Good Monday to all. On to this week’s post!
I had a long, busy week but still managed to enjoy a productive and enjoyable work week. First things first: I finally finished the overview of my novel and will now begin to write it this week. I am very excited because it is first time that I actually write the story of the book from beginning to end before writing any type of chapter. I think this will greatly reduce my unquenchable need create chapters that have absolutely nothing to do with the main story arch. This first step of auto-editing the content of the novel is very important for me because it allows me to explore the whole story before I commit to it in the form of chapters. It also helps me iron out details such as names, types of units, wardrobe, cities, etc. I have always liked to construct worlds from the bottom up, trying to give the characters context and depth, However, I think that this practice has led to unwanted delays and has prevented me from creating the story inside the world, which is much more important in the long run. Thus, when I decided to let go and simply write the story, it was liberating to write without knowing all the details. I begin the Prologue today, so let’s see how that goes. In the meantime, I will also write the outline of the other stories that I want to write about, starting with the story of X.
I am also going to finish the short story I have written for the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future contest. This will be my second submission, and though I feel this story is better suited for the contest that the first one, I am still not entirely sure if it will have better luck than the first one. The problem is that I don’t think I write good short stories, I think my strength falls into more elaborate and lengthier texts, but heck, and I do want to learn how to write more concise and shorter stories, so the Contest is a wonderful platform where I can try to do just that. The important thing is that I ma writing everyday and working hard to achieve my goals.
Books
I have completely left the Sword of Truth series and Anita Blake novels aside, because I ma engrossed in The First Law world. The Trilogy is sensational, but I have enjoyed the two books that come after the trilogy much more. It is difficult to imagine that two books, set four and nine years after the conclusion of the trilogy to hold any relevant story lines or characters, but Abercrombie found a way to blend the trilogy with these two books flawlessly. The action is fast and almost never-ending, the characters are rich and complex, the plot twists are definitely engrossing and I have been enjoying the reading experience a lot. I highly recommend these books.
On a side note, our little book club has decided that we are going to read Brandon Sanderson’s The Way of Kings and I am really looking forward to it. I think I will the Mistborn Trilogy, also by Sanderson, a go as well.
Games
This past week we did not have our D&D session, but I am looking forward for this week’s session. I am playing with three for the first time and it has been entertaining to say the least. I just hope that the mage does not get us all killed.
I successfully bred a golden chocobo last night and for the first time in all of the times I have played this game, I went into the Underground Reactor with all of the chocobo accessible materia at hand. I love Final Fantasy VII and I love it even more after the submarine mini-game. I will hunt down the Gelnika tonight and will try to morph anything that stands in my way. It is Yuffie time.
I am also playing Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy VIII, but I have barely begun the latter and have only finished a couple of chapters of the first one. I hope I have time to play more this week, but I do prefer to spend the little time I have writing.
Series
I have been a bad boy for the past two months and have not been really into TV. I still have not seen past the 6th episode of Game of Thrones and I am only around the 4th episode of Camelot. I have been finishing up the NCIS season 7 episodes though, but still, I hope that when I go on vacation I will be able to finish off all of the series.
I will see ya'll next week!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Fantasy Series List
Sorry about the delay, but a nasty stomach bug kept on the sidelines yesterday. I am okay today so onwards to this week’s post!
This week I have been trying to comprise a comprehensive list of good fantasy series to read and encountered some blogs and lists that, understandably, are totally subjective. The reviews of the series and of the books got me thinking about my own classification of the books that I like and the books that I don’t, and why I rate them the way I do.
For example, in this site: http://www.bestfantasybooks.com/top25-fantasy-books.php I found a very comprehensive and up to date list of fantasy series that I am interested in reading. However, some of the reason given as to why the writer of the blog believes they are the best falls way short in my list. I understand certain aspects of what might make a fantasy series good, or endearing, or simply a classic, and I also understand that those same variables change from person to person, but how can one question the formula of the simple boy that happens to be a King, or of the young group of people that suddenly are thrust into adventure where the fate of the world hangs in the balance? I mean, to me, one of the most alluring characteristics of fantasy novels is precisely that, the fact that a simple a boy or girl undergoes magical changes in order to save the world. That is one of the reason that I read fantasy, I want to be immersed in a world where there are no boundaries and my imagination can run wild, thinking to myself that I am Huma, or Drizzt or Haplo or Aragorn. Or that I am simply there as a spectator in VIP seats with a gigantic box of popcorn.
