WatchDaToast has been developing a furry-themed point-and-click adventure game for a while now, Beyond the Edge of Owlsgard, raising €36,317 from 682 backers on Kickstarter. It's just been released, and VoxelSmash has reviewed it.

You can buy the game on Steam and follow the author on Twitter.

“Anybody can die, evidently.”
-“ABC”, Robert Pinsky, United States Poet Laureate

“Necrophilia is more erotic than that [censored!].”
-SWfan, Flayrah commenter

The ABCs of Death is the brainchild of producer Ant Timpson (an end credit suggests the whole thing was inspired by a nightmare of his): take 26 horror directors from around the world and give them a letter of the alphabet. They then pick a word with that letter, and direct a short film for $5,000 that depicts a death involving that word.

Pretty simple, and a great concept for a horror anthology, but why the review on a furry site? Well, there’s Thomas Malling’s “H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion,” which is basically a live action Tex Avery cartoon. And there are plenty of animal-related shorts available, as well; some of the best shorts on the roster, including “D is for Dogfight,” “N is for Nuptials,” “P is for Pressure” and “Q is for Quack,” involve animals, if not always anthropomorphic.

But are these highlights worth the time for furries?

We’ve been following this one since we first caught wind of it in Animation magazine, and somehow it snuck by us… and right onto DVD at your local WalMart, no less. Cinderella: Once Upon A Time In The West (known as Cinderella 3D in Europe) is a new CGI feature from France, directed by Pascal Herold. The story is much as you’ve ever heard it before: Cinderella (a pretty pronghorn who can handle her own in a fight) lives with her cruel stepmother and ugly stepsisters (all of them big old hounds)… this time, in a town in the Old West. A handsome prince (also a canine, but much more… handsome) comes into town and… well you know the rest. Or do you?  Did we mention the sand pirate monkeys who fly on vultures? Yes, it’s that kind of film! It’s produced by Delacave Studio, and you can check it out at their web site. Oh, the DVD is in English, by the way.

image c. 2012 Delacave Studio

It's not easy to admit feelings for a long-time friend; but for the classmates in Mitti's debut graphic novel, their first admission must be to themselves.

It is 1955 and best friends Clover and Logainne are looking forward to graduating from Lincoln High School and getting on with their lives. However when Clover fumbles for an excuse to avoid going to the senior prom with someone, she blurts out Logainne's name as her intended date. Now the whole school thinks there is more to their friendship than meets the eye, putting both their reputations and Logainne's honors student status at risk. As they scramble to contain the damage, at least one of them begins to wonder where her heart truly lies. (back cover)

Sofawolf Press, January 2012, trade paperback $14.95 (131 + 6 pages, B&W interior)

I wasn’t as proactive as I thought I would be, and I’m pretty sure I missed a couple posted during the first of September, so apologies there. Otherwise, here was last month’s Newsbytes.

Yes, you read that right. An intoxicated elk found himself up a tree with no way down... a situation only cats are supposed to find themselves in. [Newser.com]

According to Sweden's edition of The Local, the elk was grazing on fermenting apples that had fallen off the tree, and became a bit drunk; a common phenomenon. What happened next is anything but: the elk decided to eat the apples located higher up in the tree, and began to climb it. The majestic, antlered creature became entangled within the tree's limbs, and required assistance from rescuers to get back onto terra firma.

After nearly 10 years in the running, webcomic A Doemain of Our Own is shutting up shop and finally coming to an end.

In a statement posted on the site, Susan Rankin - the mind behind the comic - called it an "amazing run" and thanked her readers for making her feel "truly blessed".

The second Doemain book - Shift Happens - was released this month too, to accompany the previous self-titled volume of Doemail strips.

Rankin is planning future projects, however they are yet to be disclosed.

A Doemain of Our Own isn't the only one however, Ozy & Millie is another long-running strip popular amongst fandom members that will be soon coming to an end. The strip is already well into it's finale and is due to end in the next few weeks.

Welcome to the first of what I personally hope will become a series of comic reviews. When I say "comic", I mean comic and webcomic strips, not comedians. After all, there is only really one comedian in the furry fandom that I am aware of and I have already made clear my dislike of this particular ranting moron in previous issues of The Furtean Times.

The first strip I am reviewing is A Doemain of Our Own. Last year, the first collection of strips printed in "dead tree format" entitled simply A Doemain of Our Own: Volume 1, consisting of strips between 1999 and July 2002 won the Ursa Major Award for "Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work", beating other respected webcomics such as Ozy and Millie and Gene Catlow. The second collection of strips titled Shift Happens, with strips between August 2002 and mid-November 2005, will no doubt be one of the favourites for the award this year as well.

Deer Me, a comic about the humor of routine, everyday life, hit a milestone of 200 comic strips (not including guest strips) on Friday.

How many comics can brag about having 100 times as many comic strips as readers? ;-)

The "Deer Lady", as she has come to be known, was imprisoned for eight days for breaking a California law which prohibits the feeding of wildlife. Thana Minion is believed to be the only person ever jailed in the state for the crime, which is a misdemeanor.
She previously served a 45 day sentence in 2000 for violation of the same law.

Florida is using a robotic deer to capture off-season hunters. According to this article the hunters can tell the difference, but attack it anyway. One guy even shot at it several times and missed.

According to the New York Times (free registration may be required), deer populations have exploded so much that they're throwing the ecosystem out of whack, eating gardens and peoples' shrubbery, and creating hazards in the roads.

A very Watership Downish sort of book form what I can tell so far. I'll try and do a book review once I am done. Found it at MediaPlay this week and it is available on Amazon

Fire Bringer, by David Clement-Davies

"It is a dark time for the deer. A tyrannical new Lord of the Herd has ended the old way, the yearly play of antlers that ensure a change of leadership. At his command is a corps of young stags, antlers sharpened for the kill, whose mission is completely dominion over the animal world.

"But a prophecy among the deer promises a hero -- a fawn with the mark of an oak leaf on his forehead. His unique bond with all creatures, including humans, will bring a new age of freedom.

"Rannoch is born the night his father is murdered. His mother, Eloin, keeps him hidden from the deadly attention of the Lord of the Herd, but soon Rannoch is forced to flee, beginning a perilous, wonderous journey. Among the moutnins and haunted glens of the Great Land, the young stag encounters strange herds, makes unusual allies, and, at last, finds the knowledge and courage to face his extraordinary destiny.

"In this grand epic of old Scotland, with its echoes of myth, history, and Scripture, David Clement-Davies has created a classic hero tale, full of thrilling action and told with the resonance of legend."

As a writer and an avid reader, I naturally tend to be very critical of books that I read. Yet I also take into account other factors that attribute to a book's greatness. Many "great" books have scored 0 on my list. However, _Fire Bringer_ is an excellent tale that is woven together with history into a rapturing story that was difficult to put down. I stayed up many, many nights reading this book.

Fire Bringer, by David Clement-Davies

Well, it's warmed over Watership down for sure. Actually, I was a little disappointed in this one. The author never could seem to decide which way he wanted to go: at one moment its an allegory for historical battles and the unification of Scotland, and the next its a much more traditional sentient animal story.