Twenty*9

There are so many obscure tvc's out there for advertising beer. Generally it consists of the key ingredients of beautiful women, an animal, beer..... and some more beautiful women.


Carlton Dry's recent advertising campaign is inspired by the dream of staring in our own action films. Carlton's Group Marketing Manager, Vincent Ruiu commented "The campaign draws inspiration from the fact that we all have one brilliant story we like to share with out mates over a beer".


90's action legend Steven Segal stars in a series of 30 second TVCs advertising the campaign's competition. Competitor's will provide a story for a 3 minute film which will be recreated with Segal playing the role of the winner.


I have several favourite beer advertising campaigns including 'The Big Ad' and several for Tooheys Extra Dry. But this series tops those. Perhaps it's because I love 90s action. Perhaps it's Segal.


It's all Segal.

Twenty*8

Twenty*7

Taking the Plunge from Paper Moose Productions on Vimeo.

An entry into the 2010 48 Hour Film Project undertaken by Paper Moose Productions, the director of which is a good friend of mine from uni. I think it's an absolutely great job done in such a short amount of time and apparently so did alot of other people - the film winning 'Best Film', 'Best Character' and 'Audience Choice'.

Nick and I have been in contact over the past month and a bit and I am quite pleased and very excited to say that I will be taking on some work for the company at some point in the near future (ala new year). There has been a few projects discussed which sound great! But at the end of the day the crew are all lovely people and I certainly look forward to working with them at some point in the future.

Twenty*6

Beach

We went to the beach on the weekend and for once I dragged my camera with me. I didn't take too many photos to be honest; these would definitely be the best of the selection. Quite happy with how they've turned out, especially the one of the bloke spear fishing. See how I go next time, think I'll do a video perhaps...

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em

Remember Rock' Em Sock 'Em Robots? That old game where you would sit and bash the single button until one of the robots 'died'? That's what I imagine this movie to be. It looks quite cool and as long as there is a solid story and animation it could very well be one of those movies that could stand out as something a little different in this day and age of remakes, revamps and sequels. An interesting tid bit of trivia I have discovered this past week is that Pirates of the Caribbean was originally written with Hugh Jackman in mind for the role of Jack Sparrow. That would have made for a completely different film and I must say that I am glad that it did not head this way. The reason for this happening was that the big heads at Disney felt that Jackman didn't have the name to carry a potential blockbuster, having only recently broken in with X-Men. In that respect, they were wrong.

Whatever happened to Indians?

I was up nice and early for work on Thursday. Or should I woke up early, dragged my laptop into bed and loaded up the Cowboys & Aliens trailer to wake myself up with.


Jon Favreau  has exceeded expectations with his Iron Man films, going as far as to change the direction that Marvel Studios is taking with all live action interpretations of their characters. Let's ignore the fact that this has resulted in 3 different actors playing the Hulk with a 7 year span, or that at least 3 existing multi-film franchises are/have been rebooted. None of this can be placed at Favreau's feet. The man has excelled in directing arguably the best superhero flicks which have so dominated our screens for the past 10 years.


Ever since I heard rumours of the development of an Cowboys & Aliens film I have been dying for a scrap of anything substantial. For now I have had to survive on the odd tweet with a quick low-res image of a set or costume - nothing that will show me what kind of film the final product would actually be. Once Comicon hit the US the internet provided me with some videos of a hall roaring their approval of Favreau and Harrison Ford's first appearance at the fabled nerdalicious event. Through the event we were provided with the first image of Daniel Craig as the 'cowboy abducted by aliens'.

It gave a pretty good impression. The newly-released trailer finally gave me a decent look at how these two very different genres will mesh together. For the most part it's a Western, but with aliens in place of the typical 'Indian Menace'. Not much may be seen of the ships in the trailer, which is what I love most about it! The initial shot feels very 'Close Encounters of a Third Kind' and 'ET'. Can't wait.

Twenty*2

Hells yes!

Twenty*1

Full trailer for the Green Lantern hit the web today, following up on some truly shocking footage courtesy of Entertainment Tonight. Seriously, if they want to advertise perhaps they should release their promos in a decent res that doesn't crush the hope of every DC fanboy out there?


I ignored the video largely due to the resolution, it's incredibly hard to judge a book by it's misprinted pixelly cover. I am by no means a hardcore Green Lantern fan, in fact I still know only a little of his story - a background and some of his more recent adventures are basically the extent of my knowledge on the matter. If you want a good overview of his origin tale (and thus part of the subject matter for the upcoming film) be sure to check out DC's animated feature 'Green Lantern: First Flight'.


