So who wants to read a chapter from the next A Song of Ice and Fire book, The Winds of Winter?

Because George R.R. Martin has it up on his website. As pointed out by Topless Robot, the excerpt contains spoilers for the end of the previous ASoIF novel, A Dance of Dragons, so fair warning. I'm surprised that he's started on The Winds of Winter, seeing as how it took him years just to finish the last ones. Maybe Game of Thrones reinvigorated him, or perhaps he just decided to finish the series before winter comes.

(h/t Tor.com)

Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook

Elder Scrolls Wiki

Getting back in the saddle

Saltmanz.com

So after an entirely unintended absence from Swords, Dragons, and Nerds, I am back! The reason for the absence was due to my worst fear when it comes to reading: burn out. You see, I got into a bit of a binge this summer, reading something like ten books from June until about October. Of those ten, all but three were fantasy. Well, it looks like I hit a point where my brain just said "Okay, too much swords and magic! I need starships!" so I decided to take a break and read some science fiction to clear the Orcs and Grue from my head. Now, I'm back and I've decided to tackle one of the biggest hurdles in my nerd life: The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I've made numerous attempts in the past to read the series, but could never quite get the ball rolling. I can't tell you why I could never get into what is largely considered the greatest of fantasy fiction, I just never could. I'm equally baffled as to why I'm reading it now, but I'm 43 pages into The Fellowship of the Ring and not feeling the urge to drop it for something else.

Memory of Light, the final book in Wheel of Time series, is finished

So sayeth Brandon Sanderson himself. Unfortunately, three people were killed when the crane hoisting the massive manuscript snapped its cables.

(via Tor.com)

One does not take public transit into Mordor either, apparently

Nice little easter egg in Google Maps. Well played, Google.

(via Nerd Approved)

First trailer released for The Hobbit

Enjoy.

"I said diamonds, f*cker"

Enjoy.

RIP Anne McCaffrey

Sadly, Anne McCaffrey, the writer of the Dragonriders of Pern series has passed on at age 85. Rest in peace, lady.

Gravity is going to make that guy regret jumping

I believe I can fly...

An R. Kelly song was the first thing to come to mind when I saw this picture over at A Fantasy Reader. It's the cover (credit: Todd Lockwood) of The Straits of Galahesh by Bradley P. Beaulieu. I like the wood and sail airship in the background. Can't say much for that guy's decision to disregard gravity though.

Hit my first wall

Forgotten Realms Wiki.

Unfortunately, last week I hit a wall in my fantasy reading: Canticle. I started reading it almost immediately after finishing Mort, but a hundred pages in, I gave up. The book just didn't hook me like all the prior books I've read have. The book looks interesting, it has clerics (both good and evil), druids, wizards, martial artists, and more, but still, I just could not get into it

Malazan Wiki.

This sent me into a bit of a reading funk, thinking that maybe I was starting to get burned out on fantasy, since I've read nothing else since about July. I checked out some "regular" fiction, but somehow found myself back at fantasy, reading Steven Erikson's Gardens of the Moon. Liking it so far, but after I finish it (which at almost 700 pages is going to take awhile), I might shift back to science fiction for a bit.