Reviews – Page 9 – ÜberSciFiGeek

Dr. Grordbort’s Infallible Aether Oscillators

Retro sci-fi and steampunk fans, rejoice! Weta, the company best known for creating the sets, costumes, armour, weapons, creatures, and miniatures in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, presents Dr. Grordbort’s Infallible Aether Oscillators & Other Marvelous Contraptions.

Dr. Grordbort’s Infallible Aether Oscillators is a line of 1:1 scale antique styled, sci-fi hand weapon props, conceived by Weta designer Greg Broadmore and meticulously built by master model maker David Tremont. With charming 1900s contraption styling and finish, the Rayguns evoke the nostalgia of a lost age of exploration and discovery, and possess an intentional sense of humour and fun in their design.

Six years ago, Greg started illustrating classic Rayguns, and after creating a series of nine full-size illustrations on canvas, he showed Weta Workshop’s Richard Taylor, who, in turn, asked for a painting of his own. Greg agreed and tentatively suggested launching a range based on these drawings. And the rest is history.

In 1996 three pieces were unveiled at Comic-Con San Diego — the Manmelter 3600ZX Sub-Atomic Disintegrator Pistol, F.M.O.M. Industries Wave Disrupter Gun and Goliathon 83 Infinity Beam Projector. In 2008, the Victorious Mongoose 1902a Concealable Ray Pistol was launched with two new pieces, the Death Ray Moon Hater and Lord Cockswain’s Unnatural Selector Blunderbuss, set to follow close on its heels. Also in 2008, Dr. Grordborts Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory — a hardback graphic novel designed, conceptualized and written by Greg Broadmore, was published by Dark Horse and Weta. The directory is a catalog of weird and wonderful contraptions that look as though they have been lifted from somewhere between the turn of the Century “Scientifiction” and early Pulp cover art.

“Dr. Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory plays to all that Sci Fi imagery I love”, grins Broadmore. “It’s full of bizarre inventions and man-melting weaponry. The three Rayguns are featured alongside many others including Servile Automatons, War Wagons and even Mass-mo-trons. Almost all of them are capable of accidentally crippling the user or worse. That’s one of the things I loved about the classic Science Fiction machinery. They all looked like death traps. Just as likely to kill you as your enemy.”

The Rayguns have exploded onto the web, featured in collectors’ Christmas and birthday wish lists, and have been featured on International Directory BoingBoing.net and Gizmodo.com, who dubbed the Rayguns “your weapon of choice… a Raygun that’ll blast away giant monkeys… or evil wizard dudes”. WIRED Magazine recently featured a six page spread on the making of these weapons and New Zealand daily newspaper The Dominion Post dubbed the heaviest of the Rayguns, the Goliathon 83, “Weta’s Alien Buster”.

Creator Greg Broadmore, a self-confessed gun nerd, says the contraptions have been a long time coming in his mind. “I clearly and fondly remember watching the old black and white serials on Sunday afternoons as a little kid and the classic Sci Fi imagery has always stuck with me”, says Greg. “The swept shapes, spikes, fins and beautiful forms that are all jammed together with boiler plate and extraneous mechanical detail. That’s how I saw Flash Gordon, Tarzan, King Kong and others. But what I’ve [always been] fascinated by is the macho idiocy of the ‘hero’ in science fiction. The ‘heroic’ attitude of killing anything and everything in sight, especially if it’s jeopardizing the swooning heroine.”

The guns are limited edition pieces. There will be only 500 of each gun made worldwide, except for the Victorious Mongoose, of which there are only 400. All of these are handcrafted and made out of metal with some glass parts. Every Raygun comes with its own Moon-velvet lined pressed tin case, Certificate of Authenticity and an assortment of implements and crafting tools. Not only that, these bad boys will be a decent punch of metal — with each gun weighing in at over 7 pounds, these are no light investment.

“The original three Rayguns were previewed at Comic-Con San Diego 2006, and went on sale the following year at Comic-Con 2007, each limited to an edition size of 500. In under two years, 1000 of those original three high-end collectible Rayguns have sold, and a further three Rayguns have been released,” says Tim Launder, General Manager of Weta Limited. “We sold more than half of the Ray-Blunderbuss guns within the first month of release — including edition Number #1. Since Dr. Grordbort’s launched in 2006, we have had an overwhelming response to Greg Broadmore, the Rayguns, and to the world in general. This includes the Rayguns being voted #1 Best Toy in 2007 by Figures.com; Greg Broadmore being featured as ‘Tomorrow’s People’ on the cover of Idealog [September 2007] and a four-page spread in Wired — all about the Rayguns, Greg and Richard. We’ve even popped up on YouTube in an online ad in Australia.” The online viral campaign for the Rayguns has also been greatly successful, garnering several international awards:

NZ Direct and Interactive Marketing Awards 2008: Winner (Gold)
Caples Awards 2008, in New York: Winner (Gold)
ECHO Award 2008: Winner (arguably the most coveted award in global direct marketing, the presentation takes place in Las Vegas on October 14, hosted by Jay Leno of The Tonight Show)
Cannes Lions Advertising Festival 2008: Product Launches Finalist
Cannes Lions Advertising Festival 2008: Direct Response TV Finalist

Doctor Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory cleverly uses the style of old Victorian advertising leaflets to showcase the Dr. Grordbort’s line, all the while maintaining, with a wink and a nudge, that everything within the faux catalogue’s pages is real. The full-page artwork is printed on heavy cardstock, and each page is laden with information and humorous asides about the many types of rayguns and other improbable inventions attributed to Dr. Grordbort and his cohorts, including the rayguns that Weta has already released as props. The Destroxor Labs Pearce 75 Atom Ray Gun, with its glossy red accents and stabilising fin, is the classic image of a Buck Rogers-era weapon, and will hopefully will be next up on Weta’s production roster. The Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory also contains a page of testimonials from “customers” who have tried the catalogue’s products (and survived to tell the tale); a short comic portraying a typical day in the life of the stereotypicallly English, world famous naturalist, Lord Cockswain; and postcard art. It’s pulp fiction at its sly best.

Once you’ve perused the catalogue, you’ll naturally want to set out and explore. Every adventurer needs a pack while out in the field, though, so Weta has thoughtfully provided Dr. Grordbort’s Satchel. It’s the perfect bag to tote your copy of the Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory around in, and, until February 28, it comes pre-stuffed with a Wave Disruptor Gun keychain, Goliathon 83 Infinity Beam Projector pin, four postcards featuring Dr. Grordbort art, and a Dr. Grordbort’s Laboratories Schemes & Schematics notebook, each lined page stamped with the Dr. Grordbort logo. Even with all these bonuses, the bag is roomy enough to hold the rest of your steampunky supplies. For ladies, the canvas satchel also makes a creative alternative to a handbag. This is an accessory that will get noticed, and coveted, by fellow steampunk geeks.