For the most part my impressions from the trailer were quite promising. I can now full realise  the reasons for the suit being cg - just look at Killowog and Tomar-Re.

Some other observations that I would like to note is firstly,all the character look fantastic! Mark Strong looks downright majestically theatrical as Sinestro! Temura Morrison looks wicked as Abin-Sur..... BUT did anyone at DC/Warner Bros watch X-Men 3? Have they noticed that they have made him look like Kelsey Grammar as Beast at all? Or is it just me?

When first announced, I was quite skeptical as to how they would approach the Lantern's powers - I mean giant hands smashing people around? Jordan's fondness for recreating human tools such as hammers? I knew this is something that could kill the film, after all it is difficult to take something serious when it looks like it belongs in a Looney Tunes short. So far I am impressed with the single clip a swift punch using the ring, but I reserve my ultimate judgement until I see something other than a hand creating in the effect.

Finally (inevitably) the two things that stick out from the trailer that could kill the film for me;

The Mask.

In the majority of the trailer the mask looks awful. I don't know if it the fact you can still see Reynolds iris' or is it the lighting? I don't know. In the above images I think it looks fine in the first image, it's an action shot but it's clear enough for us to the mask blending with his face and it looks fine. The eyes don't both me here, but in the second image it looks awful! I think it's the grading and the colour of the suit in that particular light. It's too bright and doesn't look like it belongs. This is something that I hope is sorted out for the final product.

Blake Lively.

I just plain don't like her. From what I have seen of her acting 'talent' (Gossip Girl) I think if she can't carry her weight she will her scenes into a deep dark hole in space with no hope of return. I'm not saying that she can't act.... I just haven't seen anything that supports this.

Perhaps it's a credit to her that her character shits me so much?

Twenty*0

I am currently in the very early stages of working on what is to become an annual project. Around Christmas time every year I am asked by an number of friends what movies I would recommend from both the current year, as well as what upcoming films to keep an eye on. The same goes for games. I'll host the review/preview list online somewhere (perhaps it's own site) as well as a pdf for mass distribution.


Should be fun.


The list will include up to ten in each category;
- Recommended 2010;
     - Live Action Films
     - Animated Films
     - TV Series
     - Games
     - Tech


- Upcoming 2011

     - Live Action Films

     - Animated Films

     - TV Series

     - Games

     - Tech

This should give me something a to do in some of my off-time. I'm slowly sourcing images etc for the piece.

Nineteen*9

Nineteen*8

I loved TinTin as a kid. I've never actually seen the animated series but I all the books my primary school had. When I heard that there was a film trillogy in development I have followed every tiny scrap of news since. Early news reported that Steven Spielberg would direct the first, Peter Jackson the second and they would co-direct the third. More recent news has it that there will only be two films but this remain relatively uncertain in this day and age of sequels. Since pre-production was announced and Spielberg's filming wrapped after 6 weeks or production I have been anxious for a glimpse at how Herge's legendary style would be transformed into film. Empire quoted Peter Jackson on the film's visual style;

"With live action you're going to have actors pretending to be Captain Haddock and Tintin, with CGI we can bring Hergé's world to life, keep the stylised caricatured faces, keep everything looking like Hergé's artwork, but make it photo-real."

Little has been stated about the film's scripts (written by Steven Moffat, rewrites by Joe Cornish and Edgar Wright) other than the first film will focus on the beginning of TinTin's friendship with Captain Haddock, Thompson & Tompson whilst exploring the stories of The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure.

Apparently Edgar Wright has written dialogue for Thompson & Tompson, which would be amazing considering that they were always hilarious in the comics and of course the fact that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are playing the twins!

I think they have captured the look of Herge's work as well as is possibly in a CGI realm. There will always be complaints about it looking reminiscent to the ill-fated Polar Express as well as it not truly reflecting Herge's style. To put it plainly; those out there who expect a perfect adaptation should give up on watching anything based off a book, film, musical, graphic novel, comic, real life etc because it will never happen. You need to look at this as an opportunity for one of your childhood favourites to get a treatment from film greats that you could have dreamed of; Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg and the list goes on. Does this mean that it is going to be a success? Not necessarily. But it does stand a pretty good chance with such a talented team.

