What Are Role Playing Games?

On February 20, 2013, in JT Evans, RP Nerd, by JT Evans

This is the first in what I hope will turn into a regular column here at Functional Nerds. I’m going to be talking about role playing games (RPGs). Before I delve too deeply into the nuance and history of this wonderful style of gaming, I figured I would start off by telling you what RPGs […]

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Book Received: Andromeda’s Fall – A Novel of the Legion of the Damned

On February 18, 2013, in Books Received, by Patrick Hester

Hardcover: 352 pages Publisher: Ace Hardcover (December 4, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0425256251 Official Description: The roots of the Legion of the Damned lie deep within the mythology of the future. But now, national bestselling author William C. Dietz goes back to the Legion’s early days with the story of one recruit’s rebirth and redemption… […]

Book Received: Called To Darkness (A Pathfinder Tale)

On February 15, 2013, in Books Received, by Patrick Hester

Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: Paizo Publishing, LLC. (January 22, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 1601254652 Official Description: Kagur is a warrior of the Blacklions, fierce and fearless hunters in the savage Realm of the Mammoth Lords. When her clan is slaughtered by a frost giant she considered her adopted brother, honor demands that she, the last […]

Free Open-Source Software For Your Windows (or Mac) Machines

On February 13, 2013, in Carrie Cuinn, Tech Nerd, by CarrieCuinn

I recently bought a netbook, after not having a portable computer for a few months. It came pre-installed with Windows 7, which doesn’t usually matter to me because I like to replace the native OS with Ubuntu or another Linux-variation. This time I decided to keep Windows on it because there are a few things […]

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Book Received: Crossed Blades (A Fallen Blade Novel)

On February 11, 2013, in Books Received, by Patrick Hester

Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Ace (November 27, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 1937007847 Official Description: For six years, former temple assassin Aral Kingslayer has been living as a jack of the shadow trades, picking up odd jobs on the wrong side of the law. But the past is never dead, and Aral’s has finally […]

Book Received: The Dog in the Dark

On February 8, 2013, in Books Received, by Patrick Hester

Hardcover: 464 pages Publisher: Roc Hardcover (December 31, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0451464931 Official Description: National bestselling authors Barb and J.C. Hendee present the latest thrilling novel following the adventures of dhampir Magiere and half-elf Leesil… Barely escaping the city of Calm Seatt—and the assassins hunting them—Magiere, Leesil, and the elven dog Chap sail south […]

Don’t Be Hasty

On February 6, 2013, in Fitness Nerd, Sandra Wickham, by Sandra Wickham

The start of a new year brings with it renewed energy, strengthened resolve and fresh enthusiasm for all things in life. Usually that includes new plans for health and fitness, with people determined to make big changes in the way they eat and in the amount of exercise they do. I wholeheartedly encourage this and […]

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Book Received: The Shadow’s Heir

On February 4, 2013, in Books Received, by Patrick Hester

Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages Publisher: Ace (December 24, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0425258238 Official Description: Laela Redguard was born with the black hair of the Northern kingdom and the blue eyes of the Southern people, forever marking her as a hated half-breed child of both. When her only family tie is severed, the fierce […]

Book Received: Supervolcano: All Fall Down

On February 1, 2013, in Books Received, by Patrick Hester

Hardcover: 416 pages Publisher: Roc Hardcover; 1 edition (December 4, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0451464818 Official Description: In Supervolcano: Eruption, one of nature’s most destructive forces released its ferocity on an unsuspecting world. Now, New York Times bestselling author Harry Turtledove reveals how the survivors of the disaster adapt to their new environment… In the […]

Book Received: Hunting Daylight

On January 28, 2013, in Books Received, by Patrick Hester

Mass Market Paperback: 560 pages Publisher: Berkley (February 5, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 0425250695 Official Description: Out of the shadows… For more than a decade, Caro Barrett has had doubts about the death of her husband, who disappeared while looking for a tribe of day-walking vampires in an African rainforest. Now, their daughter is struggling […]

Book Received: The Burn Zone

On January 25, 2013, in Books Received, by Patrick Hester

Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages Publisher: Roc (February 5, 2013) Language: English ISBN-10: 0451413407 Official Description: Plagued by overpopulation, disease, and starvation, humanity was headed for extinction—until an alien race called the haan arrived. And then the real trouble began. It’s been a rough day for Sam Shao. As part of a program that requires […]