F.M.O.M. Wave Disrupter Gun, Miniature Version

Now that you’ve got your field guide and a kit, you need to invest in some self-protection. If you don’t have the pocket change to expend on a full-scale raygun, then the F.M.O.M. Industries Wave Disrupter Gun, Miniature Version, is the firearm for you. Released in a Limited Edition of 900, it’s an itty bitty clone of the standard Wave Disrupter Gun. As the package describes it, “You cradle in your limp mitts a marvel of modern miniaturisation; Dr. Grordbort’s F.M.O.M. Wave Disrupter Gun, impoverished in scale by one of his ingenious contraptions. Golly!” It may be small, but this raygun is crafted with every bit of the care put into its bigger sibling, down to the weathered aging. (It’s also more concealable at this size.) In another nice touch, the gun separates from the base it rests on, so you have a choice of displaying the raygun with or without its stand. The attention to details is simply tremendous, an example being the tiny, amusing notice on both the model’s base and box which reads:

Made on Venus*
*not actually

The sturdy cardboard case the mini Wave Disrupter Gun comes in is numbered to match the collector’s model it houses. Shaped like a book, it’s coated entirely with glossy paper and printed with sepia-toned art and photos of the enclosed figurine. The hinged lid fastens shut with a concealed magnet, so once the flocked tray and other padding materials are removed, the box makes an ideal storage place for Dr. Grordbort pins, keychains, and other small treasures.

Fans of Dr. Horrible‘s Evil League of Evil will thrill to the upcoming Goliathon 800 Moon Hater Death Ray, as nothing quite says “mad genius” like a lair equipped with an old-school weapon of mass destruction. Order one, and you’ll be the envy of all the other supervillians.

Once you’ve stocked up from Dr. Grordbort’s catalogue, head on over to the official website to leave a testimonial and assert your bragging rights in the forums. The site carries full descriptions of all the raygun collectibles currently on the market, an image archive, and web comics, as well as a bestiary that describes and illustrates the many alien creatures you’ll be chasing down with your new raygun. According to Weta, there’s much more in the works for Dr. Grordbort fans to look forward to, such as designer t-shirts, pins, key-rings, postcards, limited edition art prints, and, one would assume, brass goggles. New pieces will be launched every few months.

For product details and purchasing, please visit WetaNZ.com and Dr. Grordbort’s. Select items are available through the Dark Horse Comics website (search keyword: “weta”).

Doctor Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory is distributed by Weta Publishing, in partnership with Dark Horse Comics.

Dead Like Me returns with “Life After Death”

The long overdue and eagerly awaited follow-up to Dead Like Me, "Life After Death" will be available on DVD February 17, 2009

Bryan Fuller is a genius. A self-professed Star Trek geek, he was such a huge Star Trek: Deep Space Nine fan that he set out to write for Star Trek. Because he had the talent and imagination to match the desire, he made his dream come true. When DS9 came to an end, he ended up working on Star Trek: Voyager but he felt restricted in his writing because the syndicated format prevented deep multi-episodic story arcs and he longed to write more emotional depth into his characters. During his tenure with Star Trek, this desire drove him to write Dead Like Me, which he quickly sold as a pilot. Dead Like Me is a deeply emotional and sometimes disturbing fantasy (what could be referred to as Urban Mythology) full of layered, ongoing storylines and flawed people.

I first saw Dead Like Me in reruns on SCI FI channel. I loved the story, the characters and the macabre events and how they entwined and unfolded to tell a very solid and entertaining story. I was disappointed to learn that it wasn’t getting picked up for a third season, another blow to sci-fi and fantasy fans like me who had just dealt with the loss of Stargate SG-1. In hopes of not only supporting the show (and praying maybe SCI FI would pick up a Season 3 if there was enough fan interest), I bought the DVD box sets. I was surprised when I watched them because of the mature content that I was seeing for the first time, some of which seemed to distract from the story for me. (The producing network Show Time is notorious for this though, even forcing Stargate SG-1 to put nudity in its premiere episode, something that has never been done since without harming its success as it went on to show for ten seasons before making its move back to direct to DVD films in 2008.)

While Bryan went on to other projects soon after production on Dead Like Me began, the show went on to gain a cult following that is still begging for more several years later.

Dead Like Me follows the life and after-life of smart mouthed and deeply antagonistic Georgia “George” Lass. Disillusioned with life at a very young age, she has estranged herself from her mother (whom she loves to offend and annoy) and her sister (who worships her but is virtually invisible to George) as her father drifts emotionally further away from the family. At the age of 18, her philosophy is basically that bad things happen to you whether you are a good or bad person, so why bother to be anything special. While drifting listlessly through life, feeling no particular desire or value for it, she suddenly loses it when struck by a toilet seat that fails to burn up during reentry from a de-orbiting Russian space station. Moments after her death, she meets Rube. He’s a Grim Reaper and the team leader of a group of Reapers. He explains to her that taking souls is a public service of the afterlife and, until her time comes to “go into the light”, she, too, will now have to fulfill that public duty. Reluctant and rebellious as always, George struggles with her new reality while trying to come to terms with the life she left behind and the new afterlife she’s facing.

In Life After Death, we catch up with George five years after her death. While she seems to have finally grown up and come to terms with her afterlife, suddenly everything changes again. It’s great to see a return of so many familiar faces. Rube, their no-nonsense team leader who hands out their daily assignments on yellow Post-its each morning at breakfast at Das Waffle Hause has gone missing and is replaced with a new leader who has a completely different approach to running the business of death; Roxi, the tough-as-nails cop and former dancer who was strangled in the 80s by an overly ambitious friend who wanted to steal her invention that would later go on to become an icon of a generation; Mason, a young man whose ambition in life to remain on a constant drug-induced high led him to drill a hole in his own head, seeking euphoria; Daisey, the Hollywood starlet-wanna-be who “died tragically in a fire on the set of Gone with the Wind“. While dealing with this new set of changes, George is suddenly confronted with her old life once again when she unexpectedly crosses paths with her mother, Joy, and sister, Reggie.

Once again, the show is heavily laden with examination of the themes of life, death, love, family, ambition, temptation and a myriad other conditions of being human. For anyone who loved Dead Like Me, Life After Death will not disappoint. It is full of the same dark humor and wit that made the television series hugely entertaining. While Rube’s presence is sadly missed, they handled the absence well and the plot allows for it to stand alone or springboard into a new series or series of movies.