One could argue about the technical aspects of the book, or the series, or about the style and technique the author used, if it is well-written or not, and, well, I am not one of those. You see, although I do value certain amount of prowess from the authors I read, I tend to notice much more about the story rather than the way is told. Granted, there are many books that I just have not been able to finish or did not care to finish which is within my rights as well, but reading the many lists I found on the internet, I also came to my last conclusion: The makers of the list were only paying attention to series that had much more adult content and language, adult fantasy if you will, and were really nasty towards series like Dragonlance or Drizzt’s adventures. And that is something I won’t stand for. Obviously these types of series are geared to younger audiences, I began reading Dragonlance when I was 17 or 18, and Forgotten Realms novels around my 20th birthday, so yes, it has been a while. My point here is that to me, books in general, have a profound meaning in terms of taking snapshots of my past, of allowing me to relive feelings that have been guarded for 20 years or more, or less. The first novel I read in my life was Treasure Island, I was 8, and I can still remember eating bread with mayo on the living room, excited about the adventure I was not only reading, but living as well. I remember the day I read the Legend of Huma, one of the first times in my life that tears ran freely down my face when reading a book (Since then, the floodgates have opened, and I am not ashamed to say it ), the day I discovered, thanks to one of my good friend’s late father, the wonderful, dark and erotic world of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, when I am re-reading a book or a complete series, I can actually remember the weather from my original reading and I can remember my mood and a fleeting view of my life at the time I was reading the book for the first time.
That, to me, is what makes reading much more than just a hobby, or a pastime; it is part of my life, part of my memories and part of who I am and how these books define me.
So, in the spirit of list making and making everybody agree to disagree, here is my top ten fantasy series, in order of enjoyment and pure subjective bliss.
1. The Wheel of Time – Robert Jordan.- The series that opened my eyes to another type of fantasy.
2. The Deathgate Cycle – Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.- My favorite until Mat, Perrin and Rand arrived. I usually re-read this series once every 2 years.
3. A Song of Ice and Fire – George R.R. Martin.- My introduction to the adult fantasy series could not have been better.
4. Heroes I (The Legend of Huma, Stormblade, Weasel’s Luck) – Dragonlance.- The first time I truly lived and breathed through the life of a character.
5. The Legend of Drizzt – R.A. Salvatore.- I really enjoy this series, because it feel that at every turn, the dice are rolling.
6. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien.- My introduction to the magical world of magic and fantasy.
7. The First Law – Joe Abercrombie.- Gritty, fast, violent, awesome.
8. The Darksword Trilogy – Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.- The first two books are just too good to punish them for the third.
9. The Sword of Truth – Terry Goodkind.- Good series, a bit too uphill for me.
10. The Gormenghast Novels – Marvyn Peake.- Strange, fast paced and a completely different type of fantasy.
Well there you have it, so please feel free to add your own series in the comment section.
See you all next week!
This week I have been trying to comprise a comprehensive list of good fantasy series to read and encountered some blogs and lists that, understandably, are totally subjective. The reviews of the series and of the books got me thinking about my own classification of the books that I like and the books that I don’t, and why I rate them the way I do.
For example, in this site: http://www.bestfantasybooks.com/top25-fantasy-books.php I found a very comprehensive and up to date list of fantasy series that I am interested in reading. However, some of the reason given as to why the writer of the blog believes they are the best falls way short in my list. I understand certain aspects of what might make a fantasy series good, or endearing, or simply a classic, and I also understand that those same variables change from person to person, but how can one question the formula of the simple boy that happens to be a King, or of the young group of people that suddenly are thrust into adventure where the fate of the world hangs in the balance? I mean, to me, one of the most alluring characteristics of fantasy novels is precisely that, the fact that a simple a boy or girl undergoes magical changes in order to save the world. That is one of the reason that I read fantasy, I want to be immersed in a world where there are no boundaries and my imagination can run wild, thinking to myself that I am Huma, or Drizzt or Haplo or Aragorn. Or that I am simply there as a spectator in VIP seats with a gigantic box of popcorn.
