TV- “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” Season Three

Yes, it’s a half-hour toy commercial for pre-pubescent girls. It’s also the creation of Lauren Faust with compelling characters, engrossing plots and references that only the periphery audience of adults will catch. The villain of season two was basically Q from “Star Trek” as a chimeric dragon (even voiced by John de Lancie). The new season begins Nov. 10.

Video Game- “Pokemon White 2” and “Pokemon Black 2”

If a college student’s love for “Pokemon” seems strange, imagine being handed a fire-breathing dragon and told to go beat up other monsters. “Black 2/White 2” is the first direct sequel in the Pokemon franchise, continuing the storyline of “Black” and “White” after a two-year time skip.

Music- Amanda Palmer’s “Theatre is Evil”

Four years of song writing and a blowout Kickstarter campaign have resulted in Amanda Palmer’s first independently released album. Having backed the Kickstarter, I received the Deluxe Digital Download with eight extra tracks in addition to the standard album.

Movie- “The Man with the Iron Fists”

RZA presents a gonzo fantasy action flick of myriad bloodthirsty factions seeking a treasure of gold. Backed by a sound track of rap and hip-hop, it promises to be a bizarre “just go with it” movie, with many moments where one must repeat the “Mystery Science Theater 3000” mantra.

Book- “Grunts!” by Mary Gentle

A cyborg dragon is killed off-page by side characters so the main characters can steal its hoard of modern weaponry – before the 50th page. Not really a typical fantasy. “Grunts!” follows a band of cunning, elite warrior orcs, as the cursed hoard alters their personalities into a parody of World War II royal marines.