The Life After Death DVD is available for pre-order on Amazon.com with a release date of February 17, 2009. Also available on February 17, and available for pre-order, is Dead Like Me: The Complete Collection, which includes all of Season 1 and Season 2 in one box set.

Other Bryan Fuller productions I highly recommend are Wonderfalls, Heroes and Pushing Daises.

J!NX: Clothing for Gamers and Geeks

Fans of web series The Guild will be familiar with J!NX by way of the official Guild Jinx Store. Series creator Felicia Day (pictured above) set up shop at J!NX in November, posting on the show’s blog that “the quality of the shirt will be much better than the print-on-demand we’ve been providing before.” J!NX fulfilled Day’s promise by delivering a higher-quality version of the classic Cast Logo t-shirt initially offered through CafePress, followed by a Knights of Good design that coincided with the second season premiere of The Guild.

“Become a member of the guild inside The Guild with this shirt,” Day enthuses, winkingly adding that “Vork would approve”. What better recommendation is there than one from The Guild‘s all-business guildmaster? The colourful crest, a humorous, medieval stained glass image illustrated by Guild fan Jeff Carlisle, is beautifully reproduced on Light Steel (grey) for men and Asphalt (darker grey) for women.

J!NX also has an extensive line of clothing and accessories — hats, keychains, patches, buttons, pins, stickers, wrapping paper… even a Talking Murloc plush — based on World of Warcraft, the game that inspired The Guild.

A stand-out in the WoW collection is the sexy World of Warcraft /Dance tee, essential garb for ladies playing a Night Elf character, but J!NX makes sure that the entire family can show its gamer pride with an epic selection of Blizzard-themed items for adults, youth, and babies. For non-WoWers, there are many other licensed properties to choose from at J!NX, including StarCraft, Dungeons & Dragons, AdventureQuest, Apache, Collusion, commandN, CrankyGeeks, DEF CON, DL.TV, Dr. Horrible, Duels, GameBanshee, GameSpot.com, Hak5, isoHunt, MajorGeeks, MiniNova, MMORPG.com, MusicScene Network, Packet Storm, Phrack, Project Lore, Safer Networking, The Totally Rad Show, and TorrentFreak.

Be sure to check out J!NX’s original creations, like the Pac-Man inspired Maze, as well. The current “Design of the Week”, a timely Buffy Staked Edward t-shirt that will appeal to Whedonites exasperated by all the Twilight hype, perfectly demonstrates why J!NX has such a dedicated community. This is a company that knows pop culture and how to cater to its fanatics. w00t!

Order directly through the J!NX website. Bonus: each package comes with a sticker sheet plus any available catalogues or other promotional materials.

Coraline Movie Tie-In Books

Coraline: The Movie Collector's Edition

The Coraline movie premieres on February 6, and what better way to count down the days than to read, or reread, the award-winning children’s book by Neil Gaiman?

When Coraline explores her new home, she steps through a door and into another house just like her own… except that it’s different. It’s a marvelous adventure until Coraline discovers that there’s also another mother and another father in the house. They want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to keep her forever.

Coraline must use all of her wits and every ounce of courage in order to save herself and return home.

Coraline: The Movie Collector’s Edition is a new hardcover edition of the 2002 novel. It retains the original book’s interior illustrations by Dave McKean, but now has a movie art cover and an eight-page insert of full-colour images from the film. A section at the back of the book, entitled “Extra Delights for the Coraline Reader”, features a note from Neil Gaiman about director/screenwriter Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach), a note from Henry Selick about author Neil Gaiman, and an excerpt from Henry Selick’s screenplay for Coraline. Even if you have the first edition of Coraline, the Movie Collector’s Edition is well worth getting for these bonus materials.

Coraline: A Visual Companion

Serving as a bridge between the novel and film is Coraline: A Visual Companion by Stephen Jones. This weighty coffee table book, with a foreword by Neil Gaiman, is a comprehensive guide to the making of the Coraline movie, divided in four parts:

The Book
The Movie
The Characters, and
The Other Coralines, a catch-all category covering Coraline‘s related projects:
- the 2004 short student film of Coraline that combined live-action and cut-out animation.
- the 2006 Neil Gaiman tribute CD, Where’s Neil When You Need Him?, with three songs inspired by Coraline.
- the 2006 touring stage production of Coraline by Irish theatrical puppet troupe Púca Puppets.
- the 2007 touring stage production of Coraline by Swedish children’s and youth theater group Mittiprickteatern.
- the 2008 Coraline graphic novel adaptation by P. Craig Russell.
- the 2009 Coraline: The Game, D3Publisher of America’s game adaptation of the film for PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and Wii.
- the 2009 Coraline musical, a theatrical adaptation with music and lyrics by Stephin Merritt and book by David Greenspan, produced by MCC Theater and True Love Productions off-Broadway at The Lucille Lortel Theatre in New York, set to have its world premiere on May 6.
- movie tie-in marketing campaigns, such as in-store promotions with American fast-food restaurant chains Macy’s and Carl’s Jr., cards and gift-wrap at Hallmark, and toys created by NECA.

Glossy pages trace Coraline‘s path from novel to stop-motion film in lush detail, accompanied by a wealth of behind-the-scenes production photos, preliminary sketches, illustrations, character designs, conceptual art, and completed images from the movie. Interviews with cast members Dakota Fanning (“Coraline”), Teri Hatcher (“Mother/Other Mother”), Ian McShane (“Mr. Bobinski”), Jennifer Saunders (“Miss Forcible”), and Dawn French (“Miss Spink”) — John Hodgman (“Father/Other Father”) curiously absent — and the film’s crew, including Neil Gaiman, add further insight into the film’s creative process. Coraline: A Visual Companion is a peek behind the animated curtain “that will appeal to Gaiman fans, cinema buffs, visual art enthusiasts, and all those who fall in love with the inquisitive young heroine of Henry Selick’s extraordinary film.”

Once you’ve read Coraline, and spent time in its Other World, you’ll never look at buttons the same way again. (Trivia Note: The fear of buttons is known as “koumpounophobia”.)

Order now at Amazon.com:
Coraline: The Movie Collector’s Edition (Canada)
Coraline: The Movie Collector’s Edition (US)
Coraline: A Visual Companion (Canada)
Coraline: A Visual Companion (US)

Coraline: The Movie Collector’s Edition and Coraline: A Visual Companion are distributed by HarperEntertainment and William Morrow, imprints of HarperCollinsCanada and HarperCollins Publishers. For more information on Coraline, visit the Neil Gaiman website and its related website for young readers, Mouse Circus. Neil Gaiman may also be followed on Twitter.