One could argue about the technical aspects of the book, or the series, or about the style and technique the author used, if it is well-written or not, and, well, I am not one of those. You see, although I do value certain amount of prowess from the authors I read, I tend to notice much more about the story rather than the way is told. Granted, there are many books that I just have not been able to finish or did not care to finish which is within my rights as well, but reading the many lists I found on the internet, I also came to my last conclusion: The makers of the list were only paying attention to series that had much more adult content and language, adult fantasy if you will, and were really nasty towards series like Dragonlance or Drizzt’s adventures. And that is something I won’t stand for. Obviously these types of series are geared to younger audiences, I began reading Dragonlance when I was 17 or 18, and Forgotten Realms novels around my 20th birthday, so yes, it has been a while. My point here is that to me, books in general, have a profound meaning in terms of taking snapshots of my past, of allowing me to relive feelings that have been guarded for 20 years or more, or less. The first novel I read in my life was Treasure Island, I was 8, and I can still remember eating bread with mayo on the living room, excited about the adventure I was not only reading, but living as well. I remember the day I read the Legend of Huma, one of the first times in my life that tears ran freely down my face when reading a book (Since then, the floodgates have opened, and I am not ashamed to say it ), the day I discovered, thanks to one of my good friend’s late father, the wonderful, dark and erotic world of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, when I am re-reading a book or a complete series, I can actually remember the weather from my original reading and I can remember my mood and a fleeting view of my life at the time I was reading the book for the first time.
That, to me, is what makes reading much more than just a hobby, or a pastime; it is part of my life, part of my memories and part of who I am and how these books define me.
So, in the spirit of list making and making everybody agree to disagree, here is my top ten fantasy series, in order of enjoyment and pure subjective bliss.
1. The Wheel of Time – Robert Jordan.- The series that opened my eyes to another type of fantasy.
2. The Deathgate Cycle – Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.- My favorite until Mat, Perrin and Rand arrived. I usually re-read this series once every 2 years.
3. A Song of Ice and Fire – George R.R. Martin.- My introduction to the adult fantasy series could not have been better.
4. Heroes I (The Legend of Huma, Stormblade, Weasel’s Luck) – Dragonlance.- The first time I truly lived and breathed through the life of a character.
5. The Legend of Drizzt – R.A. Salvatore.- I really enjoy this series, because it feel that at every turn, the dice are rolling.
6. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien.- My introduction to the magical world of magic and fantasy.
7. The First Law – Joe Abercrombie.- Gritty, fast, violent, awesome.
8. The Darksword Trilogy – Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman.- The first two books are just too good to punish them for the third.
9. The Sword of Truth – Terry Goodkind.- Good series, a bit too uphill for me.
10. The Gormenghast Novels – Marvyn Peake.- Strange, fast paced and a completely different type of fantasy.
Well there you have it, so please feel free to add your own series in the comment section.
See you all next week!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Writing
Hello all! Busy week this one was (bad Yoda, I know), so lets get on with this week's post!
I have not been able to do a whole lot more than work this week unfortunately, not only on my regular job (which is the one that barely pays the bills) but on my other job: writing. Writing, for a large part of my life, had been an outlet to the inner struggles I was going through at the time, or just wanting to tell a short story, a small snippet of a poem or simply constructing a massive world filled with unique characters. But over the years, the need to write and the reasons behind it have changed the way I have changed as well; I would like to think that mature is the right word to describe the process, both in my work and in my life.
I have tried to balance what I call my office life and my home life. Both require their fair share of attention to detail and dedication. I have been more involved with my home life with the arrival, five years ago, of my daughter, followed two and a half years ago with the arrival of my son, but life is sneaky and cunning, and just when you think you have things under control, it yanks the carpet right under your feet. Just when I felt I had gotten to a stable point in my life, destiny had other plans for me.
Suffice to say, I had to dedicate much more time to my office life, time I did not know I had, time I did not want to give, and alas, time that became crucial in the never-ending process of growing up, of doing what is needed to get done. But something funny happened as well, something that I did not expect at all. My own need to create, to write, to read, began to evolve as well, and it now understood that the little time I had free, HAD to be used productively, had to be used wisely. And the process of becoming a better worker, a better father, a better husband, a better son, a better friend was not in the way of becoming the only thing I was meant to do ever since I was borne: to write.
