Steampunk Soldiers

Really like the idea and concept of this recent publication by Osprey, Steampunk Soldiers, covers a world which might have been.

Steampunk Soldiers is a unique pictorial guide to the last great era of bright and colourful uniforms, as well as an important historical study of the variety of steam-powered weaponry and equipment that abounded in the days before the Great War of the Worlds.

Between 1887 and 1895, the British art student Miles Vandercroft travelled around the world, sketching and painting the soldiers of the countries through which he passed. In this age of dramatic technological advancement, Vandercroft was fascinated by how the rise of steam technology at the start of the American Civil War had transformed warfare and the role of the fighting man. This volume collects all of Vandercroft’s surviving paintings, along with his associated commentary on the specific military units he encountered.

The book is full of full colour pages, as with many Osprey publications and I really love the back story of how and why the book was published.

Steampunk Soldiers

As one of the reviewers says:

When Samantha Callaghan approached Osprey with her great-great uncle, Miles Vandercroft’s collection of paintings and notes she didn’t really know what she had on her hands, but the publishers were soon to realise that they had a potential hit on their hands, or so the introduction leads us to believe.

If you like Osprey books and like Steampunk then you are going to probably like this book.

Order Steampunk Soldiers from Amazon

Doctor Who: Spore

As part of the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, there are going to be eleven short novels from famous authors covering (as you might have guessed) all eleven Doctors.

Doctor Who: Spore

The eighth books features the Eighth Doctor, who as most people know only appeared in a single “episode” (okay TV movie).

In a small town in the Nevada desert, an alien pathogen has reduced the entire population to a seething mass of black slime. When the Eighth Doctor arrives, he realises this latest threat to humanity is horrifyingly familiar – it is a virus which almost annihilated his entire race, the Time Lords…

Author Alex Scarrow puts his own unique spin on the Doctor’s amazing adventures through time and space.

This sounds like an interesting story and it will be curious to see how Alex Scarrow has developed a character that for most people will only have been seen that Doctor in the TV movie. There have been other stories involving the Eighth Doctor in print and on audio, and I have enjoyed the couple I have read and heard of those. As a result I am looking forward to reading this book.

Get Spore at Amazon.

I did quite enjoy the Seventh Doctor book which included Ace and the Daleks, I did feel that as a story it needed more depth and detail than this format allowed it, but I liked the aspect of a parallel universe, which has been covered a fair few times in Doctor Who.

How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Lizardmen

Games Workshop have released one of their digital guides to painting their miniatures, this time on painting the newly released Lizardmen.

Brightly coloured scales, tarnished golden weapons and yellowed claws are all distinctive visuals of the Lizardmen army. From the markings denoting specific spawnings to the icons of the ancient Slann cities, each Lizardmen force has a unique appearance.

This product contains eleven painting guides for a wide variety of Lizardmen Citadel Miniatures, including, Slann, Kroxigor, Skinks, Saurus Warriors and Temple Guard, allowing you to create an impressive looking army.

The Lizardmen Army Book

Games Workshop have released, as is becoming the norm now, a digital version of their Warhammer Army Book for the Lizardmen.

The Lizardmen army book has all the content of the hardback edition, plus all the features you’ve come to expect from our iPad Editions. Quick-links embedded throughout the book make it a convenient aid to gaming. There’s an interactive miniatures gallery showing off the Lizardmen range, including 360 rotating images of its monsters and character models. Warhammer: Lizardmen will also be automatically updated with any new additions or amendments to the rules including new FAQ’s.

I’ve always liked the lizardmen concept, and I actually had a small lizardman army when I played the first edition of Warhammer back in the 1980s.

Digital Apocalypse

Games Workshop have, as it getting to be the norm now, released their most recent publication, Apocalypse as a digital book for the iPad, a snip at £44.99.

The greatest heroes of the age lead battalions of troops and tanks against the foe. Super-heavy war machines dominate the conflict like gods of battle as bombardments rain from the skies. This is war on a whole new level.
Apocalypse is a new way of playing games of Warhammer 40,000. Allowing you to field as many miniatures as you like, in any combination. There really are no limits to what you can do

FIGHTING AN APOCALYPSE BATTLE: The rules for setting up and playing games of Apocalypse; new Apocalypse missions and strategic assets; new rules such as Divine Intervention, and Sons of the Primarch; world ending Unnatural disasters; and advice on how to field all your miniatures in one gigantic collection.
APOCALYPSE FORMATIONS: Details of more than 100 devastating formations that feature the most powerful military assets of the 41st Millennium. With 11 distinct classes of formation, you can take your choice from the C’tan-powered Tesseract Vault to an entire Battle Company of Space Marines!