The Graveyard Book

Cross Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book with Tim Burton’s The Corpse Bride, filter the mix through the inimitable mind of Neil Gaiman, and you have The Graveyard Book.

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.

He would be completely normal if he didn’t live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy — an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer.

But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack — who has already killed Bod’s family….

Despite such a macabre premise and setting for a children’s novel, Gaiman makes growing up in a graveyard seem not only plausible, but homey. The crumbling burial ground, so beautifully described, sounds more like a wild English garden than a gloomy resting place for old bones, its resident ghosts a diverse community spanning centuries. Each of the graveyard’s otherworldly inhabitants are colourful individuals with genuine personalities, and reading about their interactions is like overhearing wonderfully strange anecdotes about somebody’s large, tight-knit family. It’s hard to imagine why Bod would ever want to leave this Gothic paradise, especially since his adopted kin have given him the “Freedom of the Graveyard”, which allows the living boy a measure of the dead’s special abilities, like Fading (who hasn’t occasionally wished they could hide by turning invisible?), Dreamwalking, and Phasing through things. Even with its dangerous ghouls and dark, ancient mysteries, the cemetery always feels like a safe haven from the horrors of school and would-be murderers that lurk outside its protective gates.

As Gaiman points out, though, “The boundaries are always there — between the graveyard and the world beyond, between life and death, and the crossing of them.” Upon reaching adulthood, Bod inevitably faces a choice: stay in the graveyard, where things are safe but stagnant, or go out and truly live. It’s a conflict that will resonate with readers approaching a similar crossroads.

For those who’ve read Gaiman’s previous works, part of The Graveyard Book will already be familiar. Chapter 4, “The Witch’s Headstone”, was first published in the 2007 short fiction collection M is for Magic, where it won the 2008 Locus Award for Best Novelette. Recognizable, as well, is The Graveyard Book‘s artist. Dave McKean, a frequent Gaiman collaborator, supplies the deeply creepy illustrations that pop up at random in the text like spooks in a carnival haunted house.

Recommended Reading Level: Young Adult (9-12) for scary situations and strongly implied violence.

Order now at Amazon.com:
The Graveyard Book (Canada)
The Graveyard Book (US)

Online bonus:
The Graveyard Book Video Tour — Watch Gaiman, a gifted storyteller, read the entire novel online. It’s a lovely way to spend a stormy evening.

The Graveyard Book is distributed by HarperCollins Children’s Books, a division of HarperCollinsCanada and HarperCollins Publishers. For more information on the book and its author, visit the official book website at The Graveyard Book, and the Neil Gaiman website and its related website for young readers, Mouse Circus. Neil Gaiman may also be followed on Twitter.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

One of the most anticipated books of 2008 was J.K. Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a collection of wizard fairy tales referenced in the final book of the Harry Potter series. Prefaced by an introduction by Rowling, the slender volume contains the stories “The Wizard and the Hopping Pot”, “The Fountain of Fair Fortune”, “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”, “Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump”, and “The Tale of the Three Brothers”. The latter tale appeared in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where it aided Harry, Ron, and Hermione in their quest to unearth the Deathly Hallows and thereby defeat Lord Voldemort, but the other four stories are completely new works. Scholarly notes attributed to Professor Albus Dumbledore, which “appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters’ Archive”, with occasional footnotes by J.K. Rowling, add an air of verisimilitude to the book, as does the title page that quite fittingly credits Hermione Granger for translating the book from the original runes. Rowling’s charming illustrations, black-and-white line drawings perfectly suited to Beedle‘s Brothers Grimm-style storytelling, reveal another facet of the author’s creative talent, making it even more interesting to guess at what she’ll produce next, post-Harry Potter.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard was released in both a Standard Edition and a Collector’s Edition, the second offered exclusively by Amazon.com. The Standard Edition contains the five fairy tales, a new introduction by J.K. Rowling, illustrations reproduced from the original handcrafted book, and commentary on each of the tales from Professor Albus Dumbledore. The Collector’s Edition features all five fairy tales from the original The Tales of Beedle the Bard; an outer case disguised as a wizarding textbook from the Hogwarts library; 10 ready-for-framing prints of J.K. Rowling’s illustrations; an exclusive reproduction of J.K. Rowling’s handwritten introduction; 10 new illustrations by J.K. Rowling not included in the Standard Edition or the original handcrafted edition; a velvet bag embroidered with J.K. Rowling’s signature; metal skull, corners, and clasp; replica gemstones, and an emerald ribbon. Available only in limited quantities, Amazon.com recently posted a sold-out notice for the Collector’s Edition:

Thanks to the incredible enthusiasm of Harry Potter fans, we have sold out of all copies of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector’s Edition available in the United States. To ensure that we have enough replacement copies (for example, for books damaged during shipping), we will be holding a limited number of copies in reserve. If you missed out on ordering your copy of the Collector’s Edition, it is possible that a small number of copies will become available in the weeks following its release on December 4, 2008.

J.K. Rowling has waived her royalties for The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and net proceeds from book sales will be donated to the Children’s High Level Group, a children’s rights charity co-founded by Rowling to benefit children who have been relegated to residential institutions. A press release from the Children’s High Level Group — J.K. Rowling Delighted as Beedle Sales Raise More Than £4M for CHLG in First Week — thanks Muggle fans for their support of this very important cause.

Check out the full range of Harry Potter titles, aside from The Tales of Beedle the Bard published specially by the Children’s High Level Group, at Raincoast Books. In addition to the original books, Raincoast Books offers adult, large print, “magic”, deluxe gift, foreign-language (Latin, Welsh, Ancient Greek, Irish), and box set editions, as well as the textbooks that Rowling wrote for Comic Relief, Quidditch through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them.

Order now at Amazon.com:
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Standard Edition
The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Collector’s Edition (Offered Exclusively by Amazon)
Harry Potter Store featuring books, audio CDs, DVDs, posters, soundtracks, toys & games, video games, and videos.

Or order directly through the Bloomsbury Publishing website.

Shop for unique Harry Potter merchandise at Alivan’s Master Wandmakers.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is distributed by Children’s High Level Group, in partnership with Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic and Amazon.com. The Harry Potter series is distributed by Bloomsbury Publishing (International), Raincoast Books (Canada), and Scholastic (US). For more information on the books and their author, visit the J.K. Rowling Official Site.

Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!

Do you ever wish that aliens would scoop you up and transport you to a better world? So does Iggy, in Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!