Accepting the need, accepting the overwhelming necessity to write, to tell the stories I have thought about for so long was the easy part, it turned out, because now that I knew my purpose in life, I realized that I had no real inkling as to what it entailed: in other words, I had found the light at the end of the tunnel, but I had no way to get there, the tunnel was blocked, my mind was blocked. I had too many ideas floating around in my head and I wanted to write about each and every one of them. I wanted to write the way I read: furiously and not in any particular order. That would not do, and I knew it. So, one lazy Friday afternoon, my very good friend @CspiderMx suggested that I needed to dissociate the two roles I played as a writer: one was the narrator, and the other one was the writer. You see, I think that like every aspiring writer your worst enemy is sitting right next to you, he looks like you, he talks like you, he acts like you but in essence he is NOT you. He, is everything you hate about your work, every insecurity you have as writer, he is everything you hate about you life, he is the frustration that builds at work and the mocking laughter of defeat. I think we all have that monster lurking around inside our brains, just waiting for the opportunity to pounce on the thinnest thread if self-respect and confidence and destroy it. My worst enemy has been the lack of discipline, the lack of organization and of being the world's most obsessive editor.
But things changed once I followed my friend's advice, oh yes, things have changed in indeed. Why? Because I felt free. Once I donned my narrator's hat, and was not keen on worrying about every word used, ever verb and every adjective...I began to write. I decided to stay true to a single story, to a single story arch. I would write my contest stories but I would focus my energy and time to a single story arch that will become my first novel. I am almost done writing the overall arch of the story, and it has been a very helpful tool to only worry about the story, I will write the chapters and divide the story soon, but now I know where it is going, I wont have to adlib in the middle of it, at least I don't I think I should.
But to what end do I want to write stories? Because I want to be famous, rich and accomplished? Make no mistake about it, I know this is a very competitive market and I have no delusions of grandeur about myself and about my writing. First and foremost, I want to write for me, I want to be able to read my stories and to share them with anyone who wants to read them. I also know what I want to write about, and why. Do I want to become a writer? No, because I already am one, in my heart and in my soul, where it counts. Do I want to earn my living writing? Yes, yes I do, but I will hold on to my day job for the time being, if you don't mind.
I know what I want and where I want to go from here, so maybe, in the near future, I will begin sharing some of my stuff via this blog.
See you all next week!
I have not been able to do a whole lot more than work this week unfortunately, not only on my regular job (which is the one that barely pays the bills) but on my other job: writing. Writing, for a large part of my life, had been an outlet to the inner struggles I was going through at the time, or just wanting to tell a short story, a small snippet of a poem or simply constructing a massive world filled with unique characters. But over the years, the need to write and the reasons behind it have changed the way I have changed as well; I would like to think that mature is the right word to describe the process, both in my work and in my life.
I have tried to balance what I call my office life and my home life. Both require their fair share of attention to detail and dedication. I have been more involved with my home life with the arrival, five years ago, of my daughter, followed two and a half years ago with the arrival of my son, but life is sneaky and cunning, and just when you think you have things under control, it yanks the carpet right under your feet. Just when I felt I had gotten to a stable point in my life, destiny had other plans for me.
Suffice to say, I had to dedicate much more time to my office life, time I did not know I had, time I did not want to give, and alas, time that became crucial in the never-ending process of growing up, of doing what is needed to get done. But something funny happened as well, something that I did not expect at all. My own need to create, to write, to read, began to evolve as well, and it now understood that the little time I had free, HAD to be used productively, had to be used wisely. And the process of becoming a better worker, a better father, a better husband, a better son, a better friend was not in the way of becoming the only thing I was meant to do ever since I was borne: to write.
Accepting the need, accepting the overwhelming necessity to write, to tell the stories I have thought about for so long was the easy part, it turned out, because now that I knew my purpose in life, I realized that I had no real inkling as to what it entailed: in other words, I had found the light at the end of the tunnel, but I had no way to get there, the tunnel was blocked, my mind was blocked. I had too many ideas floating around in my head and I wanted to write about each and every one of them. I wanted to write the way I read: furiously and not in any particular order. That would not do, and I knew it. So, one lazy Friday afternoon, my very good friend @CspiderMx suggested that I needed to dissociate the two roles I played as a writer: one was the narrator, and the other one was the writer. You see, I think that like every aspiring writer your worst enemy is sitting right next to you, he looks like you, he talks like you, he acts like you but in essence he is NOT you. He, is everything you hate about your work, every insecurity you have as writer, he is everything you hate about you life, he is the frustration that builds at work and the mocking laughter of defeat. I think we all have that monster lurking around inside our brains, just waiting for the opportunity to pounce on the thinnest thread if self-respect and confidence and destroy it. My worst enemy has been the lack of discipline, the lack of organization and of being the world's most obsessive editor.