Those doubts regarding the animation falling deep deep into the uncanny valley should be cast aside when they think of the fact that WETA is undertaking the mo-cap and effects. I feel as though their experience speaks for itself; Lord of the Rings, King Kong, Avatar, District 9, I, Robot etc.

After all, it's all in the eyes.

Nineteen*7

The original Back to the Future teaser trailer. As always, alot of love for Michael J Fox but in the past few days the internet has exploded with two separate videos relating to both Fox and BTTF. One is a recreation of the above trailer for the SPIKE SCREAM 2010 awards. The second is EWs reunions edition, which features reunions for Back to the Future, Lord of the Rings, Scream and so on. Videos follow;

Nineteen*6

My much anticipated IKEA excursion last weekend was met with unrivaled failure! I could never have anticipated that it would turn out to be so unnecessarily pointless to make the trip, however we did all enjoy our $1.00 hotdogs.

I went in search of several things; plain black frames (for my degrees), a possible sofa bed (for my new place), a desk chair and l also wished to peruse the kitchen tables for possibilities for future investments.

Well..

Plain Black Frames

I honestly feel as though IKEA should invest in something other than these new fangled frames which are at the very least twice as thick as ordinary picture frames. Also I believe that it is a bit much for a department store such as IKEA to ONLY have this particular style of frame available. FAIL.

Sofa Bed

Choice words I would use to describe the selection; overpriced, hard, uncomfortable, ugly ugly ugly. FAIL.

Desk Chair

I had high hopes for some majestic choices from IKEA for this particular item but was left wanting. With a surprisingly small range to choose from I immediately assumed that I would not find anything suitable to my wishes and needs. Once I had discounted those without armrests or high backs I was left with 3 possible options. One had such a high, straight back whose headrest loomed far above my head I assumed it must be meant for giants. One other had the strangest hard plastic arms so I didn't even give it a go. The remaining chair looked much like you ordinary unassuming office chair - black, leather, a little uglier than most but hopeful. One of the single most uncomfortable office chairs in the world. FAIL.

Kitchen Table

I did not mind what I saw initially but on closer inspection at the couple that suited my needs I found that their tops were already marked like nothing else, simple from people looking at them. I'm not in the market for a glorified cheap office desk so I looked at some others. There were actually some quite decent tables there but I must say there was only one or two that I would actually half consider when the time comes. And honestly, I'll most likely not think to go to IKEA for a table when the time comes regardless of whether or not the stock has changed. FAIL.

Overall, my trip would have been far more successful had I been seeking a work desk or a desk lamp or something kitchen related. I did manage to secure a rather large handful of pencils though, so the trip was not a complete waste.

Nineteen*5

Nineteen*4

And we've missed you Zeke.

Nineteen*3

29. (PROGRESS!) Watch all Star Trek films.

As I pack all my dvd's to move I've come to the conclusion that I needed a list to refer to for my Star Trek watching progress. It's something that is going to take a while, my being such a massive Star Wars fan and all. But I'm curious - this year I finally watched Wrath of Khan and thought it was fan-bloody-tastic. A shame that half the effects were CG and compared to the miniatures in the film, have no aged as well.
My progress thus far;

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek: The Search for Spock
• Star Trek: The Voyage Home
• Star Trek: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek: Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek: Nemesis
• Star Trek

Impressive I know. it took me ages to get to this point! I saw a fair bit of Star Trek The Next Generation on random times on tv, as well as Star Trek Enterprise (which I am currently contemplating investing in). Something about the over technical focus on talking rather than doing threw me off. I really enjoyed Enterprise however, perhaps it was Scott Bakula and next generation had Patrick Stewart. But after seeing JJ Abrams revamp of the series - it raised my interest in watching the entire series and I would hate to be an elitist ignoring Trek whilst loving Wars. I won't get into Trek to the same extent (reading the books etc) although I may yet invest in Star Trek Online, I rather enjoyed my limited trial run!

It's a bit sad; I picked up Nemesis in first year of uni, Generations not too long after (due to my Boston Legal craze and my wish to see Shatner in the Star Trek Universe). I then picked up Star Trek earlier this year. So basically I have only seen a single film that I do not own. But I'll get there! I'm particularly looking forward to seeing the Borg-related adventures of the Next Generation crew - I have heard alot.

Nerd.

Nineteen*2

An amazing artwork Geometric Death Frequency-141 shows liquid splashing in a 6m x 15m invisible cube. The work was created through the use of automated robots, the structure so complex that there was no other feasible approach.

