As the seasons start getting closer and the prospect of gift giving starts to clear off the cobwebs and come front and center to everyone’s consciousness yet again, there’s always the enigma of what to get, and more importantly, will the recipient be satisfied? There are however universals that always crack the corners of the mouth for a smile, music releases and their sometimes re-released box sets being some of them. So that being said, and what remains our annual wont, here’s our picks for some great music recently released and upcoming. And as always, this one goes to eleven.

Check out our 2017 Holiday Geek Gift Guide for Music…

Dungeons & Dragons: Xanathar’s Guide To Everything
Hardcover
D&D Accessory
Wizards of the Coast
Release Date: November 21, 2017

Creating magic as they always do, the creative team at Wizards of the Coast has deemed the world worthy of a new guide book. Xanathar’s Guide To Everything is an essential addition to the world’s greatest roleplaying game, Dungeons & Dragons! And better yet, at least for me, these great folks sent me not just an advance copy but they, in fact, sent me two! One of each cover. But enough of my shameless bragging, let me tell you about this newest release!

This tome is comprised of almost 200 pages of lore, ranging from arcane spells and items to specialization and options within character classes. This is in addition to the additional material presented for Dungeon Masters. In fact, the supplemental book is broken into three primary parts with two additional appendices. So much is packed within these pages that I will probably not even begin to do it justice. Nevertheless, I will do my best.

The Art of Harry Potter
Hardcover
By Marc Sumerak
Publisher: Harper Design | HarperCollins
Release date: November 21, 2017

Some might call it coincidental. I call it cosmic. Not only do I have the opportunity of writing a review on The Art of Harry Potter by Marc Sumerak today, but I may or may not – by happenstance – be currently cozying up in my comfy chair by the fireplace wearing a Harry Potter-themed tee shirt. It’s getting *quite* magical over here, and I invite you to join me.

The Art of Harry Potter features original art from the Harry Potter films and it is magnificent. Its massive dimensions (10.1″ width x 13.1″ height x 1.7″ depth) are only outmatched by its heft, which I consider a positive. It evokes the feeling of having access to a large, valuable volume…perhaps something found in the restricted section of the Hogwarts library?

MST3K: Volume XXXIX
DVD
Cast: Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Trace Beaulieu, Bill Corbett, Frank Conniff, Mary Jo Pehl
Distributor: Shout! Factory
Not Rated | 480 minutes
Release Date: November 21, 2017

“Gonna go to the store! Da-na-na-na-na-nah! Gonna pick up some bread! Da-na-na-na-na-nah! Maybe stop by the post office! Da-na-na-na-na-nah! Take Dolores to lunch! Da-na-na-na-na-nah! Hope they’re serving that ham, oh yeah…”

On November 21, 2017, Shout! Factory will release the final collection of never-before-released episodes from the cult comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000. In MST3K: Volume XXXIX, Michael J. Nelson, Tom Servo (Kevin Murphy), and Crow T. Robot (Trace Beaulieu, Bill Corbett) endure unspeakable cinematic horrors involving Catholic school girls, transparent men, and sinister spies!

Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra
Ramses The Damned #2
Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook
By Anne Rice & Christopher Rice
Publisher: Anchor Books
Release Date: November 21, 2017

The Mummy, or Ramses the Damned is my favorite of all things Anne Rice. For almost thirty years, I have loved that novel. The elegance and horror that exist side by side on those pages embodies everything I look for in a book. In no way is it the perfect example of any particular writing style or genre; instead it is a spectacular balance of the greatness that is needed to create a classical work of prose.

So you can only begin to imagine how ecstatic I was to learn that Rice was reviving these characters for a new release titled Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra. This was to be a dream come true, literally (pun intended).