Race goers enjoying Grand National Day at the Randox Grand National Festival at Aintree, Liverpool, Britain, 09 April 2022. This year's Grand National is the 174th edition of the legendary annual horse race at the Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool. (Photo by Peter Powell/EPA/EFE)

Los Angeles native Mike Stilkey has always been attracted to painting and drawing not only on vintage paper, record covers and book pages, but on the books themselves. Using a mix of ink, colored pencil, paint and lacquer, Stilkey depicts a melancholic and at times a whimsical cast of characters inhabiting ambiguous spaces and narratives of fantasy and fairy tales. A lingering sense of loss and longing hints at emotional depth and draws the viewer into their introspective thrall with a mixture of capricious poetry, wit, and mystery. (Photo by Mike Stilkey)

A paramilitary police officer (right) turns around as hostesses line up for roll call ahead of the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing, China, on Monday, April 25, 2016. Tesla Motors Inc. and BYD Co. are among manufacturers showing 147 new-energy vehicles at this year's show. (Photo by Qilai Shen/Bloomberg)

A participant takes part in a high heel race to protest in favor of gender equality in Monterrey, Mexico on May 12, 2019. (Photo by Daniel Becerril/Reuters)

British singer-songwriter Rita Ora early May 2024 makes an eye-catching face as she promotes “The Masked Singer”, where she’s a judge. (Photo by Rita Ora/Instagram)

A boat is stranded on Poyang Lake in Lushan City, China during low-water season on November 3, 2016. (Photo by Xinhua/Barcroft Images)

Lightning streaks across the sky as lava flows from a volcano in Eyjafjallajokul April 17, 2010. (Photo by Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

The Shannara Chronicles - A Refreshing Adventure in a Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy Future

I was sitting idly on the couch, drinking cola and playing Red Flush online casino games while my better half was channel surfing besides me. I was completely immersed in my game, but dragged back with my feet on the ground when I heard a name - Terry Brooks - coming from the telly. And from MTV?!