:: Zelazny :: [polish] :: sparks that fly from the ironsmith's hammer ::
::. Saturday, March 8 .::
Mirrors and Light gives us diary pages for Portia. I've been reading these and they are cleanly written and very good character studies. The TKC plotline is rife with wonder. Well done, Liz.
(and yes, your HTML looks beautiful, welcome to the self-taught club!)
...and speaking of all this book stuff: a book I was looking for is out-of-print, so I managed to check-out a copy at one of our local libraries. I can say that "The Thirteen Clocks" is a tribute to words and wit of James Thurber. I enjoyed it immensely and can see why it is so quotable.
Paul has got me thinking, he adds to the greats on his blog.
...so as a closer to the links below, the "neglected gems" that should have been on the list:
Nine Princes in Amber, Zelazny: talk about a hook, the first page grabs you and even a sentimental ending five books later doesn't really disappoint. Changed my (and others) view of modern fantasy. AKA, the Amber Chronicles, or the Great Book of Amber.
the Martian Chronicles, Bradbury: if not for this book, I wouldn't be the avid speculative fiction reader I am. It got me by the imagination and emotions and never let go. My first intro to SF and may still be my favorite book. Amazing.
Sunglasses After Dark, Collins: this is the book that made reading about vampires get my blood pumping. Keep Anne Rice and Interview.
The Witches of Karres, James H. Schmitz: hard to pick from this author, but I'd say this is his best.
The Weapon Shops of Isher, Van Vogt: likewise, several classics from this old master, but this one thrills.
The Princess Bride, Goldman: it would be fair to say, that this helix-twined tale is a marvel. The film does not do it justice, and I like the film.
The Last Unicorn, Beagle: priceless and enchanting.
the Science Fiction Book Club gives us the Most Significant SF & Fantasy Books of the Last 50 years Top 50 :: and how they got the list is anyone's guess... saw this first on Jvstin's pages.
I thought it might be interesting to give a brief on which ones I haven't read and/or why:
6. Neuromancer, Gibson: there is something awful about cyberpunk when done in the gritty, "who cares, life sucks" style, and for some reason, that's what I sniff about this one. Unfair, and I probably will read it someday.
9. Mists of Avalon, MZB: I like my MZB is small doses, like rich food. And here, she is taking on a myth that I've had my fill of.
11. The Book of the New Sun, Wolfe: ?I can't figure out why I haven't read this yet?
16. The Colour of Magic, Pratchett: I haven't read much of anything by Pratchett. They seem silly.
25. Gateway, Pohl: another that is a classic that I haven't picked up
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Adams: another silly I haven't done, but I might.
31. Little, Big, Crowley: mystified... sounds familiar but never tempted.
33. The Man in the High Castle, Dick: intriguing title, don't know it.
36. The Rediscovery of Man, Smith: I might have read this and just not remember. I know I've read lots of Smith.
39. Ringworld, Niven: again, I like Niven in small doses. Just haven't gotten to it.
40. Rogue Moon, Budrys: think I've read this, but not sure.
43. Snow Crash, Stephenson: cyberpunk? seems like it is filed that way in my head.
48. The Sword of Shannara, Brooks: Ok, I've read Brooks, and some of his stuff is ok, but no way am I going to read this. Does this belong on the list?
49. Timescape, Benford: puzzled. Don't know it.
So there it is, 36 read, 14 skipped for various reasons, none of them very strong. I am at once, surprised that I've read that many and curious if some listings (Like Brooks, Pratchett, and Gibson) are just nods to sales rather than significance.
House of Cards Log: Investigation :: the GMs posted a short guide to uncovering secrets in-game. I like this simple explanation. I've had Players talk about "I'm not good at puzzles, or mysteries" and yet, I know those same Players end up solving things all the time.
Because those Players consistently 'worry' something until they find a 'chink' they can get a hold of and start taking the puzzle apart.
Are you Real? Sometimes we can bend the rules. Having just put my head back into a character gone for a couple years has reminded me about something I wanted to post here. There are any number of good web pages out there that chat about the "right" way to get into an Amber game. I admit that Amber is a trickier game for several reasons than your average RPG, so there is good reason to see many people offering: how to do combat, how to play the role, how to avoid pitfalls, how to GM, how to build your character...
...but the diversity of the Amber premise allows for all these pages of good advice to be incomplete.
In the "Thy Kingdom Come" game, I was encouraged to create a fey character with no access to the Pattern of Amber. This is "breaking a baseline rule of Amber." Of course, the Pattern is one of the major features of Amber, one of the main reasons that you play this genre, and one of the things that the rules will tell you (and good advice supports) you should never be without.
Without Pattern, are you Real? (No offense to those pesky Chaosians meant.)
In short, a good GM with a good idea of the theme of a game can bend the rules, just as a good writer with a good story can selectively ignore grammar, conventions, and other rules of telling a tale. So when you look over some of these web sources that help you find the "right way" of playing an Amber Character, you can figure the advice is pretty good... but never absolute.
Shadow is infinite. Whether Texorami, or Argent France, or the Empire of the Gleaming Banner, or even Faerie, a good aspect of Amber play can be peeling another veil back from the mysteries of the universe.
Mirrors and Light has opened its doors even further. Team blog features have been activated, and comments from Players (current and former) are posted.
(update: I've found Kirwyd's voice a bit and posted something new/old to the blog for the delight of others.)
Here's a clue. Before Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, my brother and I were roleplaying in the back seat of our car while my parents took us on one-hour drives to our relatives; or even while my Mom went to the store; or sometimes in the aisles of the grocery store; or until she made us stop. Which she did--- repeatedly.
And I got an IM from a nine-year old last week. "When can we play Amber? When are Jacy and Rhia going to adventure again?" This from Cleveland, two hours away from me.
Will the hobby of home repair ever die? No. Folks were doing it before Home Depot ever put down roots in your neighborhood. If roleplayers put as much effort into the hobby as Home Depot does with getting money out of your pocket, the hobby will be fine for years to come.
"A place where the GM shares ideas, creations and a few scribblings about the game. If you like an idea, feel free to take it and make it your own."
KFG is a very open and experienced GM. She also believes strongly that the Players are the reason the game exists: that while there is a story going on in the background, that it is the Players' stories that are the focus.
I reccommend you drop by and listen to her ideas when you have a chance.
