Back in 2010, Lucasfilm put out a wonderful release called The Jedi Path: A Manual For Students Of The Force. The notion was to make a book that would have been used by Jedi Masters and Padawans as a reference manual – a book contained within an electronic vault that would open at the push of a button “in a wash of light and Star Wars sound effects”. For those of you who have a predilection for the Dark Side though, you’re in luck: the Sith version is now coming.

Entitled Book Of Sith: Secrets Of The Dark Side, which was released today, is similar in nature to the previous Jedi version. [...]

Apparently people love themselves some Game of Thrones.

Variety reports that Game of Thrones star Kit Harington has joined the cast of the new fantasy film, The Seventh Son along with Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes, Julianne Moore, and Alicia Vikander [...]

Though production began long ago and we already have a wonderful first trailer to watch (a couple hundred times…per day), director Peter Jackson still had some casting to get done for his two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien‘s beloved classic, The Hobbit.

It’s being reported that Jackson has brought in Billy Connolly as the final addition to the cast. He’ll play the great dwarf warrior and cousin to Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), Dain Ironfoot. [...]

Looks like another one of Anne Rice‘s vampire tales will be making its way to the big screen.

Imagine Entertainment has optioned the rights to Rice’s The Tale of the Body Thief, the fourth novel in the author’s popular Vampire Chronicles book series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the writing/producing duo behind 2009′s Star Trek and the Transformers films, will produce the project along with Imagine, the company run by producer Brian Grazer and and filmmaker Ron Howard. Lee Patterson will be working on the screenplay [...]

To coincide with today being Super Bowl Sunday, the Kindle eBook deal of the day over at Amazon today is Sports Illustrated’s Blood, Sweat and Chalk: The Ultimate Football Playbook by Tim Layden for only $2.99 (that’s 89% off the list price of $26.95).

Note – this deal is valid only for today, Sunday, February 5, 2012, until 11:59pm PST.

If you’d like to purchase a physical copy of Sports Illustrated’s Blood, Sweat and Chalk: The Ultimate Football Playbook, the book is also available in paperback for $11.53 and hardcover for $17.79 [...]

Tor has dropped the price on the ebook for From The Two Rivers to only $.99. The book is part one of The Eye of the World, the first novel in Robert Jordan‘s popular Wheel of Time series.

If you’d like to own a physical copy of From The Two Rivers, the book is also available in paperback for only $5.99; if you want to get The Eye of the World in paperback, it’s only $6.99. Both titles are currently part of Amazon’s 4-for-3 promotion, where you can purchase four select items for the price of three [...]

Zombies vs. Robots: Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger
By Brea Grant
Kindle
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 18, 2012

The Zombies Vs. Robots comics were one of the first big hits for IDW Publishing. Naturally, they continued the story with mores miniseries with Zombies vs. Robots vs. Amazons, and then Zombies vs. Robots Aventure and ZvR: UnderCity. In UnderCity, the character of Pammi Shaw is introduced. She is also the “author” of the blog entries that comprise this short story, Zombies vs. Robots: Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger [...]

Hell & Gone
By Duane Swierczynski
Paperback | Kindle
Mulholland Books | Hachette Book Group
Release date: October 31, 2011

In Hell & Gone, a former cop named Charlie Hardie is on the brink of death after a brutal shootout. The group known as The Accidental People has taken him against his own free will to a secret underground prison that holds the most dangerous criminals around the world. The worst part about the prison is that Charlie has been appointed the warden. With any attempt to escape the prison, a death mechanism will be triggered and will kill everyone inside the prison. Charlie must find a way out of the prison and save his family from The Accidental People who have their sights set on killing them if Charlie doesn’t comply [...]

Each month, Amazon offers up 100 Kindle ebooks for under $4 each from various genres like mystery, fantasy, science fiction, non-fiction, biographies, self-help, romance, and much more. Visit the main Sale page to view all eligible titles.

The most enticing deal on the list is definitely The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Enhanced Edition by C.S. Lewis for only $3.99.

Here’s a few other sale items that caught my interest:

- Rides a Dread Legion Book One of the Demonwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist – $1.99
- Surfing through Hyperspace Understanding Higher Universes in Six Easy Lessons by Clifford A. Pickover – $2.99

- Gandhi’s Passion: The Life and Legacy of Mahatma Gandhi by Stanley Wolpert – $1.99
- The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney – $1.99 [...]

