coming up with various excuses as to why he’s been unable to assist various claimants to the throne all the while positioning himself to declare allegiance to whoever emerges as the victor.  Alas, a complication in his plan arises when a band of Yetis under the control of Lord Yeti abscond with his supplies of snacks and Dew of the Mountain.

PART 2 – House Yeti –  Lord Yeti of House Yeti, the ruler of Yetifell, a territory North of the Wall, where abominable snowmen love to frolic because it is ridiculous cold, mocks his son Yetyrion, calling him a dwarf because he is 6’5″ (which is really short for a Yeti).

And now Game of Yetis continues…

When Joffrey took the head of his good friend Ned Stark, Lord Bookshelf Q. Battler didn’t cry a tear.

When his old roommate Theon Greyjoy (from that semester at Winterfell Tech) had his, um, appendage removed, Lord BQB chalked it up to “cost of doing royal business.”

When Lord BQB heard that the Stark family was butchered at the Red Wedding, his only comment was, “That must have made the chicken dance awkward.”

Whether Lord BQB was cold or if he’d just grown accustomed to life in a cold world is a question for the ages.  Needless to say, he was a lord who was not easily rattled.

But when Lord BQB saw his supply room bare and a band of filthy yetis running out the back door with his barrels of Dew of the Mountain, he bellowed a terrible scream that was heard all the way up to the wall, down as far as Dorne, and it even made its way across the Narrow Sea.

To this day, there are Dothraki who, during rare moments when they aren’t fornicating or beating each other senseless, ask, “What was that guy yelling about?”

“MY DEW OF THE MOUNTAIN!!!”

“There there,”  Maester Monty said as he patted Lord BQB on the back.  “There will always be more Dew of the Mountain.”

Lord BQB sniffed and looked up at his trusted elderly confidant.  “But it was the Special Limited Edition Code Red Dew of the Mountain.”

“Oh my,”  Maester Monty said.  “That is a travesty, my Lord.”

Lord BQB stood up, withdrew his sword, waved it high in the air and proclaimed, “In the light of the Seven, I shall hack every Yeti I see to ribbons until I get my Dew of the Mountain back.”

“A tall order, my Lord,”  Maester Monty said.  “Yetis are fearsome beasts.”

“You’re right,”  Lord BQB said.  “We’ll need back up.  Send a raven across the Narrow Sea to that place where the Khaleesi gets all her Eunuchs.  What’s it called? ‘Eunuchs R Us?'”

“I’m afraid word has it that the Khaleesi had her dragons burn up the slavers who produced the Unsullied,”  Maester Monty said.

“Confound her hide!”  Lord BQB shouted.  “Isn’t that convenient?  She takes all the Eunuchs for herself, then burns up the Eunuch store so nobody else can have one!”

“Perhaps your banner men might assist you?”  the maester asked.

“Of course!  My banner men!  They are zealously loyal and will follow me to the gates of hell if I ask them!  Quickly!  To the barracks!”

Lord BQB and Maester Monty walked all the way to the living quarters of the Shelftopia banner men.  It was completely bare, save for the following note:

Dear Lord BQB:

We was only in it for the free Dew of the Mountain, we was.  Now that you ‘aint got any, we’s goin’ splitsville we is.

Sincerely,

Your Ex-Bannermen

“Blast!”  Lord BQB said.  “You just can’t get good banner men these days!”

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Game of Thrones – Season 5 – Episode 1 – “The Wars to Come” – Wrap-Up

Dang!  That was one badass premiere!

In the name of the Seven, know that there will be SPOILERS ahead:

Let’s discuss!

  • Young Cersei visits a witch who predicts a younger, prettier woman will take her place.  Is it Margery or Dany?  Someone else we haven’t thought of yet?
  • It’s the buddy cop duo of Varys and the Imp!  Tyrion drank himself across the Narrow Sea but now he’s ready to visit Mereen and join up with Dany.
  • Speaking of, the Mother of Dragons has some rebellious kids.
  • The show still manages to surprise – i.e. the death of White Rat
  • Will Dany reopen the fighting pits?
  • Will Jamie go against Tyrion?
  • Will Cersei still marry Loras?
  • Was I the only one who thought Mance would reconsider and bend a knee as the fires began to grow?
  • Beware the Red Lady.  Beware any character who has their own background music.

What did I miss?  Discuss in the comments below and feel free to link to your own blogs and GOT commentary.

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GOT Season 5 Starts Now!

Stop by bookshelfbattle.com and discuss tonight’s episode right after the S5 premiere!  (Don’t forget to plug your blog while you’re at it while you’re commenting!  It’s ok, we’re pretty shameless about self-promotion here at Bookshelf Battle Headquarters).

Sigil of House Bookshelf

Sigil of House Bookshelf

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“Throwing Out George RR Martin” Isn’t a Good Thing

Sonia Saraiya of Salon.com argues that the television version Game of Thrones’ upcoming deviation from George RR Martin’s books is a good thing.

I have to disagree.

I agree that sometimes everything in a book won’t transfer well to television.

On the other hand, while GRRM didn’t invent the fantasy genre, he is a pioneer of a sub-genre, namely – “Fantasy for Adults.”  His career is one of the many reasons why we have books set in fantasy worlds where the hero doesn’t always save the day, unicorns don’t talk, and all sorts of chicanery ensues, thus keeping the attention of the adult reader.

So while it’s understood the show creators might feel necessary to deviate from the source material, let’s not cast GRRM aside as if he’s some kind of bumbling old-timer.

“Plans” and “life” are two concepts that do not get along.  In life, you might get up everyday and work toward a plan.  You and your friends cheer yourself along.  Then one day – boom – an accident, a catastrophic illness, or some other unforeseen event happens and that’s it.  Goodbye plan.  Adios progress that was being celebrated and cheered on.

We cheered on Robb Stark as the inexperienced underdog won victory after victory against the veteran and fully bankrolled Tywin Lannister.  We hoped this progress would eventually lead to a final battle in which Robb emerges victorious and the North becomes a separate state.

That was the plan…and then…bam!  Throat cut at a wedding…just moments after the host went out of his way to make the Starks feel welcomed and assured them that there were no hard feelings about his daughters being dissed.

Like the gambler who hides an ace up his sleeve, that trick should only work once.  OK GRRM.  We’re onto you now.  You won’t lull us in to a false sense of security again.  We know you’re up to something and…oh hey look.  The Viper just beat the Mountain….good for him…OH MY GOD!!!

M. Night Shyamalan knocked our socks off with the twist at the end of The Sixth Sense.  I remember watching it, thinking it was an ok but average, mediocre movie until…OH MY GOD!  BRUCE WILLIS’ CHARACTER WAS DEAD THE WHOLE TIME!  (Shut up, you’ve had so long to watch that movie, spoilers, schmoilers).

Shyamalan then went on to attempt to recreate that twist in a series of movies that fizzled.

The Village – the monsters in the old timey village are just people who dress up to scare the people from wandering off and realizing that the village exists as an enclave in the modern world.  BOOO!  DUMB!

The Happening  – the plague killing off the world was created by plants, their revenge for the way they are treated by humans.  BOO!  STUPID TWIST!  STOP MAKING MOVIES!  BOO!

Shyamalan just could not recreate that first brilliant twist.  GRRM keeps doing it again and again.  That is why he’s brilliant.

I’m not saying the show will be terrible as it starts to move away from GRRM’s books….but the show runners do have some enormous shoes to fill.

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