Federico Diaz: Geometric Death Frequency-141 from federico diaz on Vimeo.

Federico Diaz: Geometric Death Frequency-141 from federico diaz on Vimeo.

The system used the robots to place the balls one-by-one, slowly building the artwork. The robotic arms would retrieve the black ball, use the dual glue dispenser to place glue on the balls and then proceed to place them in their designated position. Repeat. For 420,000 balls. Federico Díaz used CAD software to simulate liquid until he decided on the suitable frozen shape.

Nineteen*1

Ninteen*0

Illustrates my previous point pretty well I'd say. Thankyou to the dear internet for plastering the new suit everywhere, it's a definite step up from the matrix-esque suit.

Eighteen*9

To follow up on my previous posts (two) on my macbook doing its very best to plummet into a swan dive and splatter itself across the pavement.I called up Apple Support who were all-round pretty unhelpful. After I described the issue, including the conclusion that I had arrived on and directing them to the documentation that I had found they essentially told me what I had resolved to do prior to calling which was visit a Apple Repair Center. So off I went, dropped the computer off and 3 days late my macbook was returned to me fully functional, although covered with grubby fingerprints which the service repair officer clearly felt did not require cleaning up.

Nonetheless the repair was free-of-charge due to an agreement between Apple and NVIDIA regarding the graphics card in this particular model of MBP. I was given an invoice for my records and I must say; had the nvidia agreement not covered the cost(s) of the repair I would have simply invested in a new laptop rather than suffer the repair costs.

Without going into specifics; the repair would have cost me a little over $2000, the macbook having only cost me $2449. No wonder nvidia decided to cover the repair costs - noone would bother repairing their computer at this cost and would no doubt seriously consider heading away from the Macbook Pro towards a computer with an alternative brand of graphics card. Personally I am a fan of NVIDIA, I have always found their performance superior to others like ATI. It was lucky that I pursued this straight-away as I now (as of Friday) have a 'full-time' job which requires that I have a personal laptop that I may work from.

So folks, a word of caution to those of you running a Macbook Pro manufactured between May 2007 and September 2008 with a NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor - if you do have an issue with the graphics performance, it is covered under this agreement for 4 years from the purchase date.

Eighteen*8

 The third episode of the final season of Smallville has been titled 'Supergirl' - it feels obvious what it is all about. Laura Vandervoort reprises her role as Kara Zor-El aka Kara Kent aka Linda Danvers aka Supergirl and is apparently there 'to shake things up' for the current heroes of Earth. She is forced to adapt her brunette disguise in public as she makes a grand flying entrance, all a lead up to the greater effect of Superman.

I feel as though she will become a shining example that the world needs and wants these heroes, not those that are hidden in the shadows. Why? Well some of these hidden vigilantes are misrepresented by their need for secrecy and deception (notably Green Arrow) and would benefit from a public outing. Mind you, I think for Smallville that isn't something that will eventuate in the series with the exception of Clark donning the cape. Some promo shots of the Supergirl outfit have debuted online - it was described as a step forward from Clark's current 'Blur' costume but not quite a finished product. No insignia, belt or cape. The rest is all there. I'm quite a fan, although I will admit it feels strange without the cape but that is something they need to save for Superman.

Seeing this hammers home that it is the Smallville equivalent of the Supergirl costume, reinforcing the thought that the Superman Returns supersuit will be sadly out of place in this universe. I really feel that the Smallville supersuit should be plainer, more along the lines of the classic Christopher Reeve suit (without the 's' texture). Mind you, just because the suit has appeared does not mean that will be the one he will wear. It's assumed, but you can't take it all for granted.

Supergirl's outfit appears much as it does in the classic comics (and tv series), the modern suit only differing in the colour of the skirt (blue).

Eighteen*7

Looks pretty swish.

Very excited for Robert Knepper. Of what I wasn't able to avoid of Prison Break he was definitely the highlight of an otherwise lackluster show. Likewise with the final season of Heroes.

So seeing what he does to the Stargate Universe (Universe =p). I'd bet that it will be fantastic.

Eighteen*6

Yup. Still Bioshock. But different. Which is nice.

Eighteen*5

Finally hit a solution after a weekend of googling with my macbook pro issues!

Checked out the Apple Defects wiki and found some examples of what I am experiencing.

