Tower of the Hand

At the Chicago Comic Entertainment Expo, which takes place this weekend, the main stage of the convention center has been reserved for some of the show's biggest attractions. This year's headliners include filmmakers M. Night Shyamalan and Kevin Smith, the cast of Orphan Black and the lead actresses of two Marvel TV shows, and even Stan Lee himself. For those more Game of Thrones inclined, Jason Momoa (Khal Drogo) and Finn Jones (Loras Tyrell) will also be spending some time in the main stage spotlight. Hundreds upon hundreds of fans pack themselves into the room to hear their favorites promote their work. Lots of those fans are even costumed like their idols; e.g. four "Peggy Carters" were brought on stage before being greeted by the actual Peggy Carter, the charming Hayley Atwell.

George and Robin Event in London. Last night in London, George R. R. Martin and Robin Hobb-- two of the world's most esteemed fantasy writers-- were invited to speak before a packed crowd about their work, including Robin's newest book, Fool's Assassin. HarperVoyager posted a full account of the evening, but our own MrFadedGlory was also in attendance. He kindly provided us with an audio recording of the interview. Have a listen to the 90-minute event here:

Pat Conroy offers high praise for GRRM. George R. R. Martin has received a lot of criticism lately from readers who lament the pace at which he's delivering his A Song of Ice and Fire novels, and from fans who wonder if he's chasing the easy money with all his side projects. It's understandable, but sometimes we forget that GRRM's success has been rightly earned. Take it from the perspective of bestselling author Pat Conroy (The Great Santini, The Prince of Tides). Conroy has written a lengthy testimonial about finally reading A Game of Thrones, having long avoided the genre, and about meeting GRRM for the first time. He offers the highest praise for him as a writer, and as a man whose success has not routed the best parts of his nature. If you're feeling down on GRRM, this is well worth the read.

Interview with Leviathan Wakes authors. Over at Comic Related, Marc has an interesting interview with Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck, co-authors of Leviathan Wakes. Although George R. R. Martin is only casually mentioned in the interview, the two have a strong GRRM connection: Abraham is one of GRRM's most frequent collaborators and Franck is GRRM's assistant. (Also: Leviathan Wakes is competing this year against A Dance with Dragons for the Hugo best novel award.)

GRRM interviews Bernard Cornwell. Bernard Cornwell's latest book Death of Kings is on sale now. George R. R. Martin interviewed the author, discussing the similarities between epic fantasy and historical novels, as well as the connection between Ned Stark and Cornwell's signature character, Richard Sharpe.

Anne McCaffrey: 1926-2011. Anne McCaffrey, the venerable author of over 100 books, including the popular Pern series, died Monday at the age of 85. McCaffrey was highly esteemed by fans and critics alike. The White Dragon was one of the first science-fiction novels to land on the New York Times Bestsellers list. She also was the first woman to win a Hugo and a Nebula award. McCaffrey is survived by two sons and a daughter. Our condolences to her family, friends, and many readers.

ASOIAF, the greatest franchise ever? Writing for ...ology, Winter Is Coming argues that A Song of Ice and Fire is the greatest franchise ever, even better than the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter.

ASOIAF ranks #5 in NPR's top 100. The ballots have been cast, and the votes tallied. Now NPR reveals the top 100 science fiction and fantasy titles. A Song of Ice and Fire ranks fifth, second among all fantasy behind only The Lord of the Rings. Hard to argue with the top 10:

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
2. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
3. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
4. The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
5. A Song of Ice and Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin
6. 1984, by George Orwell
7. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
8. The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
9. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
10. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman