“Then the storm broke, and the dragons danced.” The scorching behemoth that is Fire and Blood is a sweeping history of the Targaryens from Aegon the Conqueror right through to Aegon III told from the perspective of Archmaester Gyldayn of the Citadel by way of a variety of primary sources including Mushroom the dwarf, who …
On an iron-grey Tuesday night earlier this week, the first floor of Waterstones Piccadilly was filled with the murmur of voices from a truly staggering array of cultures. It was an evening in celebration of Arabic literature and the launch of the fifty-fifth issue of the Banipal magazine. The magazine itself is significantly named for …
Deep in the heart of Mossflower country, nestled between the emerald woods and the sprawling meadowland, stands an ancient abbey. It was built from red standstone by the first mice centuries ago, and even now, with the fiery red cloak of ivy draped over its south face, it burns as brightly as it did back …
“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something,” said a pensive Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit. Walking into the Sir John Ritblat Gallery at the magnificent British Library in the heart of London evokes just this feeling. You may not know what you’re looking for, or that you’re even looking for anything …
“I became a journalist because I did not want to rely on newspapers for information,” said Christopher Hitchens. One of the most incendiary voices of the last half-century, whatever his intent Hitchens encapsulated the sentiment of a generation with this statement, a widespread disillusionment with journalism amidst the rise of the internet, capitalism, corporate conglomerates, …
“Life etches itself onto our faces as we grow older, showing our violence, excesses or kindnesses.” — Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (unsure of translation origin but it’s all over the internet) It was on the advice of one of my former teachers that I decided to visit the new exhibition at the National Gallery soon after …
April 2014 People. That’s one of the things that struck me most about my first visit to China. The vast, vast number of people. The ocean of hats throughout Tiananmen Square, the endless queues waiting to see Mao, the crush of bodies on the local buses, the bustling streets of Shanghai, the utterly packed train …