According to the site it is a graphics card failure, specifically the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT (present in my computer). It also directed me to another link on the Apple Support website which detailed the issue;

"In July 2008, NVIDIA publicly acknowledged a higher than normal failure rate for some of their graphics processors due to a packaging defect. At that same time, NVIDIA assured Apple that Mac computers with these graphics processors were not affected. However, after an Apple-led investigation, Apple has determined that some MacBook Pro computers with the NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processor may be affected. If the NVIDIA graphics processor in your MacBook Pro has failed, or fails within four years of the original date of purchase, a repair will be done free of charge, even if your MacBook Pro is out of warranty.

What to look for:

• Distorted or scrambled video on the computer screen
• No video on the computer screen (or external display) even though the computer is on

Specific products affected:

• MacBook Pro 15-inch and 17-inch models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors
  • MacBook Pro (17-Inch, 2.4GHz)
  • MacBook Pro (15-Inch, 2.4/2.2GHz)
  • MacBook Pro (Early 2008)
• These computers were manufactured between approximately May 2007 and September 2008

Products Affected

MacBook Pro, models with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics processors"

So now knowing this I can rest a bit easier I think. Instead of calling Apple I think I will just head down to the Apple Repair Center and take a print out of this information and that way when they check it out they should basically see that it is this particular issue and therefore the costs of the repair are covered under NVIDIA's agreement with Apple. Still not happy about it, but am pleased to find out that as far as I can tell - this is the issue and apparently it's quite common. So a quick announcement to y'all out there - if you bought a Macbook Pro during 2008, be prepared for the possibility of this happening to you.

See how I go tomorrow.

Eighteen*4

7. (PROGRESS!) Read Dracula.

 Some more progress today!

I picked up Dracula in the Penguins Classic line today, have been putting it off for ages now. In fact I even saved myself some cash by picking it up from Big W with their 35% off paperbacks sale at the moment. Quite pleased with myself. Sure helped out with some other less-than-fantastic developments of late.

 
This is exactly what a macbook screen looks like when it complete fucks itself. Excuse the language but it's so damn frustrating. Since I got my iMac I haven't needed it per say but I will actually need it in 3 or so weeks so that's unfortunate. The screen began to flicker with the artifacts you can see above, then the screen flashed like mad and would not stop - quickly followed by my turning it off at the power. Left it for a while and then turned it back on and BAM! Computer will not reboot normally or in safe mode. Not happy. Macbook is only 2 years and 3 months old and is out of warranty and quite frankly I don't want to spend too much on getting it fixed. I only just got a new battery and all *sigh* see how a few phonecalls goes tomorrow, mighty even go down to the dodgy mac repair center and see what they can tell me.

Eighteen*3

Very much looking forward to the final season of Smallville. I am currently avoiding all tv-related websites so I don't spoil the season premiere for myself - it's not too easy for me to do, but there are so many other things that I have to do I'm keeping quite busy.

There has been alot of speculation about the final season - what it will and won't deliver, and based off some of the things that I have heard I doubt it will diappoint. Smallville is far past its slump period and certainly proved last season that it still had alot of stories to tell and new ways to deliver the reimagined beginnings. One such fact that the Season 9 finale did put out there was that; Yes, he now has the super suit and Yes, Superman exists in 2012. Which basically gave the series 2 seasons maximum to tie up the stories. Ten is a nice number for it to go out on and it is ironic that Allison Mack has finally decided to depart right in the last hour, leaving Tom Welling the only remaining original cast member (regular). I have hated Mack's character from the beginning and she only got worse, so I can't say I'm sorry to see her finally go.

I have the same questions as everyone else regarding the final season; will he fly? will he don the suit? will he become Superman at the end? Can only watch and see. The problem is that the show's creators did state early on 'no tights, no flights' but they have since departed and honestly, is there really another way to finish the story? We all knew how it began and ended, but the only thing we are still yet to see is the middle.

nb. One last thing - I think it's a bit disappointing that the supersuit is the Brandon Routh/Superman Returns suit. I feel Smallville has earnt their own suit by now.

Eighteen*2

37. (COMPLETE) Replace laptop battery.

My insurance claim for my Macbook battery came through a while ago now and I cashed it in and bought a replacement battery. It's excellent! It means I can take my laptop places again without having to worry about dragging the power adapter along as well and the best thing is it was covered under my insurance so I didn't have to shell out $200 for it - which was basically why I was putting up with it in the first place.


9. (COMPLETE) Update folio site.