After being teased one too many times, Ignatius MacFarland decides to build a getaway rocket. Maybe extraterrestrials are nicer than his classmates! But when his rocket takes an explosive wrong turn, Ignatius ends up in another frequency run by former English teacher turned dictator Mr. Arthur. It’s up to Iggy and Karen, another trapped earthling, to expose Mr. Arthur for the fraud that he is — and hopefully to make it home alive.

Iggy’s home science project lands him in another world, but also proves the adage “be careful what you wish for, lest it come true”, as Iggy finds himself in a situation that nearly makes the bullies back home look like a preferable problem. Boys will love the gross gags, over-the-top fights, weird science, strange monsters, and whimsical illustrations that pack this first young adult novel from Paul Feig, creator of the cult classic TV show Freaks and Geeks. Feig clearly remembers how kids think, and in Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut! he creates a believable antihero that young readers will relate to, especially if they’re as socially awkward as the hapless Iggy.

Part comic adventure, part science fiction, and part fantasy, this debut kids’ novel is wholly entertaining. And as only Paul Feig can do, it makes being a geek, well, kind of cool.

A wide open, Quantum Leap-style ending hints that the author intends for this book to be the start of a series, so readers can likely look forward to many more world-hopping adventures with Iggy and his fellow Frequenaut, Karen.

Recommended Reading Level: Young Adult (9-12) for crude bodily humour and mild violence.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut!

Ignatius MacFarland: Frequenaut! is distributed by Little, Brown and Company, an imprint of Hachette Book Group USA.

Draco Mundis

While London’s upper crust is growing bored and falling asleep in its posh salons, a new style of club has seen the light of day. The Draconis Club, very much in style at the moment, offers English aristocrats in need of a good rush the opportunity to face fear in an extraordinary trip to Draco Mundis, the Valley of Dragons. The luckiest among them will be able to come back covered with glory, and able to brag about their feats while proudly displaying a trophy worthy of the British Museum. Dragon season is open!

Draco Mundis, available in both English and French editions, is a strategy game similar to Dungeon Twister in its game mechanics. Its rules are fairly simple, relying on a player’s strategic, tactical, memory, and bluffing skills, with diplomacy and the forging of temporary alliances becoming factors when there are more than two players. There is no luck involved. Each player is able to take Actions such as moving, exploring the jungle, fighting or spying on enemies, using Special Abilities, and, in the case of a Cannibal, capturing prisoners. As the back of the box hints, “Each character has a very specific ability; you’ll have to learn how to use each character at their best to adapt to whatever hot water your opponents put you in.”

Turn-based Draco Mundis plays much like an RPG. The fictionalized Valley of Gangtok is laid out on a gridded game board that resembles an antique, sepia-coloured map — down to the ornately drawn compass rose in the top-right corner — and the game has an alternate reality back-story that reads like the preamble to an old British adventure film:

Tired of the daily mundanities and good manners, the English aristocracy of the early 20th century is trying to while away the time by looking for thrills wherever they can. The latest craze is a chase as madcap as it is illegal. In the heart of the Punjab region of eastern India, their contest is centered around the capture of a sacred, rare and protected monster: Draco Septentrionus Verdatis!

Armed to the teeth with hunting rifles and blades of all sorts, the lordly teams, accompanied by their ladies, themselves followed by Sherpas burdened by piles of pointless luggage, will face the wild animals of a hostile jungle. Their secret goal will be to capture one of these enormous legendary beasts, dragons from northern India, in order to bring it back to England as a hunting trophy.

The aristocratic adventurers will be surrounded by the screams of a myriad of apes, spider monkeys and baboons, masses of poisonous snakes, angry herds of elephants, and especially the infamous Bengali tiger, bristling with ferocity and whose fangs are true saw teeth. The fire-breathers come out of nowhere in the heart of the night, setting ablaze the villages made of hovels or the most highly protected camps, spreading around them more than just fear, but sacred terror.

The best trick in the hunters’ arsenal will be the use of an infallible trap, a female Dragon made of odds and ends and supposed to irresistibly attract the monster by the imitation of its cry.

Intrigued by the hunting arsenal and all the preparations for capture, journalists have decided to discreetly follow the uncaring, happy go lucky expeditions in droves. They’ll be able to turn the details of their adventures into scoops for tabloid papers, before reporting their sacrilegious doings to the local police.

But beyond all the dangers and the pitfalls, the English aristocrat fully knows that success in his enterprise will, surely, grant him the favor of the crown, and perhaps even, with a bit of luck, from the hands of His Majesty himself, the title coveted by any self-respecting Lord, that of honorable member of the “Order of the Garter”.

Box contents:
— 1 game board,
— 80 tokens (11 Characters, 1 Item and 8 Lands for each of the 4 colors),
— 4 game helps/screens,
— 1 rulebook.

Characters:
Explorer (2), Journalist (1), Hunter (1), Sherpas (2) — one of whom may be sacrificed per game to gain an extra Action for the current turn, Dragon (2), Cannibal (1), Biplane (1), SS307 Machinegun (1)

Item:
Dragon Traps (1) — deployed in alternate rules to limit the power of Dragons

Lands:
Campsite (1), Mountain (2), Jungle (2), Swamp (2), Bengali Tiger Territory (1)

The use of a bad, upper-crust British accent is not included in the rules, but should be, as it adds a great deal of fun to gameplay. If your companions are like-minded, then agreeing to award extra points for cheesiest accents and most stereotypical, old-time slang will add a whole new layer to the game. Bonus points for wearing a pith helmet, as well.

The game ends when every token on the game board is revealed, and the winner is the player with the highest total of Victory Points. Points are earned for infiltrating a Campsite with your Journalist, destroying Campsites (not your own, of course), eliminating opposing Characters and Dragons, and controlling Character tokens on a Jungle or Mountain token of any color. Points are lost if you place your Bengali Tiger Territory on a square adjacent to your Campsite at the beginning of the game; setting up camp next to a bunch of tigers merely makes you eligible for a Darwin Award, and a smart player will try to get his opponents taken out by the big cats instead.

“May the best Lord win!”

Draco Mundis supports 2-4 players, ages 12 and up. Game length: about 60 minutes.

If “mechanical dragons” are more your thing, Asmodee Editions also has two new car racing games out, Hurry’cup! and Formula D.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Draco Mundis (not listed yet)
Hurry’cup! (not listed yet)
Formula D

Or order directly through the Asmodee Editions website.

Draco Mundis, Hurry’cup!, and Formula D are distributed by Asmodee Editions (US), a subsidiary of Asmodee Editions (France), in partnership with Hazgaard Éditions for Draco Mundis. For more information on Draco Mundis, visit the official game website at Draco Mundis (in French).