MINIATURES SHOWCASE: Sumptuous photographs of super-heavy vehicles, gargantuan armies and heroic commanders to inspire your own collection.
WAR ZONE: ARMAGEDDON: Details one of the most monumental campaigns of the 41st Millennium, with unique special rules, formations and missions.
Peppered throughout the book is a host of additional background information to further inspire you.

I really like the idea of digital rules and though some baulk at the price, remember when buying any book you are not paying for the physical costs of printing etc, you are paying for the effort that went into writing the thing. So digital or paper the costs are for the authors, illustrators, photographers (oh and a decent cut for the publisher).

Doctor Who: Something Borrowed

As part of the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, there are going to be eleven short novels from famous authors covering (as you might have guessed) all eleven Doctors.

The sixth book is Something Borrowed and features sixth Doctor and Peri.

A wedding on the planet Koturia turns out to be a far more dangerous proposition than the Sixth Doctor and Peri ever expected. It marks the return of a formidable old foe whose genius matches the Doctor’s. Can the Doctor outwit this villain, save Peri and stop the wedding in time?

Get Something Borrowed at Amazon.

Get Something Borrowed at Apple Books.

Similar to my thoughts about the fifth Doctor, I didn’t watch much of the sixth, so this will be an interesting read.

World War Z

A three minute clip of World War Z has been released.

Despite the poor reviews and perceptions of this film, I might go and see it, well, wait until it comes out on DVD.

The book is very different to what I have seen of the film, so you might want to get a copy of World War Z and have a read.

See some photographs from Glasgow where they filmed the above scene.

Digital Codex: Eldar

How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Eldar

There is also the useful guide on painting your new Eldar.

The deadly skimmers, skilled Aspect Warriors and valiant Guardians of the Eldar craftworlds fight a constant battle for the survival of their very species. In this Army Workshop, the talented Studio army painters demonstrate how to paint a varied selection of Eldar miniatures using the Citadel paint range. Example miniatures featured in this extensive painting guide include the Wraithknight, a Storm Guardian, and the mighty Prince Yriel of Craftworld Iyanden.

Get How to Paint Citadel Miniatures: Eldar in the iBookstore.

Codex Eldar

Following the release of the new Eldar miniatures there are now some very nice digital Eldar books for your iPad.

Codex: Eldar is your comprehensive guide to wielding the deadly warhosts of the Craftworld Eldar upon the battlefields of the 41st Millennium. This volume details the craftworlds of the Eldar, and the different types of army they field. The Eldar embody excellence in the arts of war, from their psychic might to their deadly aircraft, and their ranks contain specialists in dealing every kind of death. This digital codex includes lavish full colour artwork, an interactive miniatures gallery, handy quick-links for special rules and weapons, and will always be up to date with the latest FAQs.

Update: Get the new version Codex: Craftworlds Enhanced Edition

Doctor Who: Tip Of The Tongue

As part of the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who, there are going to be eleven short novels from famous authors covering (as you might have guessed) all eleven Doctors.

The fifth book is Tip Of The Tongue and features the fifth Doctor and Nyssa.

In 1945, a strange new craze for Truth Tellers is sweeping the kids of small-town America. The Fifth Doctor and Nyssa soon arrive to investigate the phenomenon, only to discover that the actual truth behind the Truth Tellers is far more sinister than anyone could have imagined…

Get Tip Of The Tongue at Amazon.

Get Tip Of The Tongue at Apple Books.

I did enjoy the both the last book, The Roots of Evil, and the one before, The Spear of Destiny. I was never a great fan of the fifth doctor, probably because I had enjoyed the Tom Baker years so much. I think that was about the time I stopped watching Doctor Who too. However I do intend to read this book and hopefully I might change my mind about the fifth Doctor.

Warhammer Civil War

Throughout the Warhammer world, war rages eternal. Yet the most deadly and bitter conflicts are not wars of conquest against exotic foes, but the clash of brother versus brother!

This Warhammer supplement contains inspirational and evocative background about some of the Warhammer world’s most bloody civil wars. In addition, there are full rules for playing your own games pitting two collections of the same army against one another. Included are individual tables for every single race in Warhammer, allowing you to generate unique battles and victory conditions every time you play.

GW have released their Warhammer Civil War as an iBook.