As fantasy fans are well aware, tonight is the MTV broadcast premiere of The Shannara Chronicles, the TV series adaptation of author Terry Brooks’s mega-successful novel series that began in 1977 with the publication of The Sword of Shannara. Blending Tolkien-esque fantasy with postapocalyptic science fiction—think a cross between The Lord of the Rings and The Maze Runner, and you’ve got a basic idea of the world that Brooks has built—it involves the adventures of a half human/half elf and his band of friends, on a future Earth in which magic has replaced science.
Speaking of fantasy world building, are you aware that StarWarp Concepts has a nonfiction book for writers and gamers that addresses that very subject? No? Then allow me to bring you up to speed…
In Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination, bestselling fantasy author Richard C. White (Gauntlet: Dark Legacy: Paths of Evil, The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special, Black Gate Magazine’s “World Building 101” column) takes you through the step-by-step process of constructing a world for your characters, from societies and governments to currency and religion. Included is an interview with New York Times bestselling author Tracy Hickman (Dragonlance) that discusses his methods of world building, as well as his creative experiences during his time as a designer for gaming company TSR, the original home of Dungeons & Dragons.
Also premiering on MTV tonight is the newest episode of Teen Wolf: Season 5, the hugely popular series that balances a good-looking cast of actors (well, it’s television, isn’t it?) with some scary hard-core werewolf action. Not exactly what you’d expect from a TV show that gets its name from a 1980s comedy film starring Michael J. Fox, is it?
Anyway, if werewolves are your thing, perhaps you’d like to meet Nightstalker, the lycanthropic member of the superhero team called Troubleshooters, Incorporated!
Perfect for superhero fans, Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings is a graphic novel about a supernatural team of superfolk-for-hire, consisting of a wizard, a sorceress, a female ninja, a high-tech-armor-wearing rock concert lighting designer, and a werewolf. Not every superhero team has Tony Stark’s billions to play with, you understand, and the Troubleshooters are just looking to earn a living while fighting the monsters that have always lurked in the shadows. Makes sense, right? Of course it does! Written by the husband-and-wife team of Richard C. White (The Chronicles of the Sea Dragon Special) and Joni M. White, and illustrated by Reggie Golden and Randy Zimmerman, Night Stalkings presents the TSI members on their first mission: protecting a multimillionaire from a trio of Middle Eastern demons out to raise a little hell!
Terra Incognito: A Guide to Building the Worlds of Your Imagination and Troubleshooters, Incorporated: Night Stalkings are available in print and digital formats, so visit their respective product pages for ordering information.