Manhattan Toy

“Play is discovery and exploration, and joy, and growth, and learning, and so much more,” explains Manhattan Toy. “And for us play is serious work. So when we bring play to life, we do it with a commitment to the finest in craftsmanship and creativity. All of our products, from the newest concepts to our time-tested classics, are innovatively designed to inspire imaginative play and delight our consumers large and small.” For the company whose motto is “Imaginations at Play!” the three essentials of toy creation are Originality, Developmental Value, and Quality & Safety:

Founded in 1979 by Francis Goldwyn (grandson of motion picture studio owner Sam Goldwyn), Manhattan Toy pioneered the use of non-traditional fabrics in toy design and introduced delightful new body styles in soft toys. Although Goldwyn is no longer involved in the ownership of Manhattan Toy, we remain true to his vision of marching to the beat of a different (toy) drum.

Play is not only fun, it’s essential to a child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development. Our design process blends science and whimsy to produce toys that offer children a rich array of visual and tactile stimulation and unlimited opportunities for imaginative exploration.

Our unsurpassed quality standards ensure that our toys are both durable and safe. Prior to manufacture, each Manhattan Toy design is thoroughly tested to comply with the most rigorous international standards for children’s products. Our quality assurance team continually reviews designs and procedures to ensure that products exceed both existing and new safety regulations.

In addition to making heirloom-quality toys, Manhattan Toy strives to be a socially conscious company. They teamed with the Girl Scouts to donate more than 60,000 Groovy Girls brand dolls and plush toys to the youngest survivors of Hurricane Katrina, and have created the Girl Scouts’ own line of Troop Groovy Girls dolls, which celebrate the empowerment of girls and were voted “Girl Toy of the Year” in 2008. In the realm of science, they promote awareness of the natural world by padding their zoo of plush animals with alternate choices to the traditional bears and bunnies. One of these animals is the critically endangered cheetah, which is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list of vulnerable species. According to the Cheetah Conservation Foundation, there are only about 10,000 cheetahs left now. Like Manhattan Toy, the CCF recognizes the importance of inspiring children to connect with nature, reaching out to tomorrow’s scientists and conservationists with their Kids4Cheetahs program.

Manhattan Toy currently offers two plush cheetahs, one of which is the Lanky Cats Cheetah. “Big, curious, yellow eyes standout on this loveable cheetah,” says Manhattan Toy. These eyes, a signature of the Lanky Cats collection, really are mesmerizing, seeming to follow a person’s every movement. In half-light, they glow green and shimmer like a real cat’s would at night. Also true to life, and thanks to heavily weighted paws, the Lanky Cats Cheetah can drape lazily over objects, dangle like the “hang in there” kitty, crouch in a ready-to-pounce stance, or be contorted into any other feline shape. “His understuffed, extra long body makes him incredibly poseable. He’s made out of a silky, soft fabric that begs to be petted.” Best of all, though, the cheetah markings on this toy are accurate. Many items marketed as cheetah-print are actually a leopard pattern; leopards and jaguars have rosette markings rather than the cheetah’s simple spots. Kudos to Manhattan Toy for the attention to detail!

Lanky Cats Cheetah

The other cheetah toy is the colourful Cha Cha Cheetah, a Petrageous Pet from Manhattan Toy’s popular Groovy Girls line. Cha Cha is stylishly dressed in an outfit and “bone” hair bow that looks like it was borrowed from baby Pebbles of The Flintstones, and will appeal to little girls who love the Groovy Girls dolls. She’s incredibly soft, with weighted, oversized feet that make it easy to pose her, and the velcro fasteners on her removable vest and collar make changing clothes simple for little fingers. Trendy Groovy Girls Fashions and Furniture & Accessories are available for additional dress-up fun.

Cha Cha Cheetah

In the name of scientific exploration, Manhattan Toy even replicates long-extinct animals, like the Mesozaurs Stegosaurus. “Bright green with contrasting orange plates and blue tail spikes, the Stegosaurus is one of the most colorful dinos you’ll find. He’s soft, cuddly and highly textured for tactile appeal. With loads of prehistoric personality, he’ll come to life in any youngster’s hands.” The Mesozaurs Stegosaurus is an amazing piece of craftmanship. Unlike most statically posed stuffed dinosaurs, Manhattan Toy has designed their dinosaurs in dynamic action poses. The Stegosaurus’ tail is whipped to one side, ready to strike, its head angled in the opposite direction, warily alert of predators. The fabric used for its plumply stuffed body is roughly patterned and textured like cut velvet to suggest a scaly hide, the orange back plates are made of a sheer material that’s ridged to look like bone, and the toenails and tail spikes are shiny black and blue vinyl, with little inserts of lavender and blue material for the eyelids and mouth. It’s hard to stop running your hands over this sumptuous toy.

Mesozaurs Stegosaurus

While the Stegosaurus is the expected dino-green colour, the rest of the Mesozaurs Dinosaurs — a red Brontosaurus, blue T-Rex, and orange Triceratops — are a vibrant rainbow that reflects modern science’s theory that dinosaurs were likely as diverse in appearance as the animal species of today.

For fantasy and mythology lovers, Manhattan Toy also has a range of plush Dragons (wizard included) and Dr. Seuss characters. Whatever your plushy passion is, Manhattan Toy fulfills your wishes with top-notch playthings that are beautiful to look at, irresistible to touch, and fun to play with.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Lanky Cats Cheetah
Cha Cha Cheetah
Mesozaurs Stegosaurus

Or order directly through the Manhattan Toy website.

Lanky Cats Cheetah, Cha Cha Cheetah, and Mesozaurs Stegosaurus are distributed by Manhattan Toy.

Hero: Immortal King

Evil has returned to haunt the keep… The lich has been reincarnated. Hero, the immortal king, defeated the lich years ago, but now the lich has returned, hungry for vengeance, leading his army of undead. But valiant adventurers have invaded his lair and seek to fight their way to his throne, in order to confront him and send him back to his grave. Whether you are the lich or the adventurers, in order to triumph, you will need to prove yourself with the wisdom to choose the right path, the strength to strike down your enemies and the luck to forge your destiny! Whether you prefer the hardness of stone, the finesse of paper or the edge of the blade, your fate is in your hands!