This particular item will be completed over and over I think. I think I was meaning for a new template to go up before I crossed this off but decided against a complete redesign for now - it's something I've got to stop doing every 6 months. That said, I have changed the design slightly - but the most important change is the content. The Design and Illustration sections have been overhauled, Motion remains the same, my About has been completely reworked, CV updated and the background changed as well. Comparison above (the scale difference is due to different resolutions/monitors).


3. (PROGRESS!) Lose 5kgs.


Started a new diet on the 4th. Basically it includes actually eating 3 meals in a day, smaller portions, healthier meals (more veg), next to no soft drink, more water and juice, bit more walking etc, next to no snacks and what snacks I have are nuts and eating slower. It seems to be working! My weight as of the 4th was 74kgs. My weight as of today (18th) is 71.5kgs. That's an average of basically 1kg a week just by eating better! That was pretty much the problem mind you - so, pretty happy about this!


16. (PROGRESS!) Obtain new dvd shelving unit.


My parents are currently painting and rearranging our house in Young for the first time that I can remember! This means some new furniture is moving in and some old is moving out! Dad has had these white bookshelves in the study... Well, forever! And he's swapping them out for something else. Not one to throw things out he's trying to figure out a use for the shelves - so I asked if I could have at least one of them (there are two) for my dvds. They're roomy so there will be no issues with box sets and metal tins not fitting AND it provides me with more space to put dvds and strangely enough will not take up more space than my current set up. Less Even! So when I move I will be getting those!


17. (PROGRESS!) Own a 100 year old book.


I had forgotten that as a graduation present to myself I picked up an 'antique classic' version of Robinson Crusoe from a second-hand book shop in Fitzmaurice St in Wagga last year. I checked out the publishing date the other day whilst sorting through my books the other day and it was published in 1911! so that means next year it will be 100 years old! It's crazy how long books can last if they are cared for appropriately.


18. (PROGRESS!) Watch 3 'alternate' films.


Two down one to go. I have watched Just Add Water and The Life Aquatic with Steve Sizzou.


23. (PROGRESS!) Read 1 chapter per day of a book for a month.


Starting today!


35. Camp in the Blue Mountains.


Possibly stealing one of dad's tents while in Young next week to go camping on the upcoming long weekend.

Eighteen*1

21. (PROGRESS!) Own all Raymond E Feist books in hardcover.

Could not believe my eyes when I saw a hard cover edition of Magician sitting on the shelf in Dymocks Penrith. For $30! As you know collecting the remainder of Feist's released collection is on my List so I could not pass it up! I was confused but after talking to the saleswoman and a quick google search it turns out that it is a limited release for Voyager's 15th Anniversary - a line of 5 books which have been re-released in HC. It was going to be the most difficult book of Feist's to find in HC so that's a massive dent in my collection efforts. In case you are curious here is my checklist for Feist's released HC's;

• -       Magician
• -       Silverthorn
• -       A Darkness at Sethanon
• -       Legends of the Riftwar: Honoured Enemy
• -       Legends of the Riftwar: Murder in LaMut
• -       Legends of the Riftwar: Jimmy the Hand
• -       The King’s Buccaneer
• -       Prince of the Blood
• -       Krondor the Betrayal
• -       Krondor the Assassins
• -       Krondor Tear of the Gods
• -       Shadow of a Dark Queen
• -       Rise of a Merchant Prince
• -       Rage of a Demon King
• -       Shards of a Broken Crown
• -       Talon of the Silver Hawk
• -       King of Foxes
• -       Exile’s Return
• -       Flight of the Nighthawks
• -       Into a Dark Realm
• -       Wrath of a Mad God
• -       Rides a Dread Legion
• -       At the Gates of Darkness

As you can see I have 5 to go (8 if you include the 3 unreleased books). I have seen Krondor the Betrayal and Krondor Tear of the Gods around in second-hand bookshops and on ebay so many times I am not concerned - there are an abudance of copies. Hell I've even seen Silverthorn and A Darkness at Sethanon a few times - they will cost a bit so it's a matter of the right money at the right time with those two. The only book that really concerns me now is Prince of the Blood. I have been searching for HC's of all these books since about 2004 and I have only ever seen it once. I am avoiding sourcing from overseas but I think that may be my only option. But at the end of the day I am happy that I found Magician - for me it is the most important find because it is my favourite book. It was was got me into fantasy and it's a majestic read.