But things changed once I followed my friend's advice, oh yes, things have changed in indeed. Why? Because I felt free. Once I donned my narrator's hat, and was not keen on worrying about every word used, ever verb and every adjective...I began to write. I decided to stay true to a single story, to a single story arch. I would write my contest stories but I would focus my energy and time to a single story arch that will become my first novel. I am almost done writing the overall arch of the story, and it has been a very helpful tool to only worry about the story, I will write the chapters and divide the story soon, but now I know where it is going, I wont have to adlib in the middle of it, at least I don't I think I should.
But to what end do I want to write stories? Because I want to be famous, rich and accomplished? Make no mistake about it, I know this is a very competitive market and I have no delusions of grandeur about myself and about my writing. First and foremost, I want to write for me, I want to be able to read my stories and to share them with anyone who wants to read them. I also know what I want to write about, and why. Do I want to become a writer? No, because I already am one, in my heart and in my soul, where it counts. Do I want to earn my living writing? Yes, yes I do, but I will hold on to my day job for the time being, if you don't mind.
I know what I want and where I want to go from here, so maybe, in the near future, I will begin sharing some of my stuff via this blog.
See you all next week!
Monday, June 6, 2011
D&D musings
Monday! Another start of the week, this year is really zooming by. Well, onto to this week’s blog.
Dungeons & Dragons
This week I have been really busy putting Pentholas back together for our weekly Dungeons & Dragons table. Suffice to say, I am really excited to be playing a pen and paper RPG. I have been a fan of RPG’s for a long time, ever since my good friend, and now Dungeon Master, @dragonlord77 introduced me to Shadowgate, the dungeon crawl-type game for the NES. The genre has changed a lot from those early games, and to me, it has regressed.
The stories made the earlier games compelling and unique, and I am not saying this in retrospect, failing to acknowledge the technical aspects of early video games graphics. Most of them looked the same, but the stories set them a part. They had to, since the graphics engine was the same. Aside from my complete biased opinion about the Final Fantasy franchise, revisiting these games the last couple of weeks has been surprisingly gratifying. I won’t expand my thoughts on the many virtues of Final Fantasy VII, I would need another blog post for that, and I will write one once I am done, but I do have a couple of things to say about a couple of old games versus newer games. Chrono Trigger, for example, relies on quirky storytelling to get their point across, the graphics are not bad for a SNES game, but the unique traits it had set this game a part. I mean, how many games could hold a trial based on actions taken earlier with the main character? Not many. Square, I believe, has always paid more attention to the progression of the story and how their characters develop their relationships. It is pretty fun to watch, even after only about an hour’s worth of playing, how the characters interact with each other and how it affects, not only the overall arch of the story, but also the game play. In newer games like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, the stories are part of what makes them great games, and you build relationships based on your actions. The graphics are to die for and the story arches are good as well…but something is missing. I don’t know what that might be, but to me, these games are lacking something that the older games have. I don’t know if it is has to do with the stories themselves, but the innocence of the quests, of the search, might have to do with this feeling.
That is why I needed to play D&D again, to give importance to the story first, to the leveling and experience second. I mean, I love to gain new attributes, new skills and new spells and feats, but I am, in all honesty, much more inclined to accept these increases as simple growth my character is going through. I have been through so much with Pen both in terms of game related issues to real life ones, that this version of him, might not be the most complete, heck, he is level 1, but he might be the most accomplished, after all, he has been part of my arsenal of characters for a long time now. But another aspect of D&D that is highly underrated, is the social aspect of the game. I mean, you actually sit down around a table and play, eat Cheetos and wash them down with Mountain Dew. You actually get to see the expressions and body language of the people that will embark on the adventure with you, you will be able to roll your eyes in disgust or to giggle like a school girl and the people around will be able to determine if you are having fun or not. I mean, that is whole point of playing something, to have fun. So, I am excited about the possibilities that any new adventure brings, the beauty of D&D is that I don’t have to find the online guide to get through the hard parts.
