Kings of the Realm Beta IS GO!
Digit Games have launched the beta of Kings of the Realm… and after a few hours of gameplay yesterday, I’m calling it. It’s a winner.
Completely free-to-play with an instant community, and an almost endless list of possibilities. Build up your own realm, and interact with others in real-time on the larger map. It’s BETA so there are glitches here and there, the system is still being built and everyone is still learning - but after so much build up it is finally live. And playable. And sooooo good.
I’m working with them on something big for the launch next year *cough* - till then go lose a few hours in gameplay and help build one EPIC MMO.
Go on now. Get to registering!
Irish Book Awards: The Shortlist
This years shortlist for the IBAs was announced late last week - with a whole lotta fanfare and fun. Now all that’s left is for you to vote for your winner.
Ready?
2013 Shortlist: The Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year Jnr.
When You Were Born - Benji Bennett
How Cuchulainn Got his Name (In A Nutshell Series) - Ann Carroll, illus. Derry Dillon
Brave Beast - Chris Judge
A Kiss Like This - Mary Murphy
But wait, it gets better! How about another category?!
2013 Shortlist: The Specsavers Children’s Book of the Year Snr.
Stay Where You Are And Then Leave - John Boyne
Eva & The Hidden Diary - Judi Curtin
Skulduggery Pleasant: Last Stand of Dead Men - Derek Landy
The Keeper - Darragh Martin
I’m not suggesting that you vote for anyone in particular… but, that Landy fella’ is awful pretty.
Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize: Rebecca Stead Liar & Spy
Rebecca Stead’s Liar & Spy has nabbed the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize - keeping back competition from John Green (The Fault in our Stars), David Almond (The Boy Who Swam with Piranhas) and Katherine Rundell (Rooftoppers)
Guardian children’s editor, doctor and doyenne of children’s books as well as chair of the judging panel, Julia Eccleshare said:
Liar & Spy is an incredibly sensitive book. Its central characters are all children who have complexities in their lives which they are dealing with. It’s a novel about how children have to navigate the world, and it has an open-handedness which means that readers may be surprised as to where it finishes. It’s always interesting in children’s fiction to see what’s coming from the US, and it’s appropriate that this Newbery-winning author be highly regarded in the UK too. It is a quiet book, but although the drama is finely-tuned, the overall impact is powerful, moving and surprising.
Have you read Liar & Spy yet?
(And then go read When You Reach Me, Stead’s Newbury-winning novel from 2010!!)
Allegiant is GO!
It’s time!
Allegiant - the final book in Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy hits today. With more questions than answers … here’s my top two:
Who/what is lying in wait in the no-man’s-land? Where will it leave the factions and factionless by the end of the series (still at war?)
Okay. GET READING!
Who buys Digital Comics?
The folks at Comixology have had an incredible run - and now they’re sharing a little about who buys digital comics. And where/how/when they’re reading them. And how much they spend.
Yes. 40% hide their spending from partners.