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Written by Mark Twain
Illustrations by Eric Powell
Hardback
IDW Publishing
Release Date: January 24, 2012

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as adapted by Eric Powell is more than just a newly illustrated accompaniment to Mark Twain’s classic novel. Recently, new editions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have been released replacing the controversial language of the 19th century original. However, publisher IDW and artist Eric Powell made the conscious decision to release this adaptation as it was initially published. This illustrated version represents an independent publisher rejecting the idea of censoring an American classic. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn illustrated by Eric Powell is a wonderful way to revisit this piece of classic American literature [...]

Today marks the beginning of Chinese New Year, the 15-day celebration in Asian cultures filled with gift-giving, family reunions, festivals, fireworks, and wishes of good luck and prosperity in the coming year.

In honor of 2012 being the Year Of The Dragon, author Neil Gaiman sent out a message to his Chinese friends with a drawing of what he says is a “wobbly dragon.”

I just drew a wobbly dragon for my Chinese friends. He’s based on a picture I saw of an ancient dragon who had three toes but was still Chinese…

I don’t know if anyone’s going to be able to see this photo posted here, in China. Last time I was there, this blog was cut off by the Great Firewall, but I post for it anyone who can: 恭喜发财

Check out here below a photo Gaiman posted on his blog of himself holding up the drawing [...]

Diane Kruger, the German actress who’s starred in such films as Troy, National Treasure, and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, has entered into negotiations to join the cast of The Host, an adaptation of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer‘s sci-fi book of the same name.

The actress would join a cast that already includes Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Hanna), Max Irons (Dorian Gray, Red Riding Hood) and Jake Abel (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, I Am Number Four). [...]

After an ocean of angry protest, massive websites taking drastic measures, and even the artists they weren’t meant to protect standing against them, Congress has been forced to put an end to the proposed SOPA (Stop Online Piract Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP) acts.

Both the Senate, who was getting ready to hold a procedural vote on PIPA next week, and the House of Representatives have taken notice to the extremely negative response to their plans, and have decided to put it all on hold until something a little bit more agreeable can be put together. [...]

Warner Brothers, in always looking for the next big thing—especially now that their Harry Potter series has come to an end (…for now)—has acquired the feature film rights to Otherland, the sci-fi tetralogy by author Tad Williams.

The studio has also brought in screenwriter John Scott III to pen the first script of what they hope turns into multiple scripts in a successful new franchise. [...]

Just a few months ago Oscar-nominated screenwriter Steve Kloves (Wonder Boys, the Harry Potter movies) was in talks to pen the big-screen adaptation of Stephen King‘s epic horror-fantasy novel The Stand for director David Yates.

Since then both Kloves and Yates have left the production and the director’s chair has been filled for the moment by actor-director Ben Affleck, on a career hot streak after the critical and commercial success of his 2010 crime drama The Town. [...]

The Kindle eBook deal of the day over at Amazon today is Alone: The Classic Polar Adventure, Richard E. Byrd‘s 1938 narrative on his scientific expedition in Antarctica, for only $1.99 (that’s 92% off the list price of $25.00).

Note – this deal is valid only for today, Friday, January 20, 2012, until 11:59pm PST.

If you’d like to purchase a physical copy of Alone: The Classic Polar Adventure, the book is also available in paperback [...]

A group of artists have written an open letter to Washington regarding the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (PROTECT IP) acts that have led numerous websites to go dark in protest today.

Artists include American Gods, Sandman, and Neverwhere author Neil Gaiman, comedian/actor Aziz Ansari, and Nine Inch Nails frontman and Oscar winning composer Trent Reznor, just to name a few.

The letter was posted on the Stop The Wall website, and you can read it in full below, including a list of those who have signed it. [...]

Confirming long standing rumors, the upcoming sequel to the yet-to-be-released Hunger Games feature adaptation just got a lot more prestigious.

The Wrap is confirming that Simon Beaufoy, best known for his work behind the scripts for Danny Boyle’s last two films Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, is working on a screenplay for the new project, Catching Fire. [...]

Back in December two very cool posters for the upcoming alternate history flick Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter were released.

Now a third and equally cool poster has hit the ‘net, and you can see it here by continuing on below now.

The movie follows our 16th president, telling the story of his secret life as a vampire hunter, which began when he was a young man after his mother was attacked and killed. [...]

Remember Goosebumps, the series of horror books aimed at youths and written by author R.L. Stine? The books were mostly popular in the ’90s but still continue to be made in one form or another to this day.

As it turns out, Columbia Pictures acquired the rights to about 50 of Stine’s works back in 2008 and has been developing a feature adaptation of the books since then. [...]