Books
I am reading now the second book in the First Law trilogy written by Joe Abercrombie. The first one, the Blade Itself was really good. In my quest to discover new fantasy series to read, this first foray has been successful. I love the way the world described feels, the way the characters interact with each other, the language used, the descriptions, but above all, the Bloody Nine is fast becoming one of my favorite characters. The story is really interesting and there are, still, a lot of questions left unanswered. I am really looking forward to this second book.
Micah, book 13 of the Anita Blake series has been slow this week, my attention was mostly set on the book mentioned above, but I still managed to wrestle a few chapters out of my iPad. I like where the series is going, I think that Anita has become on of those characters that will always be a part of your reading repertoire and I have been enjoying her immense growth both in terms of her natural abilities and about her knowledge of what she want to do with her life.
The Temple of the Winds, book five of the Sword of Truth series has also been feeling a little neglected, but I will make headway this week. Now, as I stated before, I had found these series of books to emotionally drain me, because in the end, the series is about the love story between Kahlan and Richard and everything that gets in their way. So, after a while, the formula of keeping them apart, for whatever reason seemed to irritate me to no end, and thus I usually walked away from the series altogether. However, I have not pinpointed the exact reason why, but his time around, re-reading the books, I believe that I understand much more why the two of are them being kept apart and why is Richard acting the way he is. Regardless of my previous feelings, I do believe that this time around I will be able to finish the books in time, because the new book of the series will be out in August.
I also intended to read, well, to re-read the Dracula Tapes, but I have not been able to start it again, and I don’t think I will anytime soon, because I have an itch to continue reading E.E. Knight’s Vampire Earth Series.
Series
I did not see last week’s episode of Game of Thrones, but I did that in purpose. I know what is coming and even though I loathe to admit it, what happens to the Stark’s is not something I am willing to accept lightly. Seeing rather than reading about them changes things, at least for me. The blood is too real and the viciousness is too real. I am torn about seeing the series or just wimping out completely.
Camelot has been on hold too, but for different reasons, laziness being the principal culprit. Ditto for BSG and Sanctuary. Firefly, well, I just don’t want it to end…so my wife and I are trying to stretch the series as far as we can…but Firefly withdrawal is beginning to corrupt our souls…
Writing
This week I want to share with you all how I am doing with the different projects I want to do this year. I am writing a short story for a contest and I am also writing a fantasy novel that hopefully, someday, you guys will be able to enjoy.
The short story has been a real hassle for me, because I am not used of thinking in a smaller scale, so I end up writing the beginnings of massive stories or just miss the whole cadence of the story because I drag out things for too long. So, this week, I plan to polish the story a bit more, before diving head first into writing the piece that will be sent to the contest.
With the novel, well, I have been really applying myself to finish an overview of the whole story, so that I can begin writing the actual chapters. I think I have been doing pretty good so far, and I might be finished with the overview in another couple of weeks. So, at least I have been disciplined with my writing, but still, not enough. Hopefully this week will be better.
Well, have a great a week, and don’t forget to register and comment!
Dungeons & Dragons
This week I have been really busy putting Pentholas back together for our weekly Dungeons & Dragons table. Suffice to say, I am really excited to be playing a pen and paper RPG. I have been a fan of RPG’s for a long time, ever since my good friend, and now Dungeon Master, @dragonlord77 introduced me to Shadowgate, the dungeon crawl-type game for the NES. The genre has changed a lot from those early games, and to me, it has regressed.
The stories made the earlier games compelling and unique, and I am not saying this in retrospect, failing to acknowledge the technical aspects of early video games graphics. Most of them looked the same, but the stories set them a part. They had to, since the graphics engine was the same. Aside from my complete biased opinion about the Final Fantasy franchise, revisiting these games the last couple of weeks has been surprisingly gratifying. I won’t expand my thoughts on the many virtues of Final Fantasy VII, I would need another blog post for that, and I will write one once I am done, but I do have a couple of things to say about a couple of old games versus newer games. Chrono Trigger, for example, relies on quirky storytelling to get their point across, the graphics are not bad for a SNES game, but the unique traits it had set this game a part. I mean, how many games could hold a trial based on actions taken earlier with the main character? Not many. Square, I believe, has always paid more attention to the progression of the story and how their characters develop their relationships. It is pretty fun to watch, even after only about an hour’s worth of playing, how the characters interact with each other and how it affects, not only the overall arch of the story, but also the game play. In newer games like Mass Effect or Dragon Age, the stories are part of what makes them great games, and you build relationships based on your actions. The graphics are to die for and the story arches are good as well…but something is missing. I don’t know what that might be, but to me, these games are lacking something that the older games have. I don’t know if it is has to do with the stories themselves, but the innocence of the quests, of the search, might have to do with this feeling.