Book Review: Space Magic by David Levine

On January 24, 2013, in Book Review, Cathy Russell, by Catherine Russell

Space Magic by David Levine, a collection of fifteen short stories, combines a variety of award winning genre fiction. Tales of magic and science, ghost stories and fairies, exist side by side in delightful harmony. “Wind from a Dying Star” describes a unique vision of humanity evolving to live among the stars. In “Nucleon,” a […]

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Book Review: Fortress Frontier by Myke Cole

On January 21, 2013, in Book Review, Paul Weimer, by Paul Weimer

It’s been rough for Oscar Britton, Army officer turned Sorcerous Operations Corps portamancer turned outlaw selfer. After the chaos of his escape from the U.S. Army base in The Source, living life on the run while being true to his developing philosophy and ideals for what should be the future of magic users like himself […]

Book Received: Doctor Who The Wheel of Ice by Stephen Baxter

On January 21, 2013, in Books Received, by Patrick Hester

Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Ace Hardcover; First Edition edition (December 31, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 0425261220 Official Description: Hurtling through a vortex beyond time and space is a police box that’s not a police box. The TARDIS has carried the Doctor and his companions, Jamie and Zoe, to all sorts of places, but now, when […]

Tuesday Serial: Free Serialized Fiction

On January 17, 2013, in Cathy Russell, News, by Catherine Russell

Every Tuesday, readers can find free serialized fiction via the Tuesday Serial website. Authors post links to their new and ongoing series using the site’s collector, and the following day a report is generated which links to each story. Most installments range about 1,000 words, so readers can whet their appetites and decide which narratives […]

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Review: Mad Scientist’s Daughter by Cassandra Rose Clarke

On January 7, 2013, in Book Review, Cathy Russell, by Catherine Russell

In The Mad Scientist’s Daughter, Cassandra Rose Clarke weaves a heartbreaking tale of love and loss centered around the life of Cat and her strange relationship with her father’s assistant, an android named Finn. Though Cat’s mother and father are both cyberneticists, Cat’s mother has largely given up her career to raise their daughter. Doctor […]

Book Review: Shadowlands, by Violette Malan

On January 3, 2013, in Book Review, Paul Weimer, by Paul Weimer

The Lands of Faerie, after a struggle and a near-death experience, have a true High Prince again. The rule of the false Basilisk Prince is over, and the long process of healing the damage caused by his reign can finally happen.There are holdouts, those who do not want to submit to the new Prince, and […]

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Review: Broken by A.E. Rought

On December 31, 2012, in Book Review, Cathy Russell, by Catherine Russell

The beautifully written novel, Broken by A.E. Rought takes the reader through a modern retelling of Frankesntein with a twist of Romeo and Juliet. The story begins in a cemetery, where the lonely teen, Emma, mourns her boyfriend and the fact that he will never have a grave. Her heartache is palatable; yet soon she […]

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Book Review: The Mirror Prince by Violette Malan

On December 27, 2012, in Book Review, Paul Weimer, by Paul Weimer

A familiar skeleton of a tale. A lost ruler or aspirant to rule of a magical land has been banished, and lost his allies, friends and even his memory. He lives his life on Earth, unaware of his true role and nature, until a meeting with an ally from his old realm shows up at […]

Review: Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

On December 20, 2012, in Book Review, Cathy Russell, by Catherine Russell

In the middle of this elemental storm a fire gleamed among the dripping furze bushes like the madness in a weasel’s eye. It illuminated three hunched figures. As the cauldron bubbled an eldritch voice shrieked: ‘When shall we three meet again?’ There was a pause. Finally another voice said, in far more ordinary tones: ‘Well, […]

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Book Review: Walk the Fire, edited by John Mierau

On December 17, 2012, in Book Review, Paul Weimer, by Paul Weimer

Thematic Shared-world anthologies used to be, once upon a time, all the rage, and one of my favorite forms of genre reading. Wild Cards, Thieves World, Heroes in Hell, Forever After, Time Gate, the Man-Kzin Wars…at one point, I couldn’t scan a shelf in a bookstore without running into one I had not seen or read before.Thematic […]

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Review: Libriomancer (Magic Ex Libris #1) by Jim C. Hines

On December 13, 2012, in Book Review, Cathy Russell, by Catherine Russell

  This book is a love letter. Within its pages, books are magic. They come alive. Libriomancy allows certain gifted individuals to pull forth objects from the pages of books and use them in our world. From the time Gutenberg himself became the first Libriomancer when he invented the printing press, libriomancy has been used […]

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