Brian C. Veteran Bookseller
LightNews LightNews
chainborne.bsky.social
Brian C. Veteran Bookseller
@chainborne.bsky.social
160 followers 500 following 470 posts
Bookseller (British, bearded, bespectacled, bald). Fantasy-fan. Sci-Fi guy. Word-nerd. He/Him.
On a mission to read all the middle-grade science fiction books.
Posts Replies Media Videos
chainborne.bsky.social
Finally getting a Funko Pop! vinyl this year too!
Promotional image of the 2025 Asajj Ventress Funko Pop Vinyl figurine, which shows the character facing forwards in her early-season TCW outfit, with downward pointing lightsabers crossed at the blades.
November 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
I'm incapable of shelving, picking or handling a book by Friedrich Nietzsche without the words of Howard Johnson playing in my head...
November 13, 2025 at 9:14 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
Cannot get my head around the fact that he was the voice of Lumiere...
A still of Lumiere, the human-turned-candelabra from Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
November 12, 2025 at 8:33 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
Had an hour to kill before my train home, so I reported - via the customer contact form - the fact that the paperback of Harrow the Ninth weirdly appears to have been memory-holed by our web store. 🤔

Gideon and Nona are listed no problem. 🤷‍♂️
November 2, 2025 at 5:45 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
Me, watching The Rock in 1996 having read Asterix The Legionary...
A collage of two movie screenshots, one above the other. The top frame is from The Rock (1996) , and shows the bedraggled prisoner John Mason, played by Sean Connery, signing a criminal pardon. The caption reads "Timeo Danaos et Dona ferentes". The bottom frame is from Once upon a time in Hollywood (2019) featuring the well-known shot of Leonardo diCaprio pointing at the screenv in recognition, holding a beer & a cigarette in his other hand.
October 26, 2025 at 12:20 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
I had to watch the promo reel before I found an image of anyone actually sitting on one. With good reason as it turns out...

I'm 6'3", so I genuinely assumed you were supposed to kneel on the bottom cushion and sit on the backrest. 😅
A cropped screenshot from a YouTube video showing a ginger-haired man in yellow short-sleeved overalls sitting on a very impractical chair, disappearing very bad posture; his back curved forward with his elbows resting on his knees.
October 21, 2025 at 5:01 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
The headline immediately brings to mind this old meme about the Muslim boy who brought a homemade clock to his school science fair.

"They never thought he had a bomb"...
A screenshot of an old Facebook post or something, in response to a news story about a young Muslim boy who brought a homemade clock to his school's science fair I think. The post is credited to "Andy Iles", and the text reads: "I said: it's sad they thought that kid had a bomb. She said: they didn't think he had a bomb. I said: yes, they thought he made a bomb and even called the police. She said: They just wanted to humiliate a little Muslim, African boy. They didn't think he had a bomb. I said: Don't be a conspiracist. They might be a little prejudiced, but I'm sure they thought he had a bomb. She said: Ok. But they didn't evacuate the school, like you do when there's a bomb. They didn't call a bomb squad - like you do when there's a bomb They didn't get as far away from him as possible like you do when there's a bomb. Then they put him and the clock in an office-not like you do when there's a bomb Then they waited with him for the police to arrive. Then they put the clock in the same car as the police. Then they took pictures of it. I said: Damn They never thought he had a bomb
October 14, 2025 at 4:22 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
One of the stops on my commute is called "Mauldeth Road", and every time it's announced I think...
A screenshot of the Star Wars: Rebels episode "Twin Suns", showing (former) Darth Maul dying in the arms of the white-haired Ben Kenobi under the night sky of Tatooine.
October 12, 2025 at 6:46 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
A screenshot from the final scene of Quentin Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds", showing Lt. Aldo Raine & Sgt Donowitz looking directly into the camera, being crouched over the Nazi "Jew Hound" Hans Landa, having just carved a swastika into his forehead. Lt. Raine is holding up a massive Bowie knife.
October 12, 2025 at 5:40 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
About a decade ago I told my mum I'd found & ordered a copy online of my most fondly-remembered book from my childhood, Usborne's "Stories for Young Children", she went to a box in the spare room and said "You mean this one?".

So now I have two copies! 😁

(And I discovered the original was a gift!)
A photo of my hand, holding up two different editions of the Usborne "Stories for Young Children", illustrated by Stephen Cartwright, who's work to me is iconic of Usborne's whole brand. The covers of each are different illustrations by Cartwright, featuring a medley of Dragons, Giants, Witches, Wizards, Princes & Princesses, and Gnomes, Goblins & Fairies. The book is a compendium of the Usborne "Stories of..." those subjects respectively. A close-up of the inside front-cover of my childhood copy of Usborne's Stories for Young Children, which reveals an inscription from my aunt, which reads: "To Brian, With lots of love from Auntie Anne, Uncle Mike, Michael, Katie and John Paul."
October 10, 2025 at 8:15 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
Fantasy is my bag. 😊

Can't imagine it's anything that I don't already own on DVD at least, but I can't place the image snippets. 🤔 Fingers crossed for an upgrade or two!