That is why I needed to play D&D again, to give importance to the story first, to the leveling and experience second. I mean, I love to gain new attributes, new skills and new spells and feats, but I am, in all honesty, much more inclined to accept these increases as simple growth my character is going through. I have been through so much with Pen both in terms of game related issues to real life ones, that this version of him, might not be the most complete, heck, he is level 1, but he might be the most accomplished, after all, he has been part of my arsenal of characters for a long time now. But another aspect of D&D that is highly underrated, is the social aspect of the game. I mean, you actually sit down around a table and play, eat Cheetos and wash them down with Mountain Dew. You actually get to see the expressions and body language of the people that will embark on the adventure with you, you will be able to roll your eyes in disgust or to giggle like a school girl and the people around will be able to determine if you are having fun or not. I mean, that is whole point of playing something, to have fun. So, I am excited about the possibilities that any new adventure brings, the beauty of D&D is that I don’t have to find the online guide to get through the hard parts.
Books
I am reading now the second book in the First Law trilogy written by Joe Abercrombie. The first one, the Blade Itself was really good. In my quest to discover new fantasy series to read, this first foray has been successful. I love the way the world described feels, the way the characters interact with each other, the language used, the descriptions, but above all, the Bloody Nine is fast becoming one of my favorite characters. The story is really interesting and there are, still, a lot of questions left unanswered. I am really looking forward to this second book.
Micah, book 13 of the Anita Blake series has been slow this week, my attention was mostly set on the book mentioned above, but I still managed to wrestle a few chapters out of my iPad. I like where the series is going, I think that Anita has become on of those characters that will always be a part of your reading repertoire and I have been enjoying her immense growth both in terms of her natural abilities and about her knowledge of what she want to do with her life.
The Temple of the Winds, book five of the Sword of Truth series has also been feeling a little neglected, but I will make headway this week. Now, as I stated before, I had found these series of books to emotionally drain me, because in the end, the series is about the love story between Kahlan and Richard and everything that gets in their way. So, after a while, the formula of keeping them apart, for whatever reason seemed to irritate me to no end, and thus I usually walked away from the series altogether. However, I have not pinpointed the exact reason why, but his time around, re-reading the books, I believe that I understand much more why the two of are them being kept apart and why is Richard acting the way he is. Regardless of my previous feelings, I do believe that this time around I will be able to finish the books in time, because the new book of the series will be out in August.
I also intended to read, well, to re-read the Dracula Tapes, but I have not been able to start it again, and I don’t think I will anytime soon, because I have an itch to continue reading E.E. Knight’s Vampire Earth Series.
Series
I did not see last week’s episode of Game of Thrones, but I did that in purpose. I know what is coming and even though I loathe to admit it, what happens to the Stark’s is not something I am willing to accept lightly. Seeing rather than reading about them changes things, at least for me. The blood is too real and the viciousness is too real. I am torn about seeing the series or just wimping out completely.
Camelot has been on hold too, but for different reasons, laziness being the principal culprit. Ditto for BSG and Sanctuary. Firefly, well, I just don’t want it to end…so my wife and I are trying to stretch the series as far as we can…but Firefly withdrawal is beginning to corrupt our souls…
Writing
This week I want to share with you all how I am doing with the different projects I want to do this year. I am writing a short story for a contest and I am also writing a fantasy novel that hopefully, someday, you guys will be able to enjoy.
The short story has been a real hassle for me, because I am not used of thinking in a smaller scale, so I end up writing the beginnings of massive stories or just miss the whole cadence of the story because I drag out things for too long. So, this week, I plan to polish the story a bit more, before diving head first into writing the piece that will be sent to the contest.
With the novel, well, I have been really applying myself to finish an overview of the whole story, so that I can begin writing the actual chapters. I think I have been doing pretty good so far, and I might be finished with the overview in another couple of weeks. So, at least I have been disciplined with my writing, but still, not enough. Hopefully this week will be better.
Well, have a great a week, and don’t forget to register and comment!