When it comes to role-playing (RPG) card games, there is usually an investment of time and energy to learn to play that can often be intimidating for an inexperienced or first-time player. Like a traditional card game, winning or losing is a mixture of strategy, luck, and the combination of cards in your hand. In RPG/Strategy card games you “build” a deck, customizing your selection of cards before the game begins, to play to your strengths or game strategies. Many card games I’ve picked up require a huge investment in “boosters” to build a useable deck, and then you have to find someone to play with, typically facing your deck against theirs. While luck, strategy, and skill is involved, usually whoever has the best cards wins. Unlike other games I’ve played, Hero: Immortal King (or Hero IK) from Asmodee Editions is ready to play right out of the box. While you can buy additional boxes to build your own deck, it is not necessary in order to play the game. Also, you don’t pit your cards against someone else’s since both players use the same deck.

Hero IK is designed for two players, with one player as Adventurer and the other as the Dungeon Master (DM), but it also includes rules for a Solitaire game so you can play the game as soon as you crack it open. In the role of Adventurer, you have to navigate your way through the passageways (represented by Dungeon Cards) of a dungeon in search of the Final Monster. As the DM, you can use a series of ambushes and traps to foil the Adventurer and keep him from reaching the Final Monster. Instead of scoring, a series of colored chips is used to keep track of how courageous (Courage tokens possessed by Adventurer) or demoralized (Fear tokens possessed by DM) the Adventurer is. If the Adventurer runs out of Courage tokens before beating the Final Boss, the game is over. In addition to the Fear and Courage tokens, the Adventurer has Mana tokens that can be used to access special abilities, and the DM has Tenacity tokens that can be used to boost Dungeon Cards’ attack strength.

In the solitaire game there is no DM, so traps, ambushes, and other special attacks don’t come into play. Instead, the use of Fear tokens is modified. Whenever the Adventurer loses a fight and a Fear token is added to the DM’s pile, the new number of Fear tokens is selected from a list of scenarios to tell you the outcome. For example, in The Lair of the Lich’s easy scenario: If the DM gains a second Fear token, “The Greenskins are mobilized. Greenskins gain a bonus of +1 Strength”. There are three Solitaire scenarios included in the instruction manual: The Dead of Night (Easy), In Search of Abunakkashii (Medium), and Meet the Lich (Difficult). You can create your own additional scenarios or download more from Asmodee Editions.

Presently there are three Hero IK games: The Lair of the Lich, The Infernal Forge, and the Den of Dementia. They all follow the same gameplay rules and can be played individually or combined to build a customized deck. The cards are even numbered in the lower right-hand corner so you can easily separate them if you decide to play the standard game again.

While most of the battles are decided with the role of a die, plus whatever special skills, abilities, or attacks the Adventurer (or DM) adds, the Greenskins (kind of like trolls) have a different way of settling things in a two-player game: Rock, Paper, Scissors. This brought about a few laughs when timing was off, so you might want to play a few rounds of RPS with your partner before the game begins, just to make sure you aren’t showing on the third count when they are going on the fourth. The game is fairly well-balanced, but is geared towards the Adventurer. The DM only has so much they can do, but it is fun to watch the Adventurer squirm as you lay ambushes to thwart their progress. In The Lair of the Lich, there are no trap cards, but they have been added to The Infernal Forge and Den of Dementia, as well as additional heroes, monsters, and Final Monsters to make things a bit more difficult.

The instruction book is actually more detailed than you realize the first time reading it through, and it is a bit difficult to understand until you actually start playing the game. Maybe I’m a slow learner, but I used the book for just about every hand for the first five or six Solitaire games I played. Every time I played, I learned more or understood an aspect of the gameplay I didn’t really get before. The cards have everything on their face that you need to know once you know how to read them, though, and eventually the book won’t be necessary except for the Scenario chart when playing the Solitaire version.

After familiarizing myself with the Solitiare version of the game, I played Hero IK as DM with my 15-year-old son as Adventurer. He used to play Yu-Gi-Oh! and other similar games when he was younger, so learning a new, more mature card game appealed to him. About halfway through our first game, when I asked him what he thought about it, he replied, “Much better than Yu-Gi-Oh!” As we discussed the game, we both agreed that while it is fun the way it is, its real strength will be in the unlimited possibilities opened up once it is customized. We are already making plans for customizing our game rules and decks once we are more confident with the three standard games (with and without constructed decks).

The cards are about the same size as, but more durable than, standard game cards, with rounded edges to cut back on getting dog ears on the corners. The artwork is a Manga or Anime style that at times reminds me of the animated films The Lord of the Rings and The Last Unicorn. In addition to the 60-card deck, there are two die (one standard 6-sided die and one 8,10 or 12-sided die) and 28 tokens. Everything stores away in a sturdy box about the size of a paperback novel. The lid fits snugly so it will be easy to take the game from its place on your bookshelf and toss it in a bag or backpack when you head out to hang with friends. It’s fairly easy to learn how to play and, after many of the possible scenarios have played out, Hero IK has lots of potential for expansion and customization without getting bogged down in some of the more complicated game rules seen in other games. Some hard-core gamers might say this is a watered down or “lite” version of a RPG/Strategy card game, but that would be overlooking the possibilities of this streamlined and enjoyable game. Whether you are a solitary gamer, one who doesn’t have time for long games, or someone who has wanted to try their hand at a card game but has been too intimidated to try it, I recommend picking up Hero: Immortal King.

Contents
• 4 adventurer cards
• 7 equipment cards
• 48 dungeon cards
• 1 final monster card
• 1 6-sided die
• 1 12-sided die* or a 10-sided die** or an 8-sided die***
• 4 Mana tokens
• 4 Tenacity tokens
• 10 Courage tokens
• 10 Fear tokens

Hero IK supports 1-2 players, ages 9 and up. Game length: about 30 minutes.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Hero: Immortal King: The Lair of the Lich

Or order directly through the Asmodee Editions website.

Hero: Immortal King: The Lair of the Lich, Hero: Immortal King: The Infernal Forge, and Hero: Immortal King: Den of Dementia are distributed by Asmodee Editions (US), a subsidiary of Asmodee Editions (France).

Stansborough Fibres

With The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader both currently in production, now is the ideal time to invest in a related costume piece from Stansborough Fibres, one of the authentic suppliers of The Lord of the Rings and Narnia product lines. Stansborough Fibres has been selling the Authentic Magic Fellowship Costume Cloak under full license and endorsement from New Line Cinema since the completion of The Lord of the Rings, and continues to supply Weta Workshop and New Line Cinema (now a division of Warner Brothers) with costuming, cloaks, and accessories made from the fabrics created for the fantasy trilogy.

Magic Fellowship Costume Cloak with Brooch

“Our Fellowship cloaks are of very high quality, all hand-made individually and numbered as a registered limited edition. These are the only ones in the world that are made from the actual fabric used in the movie and from the yarn and fleece which is grown at our farm, Stansborough. It’s the only wool of its kind in the world. We take great care in making them as close to the original design as possible and sewn with every care when creating each garment,” says Cheryl Eldridge of Stansborough Fibres.

