LOLpics

You haven't been cruising the internet extensively enough if you haven't come across LOLcats. I happen to check a LOLcat website every couple of days, so when a conversation with Eric from Short Exact and Transbay turned to LOLbooks, we couldn't resist having a go at making our own fantasy-themed LOLpictures.

Yet another how to

There seems to be quite a number of "How To Write a Fantasy Novel" guides out there on the web, most of which seem to be written by disgruntled fans or people who look down on fantasy. It's hard to pinpoint who actually writes these things because they use such generic stereotypes that it could be someone who's never touched speculative fiction in their life. Anyway, here's another one for your amusement!

"Skulduggery Pleasant" by Derek Landy

Suzanna from the Terry Brooks forum brought this book to my attention, and I’m really glad she did. Skulduggery Pleasant focuses on the skeleton wizard-detective of the same name (he won his current skull in a poker game—don’t ask what happened to his old one!) and a young girl named Stephanie. Stephanie’s uncle—a horror fiction writer—left her his fortune, including his own house. It’s not until Stephanie spends the night alone there that the story takes off, with Pleasant bashing the door down and saving her from a disturbing attacker. Skulduggery Pleasant is one of the funniest books I have read in a long time- the detective has a sense of humour to die for—jokes and quips abound, but it’s not the cheesy humour you might be used to finding inYoung Adult books. In fact, the humour is quite realistic without descending to rudeness. Despite being humourous, when it gets down to the nitty gritty of magic and action, Skulduggery Pleasant delivers, and delivers in style. Firstly, the magic system is pretty straight forward and easy to understand. It’s not basic, but Derek hasn’t really felt the need to explain needless nuances to it. Secondly, I wouldn’t describe the action as gory but it is most definitely exciting! There’s nothing quite like reading about a heist-escape with Vampires in hot pursuit! Overall this is an easy and enjoyable "Pick-up and read" kind of book. It's got action, humour, an evil mastermind and an involving but not overcomplicated plot. Score: 9/10 Rationale: Incredibly witty, and immensely fun--put Skulduggery Pleasant to the top of your "To be read" pile! Still not convinced? Read an Extract.

"The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, aged 37 3/4" by Adrian Plass

The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, aged 37 3/4, written by Adrian Plass, is a fictional diary. As far as I can discern, it includes no real events whatsoever, and feels distinctly reminiscent of the Adrian Mole Diaries by Sue Townsend, which it intends to spoof. Instead of a teenager, we're introduced to a middle-aged Christian man who despite trying to live according to the straight and narrow, tends to fail miserably-leading more often than not into silly situations with stuffy members of his local church. That is part of the book's charm: although it is written by Christian and focuses on a Christian protagonist, it does not whack you over the head with holier-than-thou or God-is-my-saviour moments. It portrays the humanity in "experienced" Christians, and pokes fun at a lot of the silly stuff that goes on in the Christian world. Admittedly, this book was published in the late 1980s but it is surprising and quite scary that I know quite a lot of the character types being used in the book. The enjoyment doesn't really come from recognising the stereotypes that are being ribbed, although it certainly helps--the non-Christians whom I've lent this book to seem to have had quite a good time reading it...probably due to the humour and the fact that even members of the church realise how stupid some believers act. One thing about the "funny" aspect of The Sacred Diary is missing, as I said earlier it was published 2 decades ago, so a lot of the jokes or comments may be totally out of context, or appear very lame. However, there are enough silly anagrams, puns and downright ridiculous situations to keep a smile on your face. Rating: 6/ 10 Rationale: It would be a lot funnier if it had aged a bit more gracefully, and I'm afraid some of the jokes are "insider" jokes to a pretty small community.