Hoping for the Ator series, Barbarian Queen 1 & 2, The Warrior & The Sorceress, Gor 1 & 2...
A cropped photo of my Fantasy Blu-ray/DVD shelf, in alphabetical order, with way too many titles to list. The Arrow Video 4K Conan collection is missing because it's too big to fit on the shelf.
October 9, 2025 at 7:43 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
I mean, they're very different films to be fair, but yeah the Rotten Tomatoes Audience Scores are pretty conclusive...
A collage of two screenshots from the Rotten Tomatoes website, of the summaries for the 1998 movies "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon". The critics scores (Tomatometer) are 45% and 43% respectively. Both "Rotten", but giving Deep Impact the slight edge. The audience scores (Popcornmeter) however are 43% for Deep Impact, and 73% for Armageddon, making Armageddon "Certified Fresh". 🤷‍♂️
October 9, 2025 at 5:56 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
Upgrades! 🤩
Long overdue...

Doug McClure, newly arrived in 1080p courtesy of @imprintfilms.bsky.social
A photo montage of my left & right hands holding up some blu ray & dvd boxed sets against a plain white background. In my left hand is "The Doug McClure Fantasy Adventure Triple Bill" DVD boxed set, comprising "The Land that Time Forgot", "Warlords of Atlantis" and "At the Earth's Core", as well as a single blu ray copy of "The People that Time Forgot". In my right hand is a copy of Imprint Films' "Tales of Adventure: Collection 9" blu ray boxed set containing all four aforementioned films in a shiny laminated-cardboard presentation box.
October 7, 2025 at 8:05 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
This headline confused me for at least 30 seconds; I was like, "Uh, the Queen is also dead??" 🤨
A screenshot of a Google News feed headline from the BBC. The caption reads: "Queen pass tribute to 'legend' July Cooper after author dies aged 88"
October 6, 2025 at 4:38 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
I thought for a second each line was a separate quote.
A screenshot of a Google News headline from BBC News. The main image shows a close-up of JD Vance, seated and speaking into a microphone. The text below is split across two lines. The first line reads: "Report those who celebrate Charlie Kirk" and the second line reads "Death to employers, Vance says".
September 17, 2025 at 6:05 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
I once spent an enjoyable time brute-forcing a comparison table of 5 inter compatible DC & Marvel Top Trumps decks to find the best cards head-to-head, assuming perfect play.

Unsurprisingly Galactus is the strongest card out of all 150, but only Wolverine and Apocalypse are unbeatable on attack.
Part of a spreadsheet table breaking down the rankings of 150 Marvel & DC Top Trumps cards with the same 6 stats; Height, Intelligence, Strength, Speed, Agility & Fighting Skills. There are columns for Attack & Defence, measuring how many other cards each card can defeat depending on whether they are played first or second, and then a overall rank totalling these two scores. The Top 5 cards are: Galactus, Apocalypse, Superman, Thanos and Martian Manhunter. A zoomed-out screenshot of a spreadsheet table showing all 150x150 card match-ups, with each cell coloured green for victory or red for defeat (for cards in the Y column), assuming the player going first always chooses their strongest category.
September 13, 2025 at 12:35 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
This immediately makes me think of @jacquelinecarey.bsky.social's Fantasy series, set in a gods-touched late-mediaeval Europe in which the Roman Empire died early and Christ was accepted by the Jews, so Europe remains a patchwork of pagan faiths.

Oh, also the French are part-descended from Angels!
A collage of the three front-covers of Jacqueline Carey's "Kushiel's Legacy" trilogy, from left to right: "Kushiel's Dart", "Kushiel's Chosen" and "Kushiel's Avatar". All three covers feature a tangle of red briar-roses against a black background and a single golden item. Respectively they are a golden masquerade mask, a Mediterranean-style short-sword and a delicate golden crown. The title of each book is written centrally in white capitals on the respective covers also.
September 10, 2025 at 2:46 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
Stop the presses!! 😲
Screenshot of a Google News notification which reads: "Sigourney Weaver Confirms 'The Mandalorian' Movie Will Have Pedro Pascal in It [Exclusive]"
September 10, 2025 at 9:06 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
Same observation that Lex Luthor used to bring Superman's autocratic communist utopia down in Superman: Red Son...
Three comic book panels from among the final pages of Superman: Red Son, written by Mark Millar. In the first panel Superman, ruler of an international Soviet Communist empire, crouches in an agony of self-realisation after reading a 12-word sentence sent to him by American genius Lex Luthor, delivered by Lois Lane. The speech bubbles read: Superman: "Oh my God! What have I done? All I wanted was to put an end to all the wars and famines! I only wanted the best for everyone you've got to believe me..." Lois Lane: "What the hell was in that Letter?" A close up a simple folded note: "Why don't you just put the whole WORLD in a BOTTLE, Superman?" Voice of Brainiac (off-screen): "Superman you appear to be distressed"
September 6, 2025 at 1:37 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
A few more photos from just before we opened. 👀