In addition to the full-sized cloak, there’s an adorable Mini Fellowship Cloak, made from the same fabric but without the double-lined authentic hood. This is a smaller replica of the Fellowship cloak, meant for a teddy bear or doll.

“The images on our website of the cloaks and the other products made from the same fabric are a good representation of our movie costuming,” Cheryl Eldridge continues. “Of course, the fabric is much better in real life and all the clients who have them are thrilled with them when they arrive. They are always more impressed with the actual products when they arrive.”

If you’re ever in New Zealand, escape to the real “Middle Earth” by staying at Stansborough Cottage or taking an interactive Experience Stansborough tour, with personal and group tours available by appointment. Elle Canada did an article in their May edition on what to see in Wellington, New Zealand, and Stansborough Fibres was featured as the place to go and purchase some unique New Zealand-made products.

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: Mr Tumnus Scarf

Stansborough Fibres is also now selling through several clients in Vancouver, Canada, mostly higher-end interiors stores who love their innovative designs and 100% eco-friendly natural interiors lines. These products are from the corporate gifts, accessories, baby range, and interiors collections, rather than movie costuming, and are available at Atkinson’s, Bernstein & Gold, Fino Lino, RoseHill Bed & Bath, Provide, Moulé, and Inform Interiors.

For artisans wanting to make their own “Stansborough Grey” designs, Stansborough Fibres offers a Spinners & Weavers selection of washed fleece, roving slivers, and knitting yarn. There’s a wholesale Buyers Range for commercial clients, as well.

Order directly through the Stansborough Fibres website.

From New Zealand Farm to Hollywood

When Cheryl and Barry Eldridge looked to diversify the farming activities on Stansborough, their New Zealand sheep station, sixteen years ago, they had no idea the results would eventually be seen on cinema screens around the world. The unique fibre created by their flock of rare grey sheep was used to costume most of the main characters appearing in the blockbuster Lord of the Rings trilogy and was seen again in two other major Disney productions, Narnia’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, along with The Waterhorse, BBC’s Kidnapped and several other projects. This New Zealand couple says that producing the fabric for the “Fellowship Cloaks” and major costuming in the Lord of the Rings movies was their ultimate challenge and their biggest achievement to date.

In 1991, Cheryl and Barry Eldridge concluded that their hill country sheep and cattle farm, situated in a picturesque valley in the Wairarapa, two hours drive north of Wellington, was a marginal farming operation. Instead of following the example of many others that turned their properties into pine plantations, the Eldridges looked for more imaginative options. Their search resulted in them obtaining a small flock of grey sheep and several alpacas. These sheep are also now registered as a wool breed in their own right, “Stansborough Greys”.

These grey sheep, that historically originate from an island off the coast of Sweden, now have wool that is unusually silky, soft and lustrous. This is the result of many years of selective breeding and hard work, producing a “Stansborough Grey” flock of over twelve hundred. There are also sixty alpacas on the farm whose fibre adds warmth and variety to many of the end products. When on display in New York, the unusual qualities of the “Stansborough Grey” fibre caught the eyes of the Lord of the Rings costume designers and led to the order for the costumes for Tolkien’s creations, and other subsequent movies.

The Eldridges personally attend the shearing, hand sorting and grading of the fleece of each animal. After the fleece has been professionally spun, the yarn is then woven at their own small weaving mill in Wellington. 100% grown, inspired, designed and created in New Zealand, the end product is totally eco-friendly, from the sustainable way the animals are farmed, to the finished textiles. Fibres used are in totally natural colours or dyed with only biodegradable overdyes.

Cheryl Eldridge, who has a background in the creative arts, along with daughter Kiri, designs all the fabric, accessories and end product range. Barry Eldridge draws on an engineering background to expertly operate the historic looms they use in their factory. Both their sons, Jamie and Gavin, help with the farm and the accounts. The looms, that came out to New Zealand in the early 1900s, were developed in England in the 1890s to make fine worsted textiles and are themselves masterpieces of design and engineering. These were among the very first commercial looms manufactured, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, and have the ability to still create heirloom textiles from a byegone era.

Cheryl and Barry Eldridge are constantly developing their range of original and unique fashion, interiors and baby wear. These are now marketed through outlets in the United Kingdom, Europe, USA, Canada and Australia. What originally started out as an idea to keep a rare sheep from extinction and a farm operating profitably, has grown into a family business that begins out in the paddock and ends in high end fashion outlets or boutique hotels around the world, and increasingly on blockbuster cinema screens!

For more information, and the latest on Stansborough Fibres’ involvement in Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia, visit the Stansborough Fibres website.

The Art of Bolt

Meet Bolt: dashing superdog, loyal companion, and star of a hit television show. When he learns the shocking truth -- that this charmed life has been a lie -- Bolt embarks on a cross-country adventure and discovers along the way that he doesn't need superpowers to be a hero.

The Art of Bolt by Mark Cotta Vaz is the trusty sidekick guide to Bolt — the latest film from Walt Disney Animation Studios — and the newest volume in Chronicle Books’ line of Pixar/Disney animation art books, following The Art of WALL-E. The Art of Bolt documents the evolution of a movie whose “creators built from scratch an ingenious animation process that blurs the line between hand-painted and computer-generated filmmaking.”

Packed with vivid conceptual art “that functioned as beautiful building blocks for the unique look of the film,” The Art of Bolt has the feel of a travel journal filled with sketches and paintings done on a cross-country road trip of urban and rural America, paused for lengthier rest stops in New York, Ohio, Las Vegas, and Hollywood. The bulk of the art consists of scenery studies that show off the expert use of light effects in the film, with sketches of Bolt, his friends Mittens the cat and Rhino the hamster, and the humans they interact with — “physiologically accurate yet perfectly caricatured at the same time” — sprinkled throughout like thumbnails of interesting people seen and met on the journey.

The Art of Bolt is printed on heavy, art-quality paper, and presents a selection of preliminary sketches, character studies, storyboards, colorscripts, and full-color images, along with material from the Disney archives that illustrates how the Bolt creative team sought to return to Disney’s animation roots in their development of the film’s “painterly” look, a blending of classic 2D and modern 3D animation styles. The art is interspersed with quotes, interviews, and essays from the director, producer, designers, artists, and others involved in the production of Bolt, all of which open a fascinating window into the making of this underdog tale.

Order now at Amazon.com:
The Art of Bolt

The Art of Bolt is distributed by Chronicle Books (International/US) and Raincoast Books (Canada).