P.s. It's in the alt-text in the first post, but this is Waterstones in John Lewis Cheadle, in Greater Manchester/Cheshire. I've moved there after seven years in my former shop, and I'm very excited to be here! 😁
A wide shot of the Sci-fi & Fantasy/Young Adult/Graphic Novels & Manga alcove art Waterstones in John Lewis Cheadle. Bracketed by fabric-covered feature bays displaying a range of SFF & YA bestsellers faced-out, the alcove surrounds a square table of SFF & YA paperbacks. In the foreground is part of the round paperback Fiction table. A long-shot showing the view into the Waterstones in John Lewis Cheadle all the way from the front-of-store area to the Fiction section. In the foreground can be seen a creature display for Alan Hollinghurst's "Our Evenings". Part of the till area can be seen on the left, in front of which stands a wooden easel holding a framed poster which reads "Meet Dog Man in store!" with a picture of the titular hero and some of his books. The "New Fiction" hardback shelves can also be seen in the mid-ground. A long-shot of Waterstones in John Lewis Cheadle, from the History & Reference section all the way through to the Children's section. In the foreground is a round table with a selection of "Smart Thinking" pop-science & general interest books. The table header reads "Knowledge is Power" on buff-coloured paper. Also seen prominently is the World History bay. A photograph of some non-fiction sections of Waterstones in John Lewis Cheadle; including Travel Writing & British Travel, Music, Entertainment & Biography. In the foreground is a square table of Travel & Nature Writing paperbacks. Part of a fabric-covered browser unit can also be seen displaying some large hardback coffee-table books on Gardening, Travel & Interior Design. There is also a small leather armchair next to the Music section.
September 6, 2025 at 7:26 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
This really should have been last week's Good News, but my new-home branch of Waterstones (in John Lewis) has been open for a week and everything is going swimmingly!

Everyone is delighted to have us there and all the fixtures are so shiny & new I want to wrap the whole shop back up in clingfilm. 😊
A wide-shot of The Waterstones concession inside John Lewis Cheadle. In the foreground are some John Lewis crockery displays, behind which is an open-plan brightly-lit Waterstones bookshop installation, with illuminated all-caps "Waterstones" signs in the Futura typeface hanging from the ceiling. There is a large round table of paperback books, and some fabric-covered browser units visible, and the bookcases are the latest Waterstones style in a light honey-mapleish wood. A photograph of a front-of-store feature display at Waterstones in John Lewis Cheadle, taken from a low angle. In the foreground is a round black wooden table of new fiction paperbacks, crowned by a vase of flowers in the centre. Behind the table is a right-angle of light wooden shelf displays featuring a selection of new publications faced-out, most notably a while drop of R. F. Kuang's "Katabasis". A wide-angle shot of the Fiction section at Waterstones in John Lewis Cheadle. Bracketed by two fabric-covered shelf bays of faced-out books, the section occupies an alcove of light-wood shelving, surrounding a large square table of paperback crime bestsellers. In the foreground is also a large round table of Fiction paperback bestsellers. Above the shelf bays is a wooden fascia on which lettering is mounted which reads "Fiction A-Z". There is a small leather bucket-armchair in the alcove, to the left, which still has its protective booties on. A photograph of part of the children's section of Waterstones in John Lewis Cheadle, taken from a low angle. In the centre of the picture is a brightly-lit fabric-covered browser unit displaying four tiers of new paperback picture-books. In the background is a right-angle of bookshelves, one of which primarily features board-books of various favourite children's characters, including Paddington Bear, Mog, and titles by Judith Kerr and Julia Donaldson. On the other wall is a bay of picture-books and sticker & activity books, displayed on zig-zagged shelves; the books overlapping one another.
September 5, 2025 at 9:12 PM
chainborne.bsky.social
A close-up of a "Leonardo" brand double toilet-roll dispenser for use in public & commercial toilets. The smoked acrylic cover prominently featuring the signature of Leonardo da Vinci.
September 1, 2025 at 5:58 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
Maybe not on this planet, but...
August 30, 2025 at 4:48 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
Waitaminute... 🤨
A screenshot from the 1989 movie "Dead Poets Society". A male teacher in a brown corduroy blazer is standing writing at a large blackboard with his back to you, on the blackboard is a graph with two axes labelled I (for Importance) and P (for Perfection). Two areas on the graph are shaded, one labelled B (for Byron) scores high on Importance but low on Perfection. A larger area labelled S (for Shakespeare) scores highly on both axes, therefore Shakespeare earns a G for Greatness. The movie quotes the graph as being taken from the text "Understanding Poetry" by Dr. J Evans Pritchard.
August 21, 2025 at 8:45 AM
chainborne.bsky.social
Oh! Does UK A-format count? Because that's simply the front of my double-shelved bookcase...

(I am old)
August 14, 2025 at 4:27 PM