Skip navigation
Library

Story Mash-Up! (whatcha reading/watching/playing/etc.)

1135 replies [Last post]
gro-dhal's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/04/2010

I heard Portugal was the easiest faction on the game, and they seem alright so far. I'm just shitting bricks over the possibility that big brother Castille might turn on me at any time, although we've been Homies For Real for more than a century now.

 

Good game. I'm going to be away from my computer for more than two weeks over Christmas/New Year and I know it's going to bug me.

Offline
Joined: 06/30/2010

Reading Stephen King's The Stand before I read Thomas Keneally's Schindler's List, which I am super-psyched for. 

J Yo's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/23/2010

Redsrock wrote:

Reading Stephen King's The Stand before I read Thomas Keneally's Schindler's List, which I am super-psyched for. 

 

I read "Misery" while travelling and found it to be quite disturbing. This sounds like a dumb question, but is he considered a good author? My english teacher finds great humor in making fun of him as an author, but  I didn't see what was so bad about his writing style other than how creepy it was (which is not a bad thing). I'm hoping to get "The Body" for Christmas as well.

Jeroic's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

 Oddly, I have never read a Terry Pratchett book. So I got The Color of Magic while I was at work today. Hope it's good.

Offline
Joined: 06/30/2010

This sounds like a dumb question, but is he considered a good author? My english teacher finds great humor in making fun of him as an author

 

 

A lot of people will make fun of King because he is so popular. I won't deny that he's written some real duds (I think his car accident took a lot more out of him then even he is willing to admit), but to say he isn't a good author is stupid at best. He's a good author now. He was once great, but now he's just good (until that new Dark Tower book gets written, then I'll hopefully change my mind).

Jeroic's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

 I want to say that I love BioWare. I also want to say that it is fine if people have different opinions from me. In fact I encourage it. 

 

I also want to say that the Escapist forums are the worst place on the internet. Just the most whiny, entitled bullshit I have ever seen. If you can watch a journalist's preview of a game get derailed by someone who says that BioWare games have nothing on Planetscape Torment (which I have never played but have heard good things about the writing) and that the fact people like BioWare means gaming is ruined FOREVER and that "their" genre is being killed by casuals and those retarded, baby-eating konsole kiddies and not hang your head in shame that our species can prodice such foolery then I am sad for your jaded layers of gloopy acceptance of trolls.

 

I honestly just saw that and came out convinced that the only way to fix the Escapist forums is to remove them forever. Then the entitled whiny gits can just whine silently at their screens. 

Haestepsis's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/14/2010

New to the site, first post, so Hello all!

King is the KING... the early works anyway. Many take the piss out of him because he's crazy prolific. We used to joke that if he ever ran out of ideas, his publisher would still make a book out of his shopping lists. I agree the accident was a huge change in his outlook and as a result his work (Just look at the first four volumes of the Gun Slinger's saga compared to the last three - night and day IMO)

By the way, if you like King and enjoyed the first season of AMC's The Walking Dead I would recommend The Stand as an absolutely great read.

Jeroic's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

 I think on some level King might be a victim of "it's popular now it sucks." Once something becomes a household name, people who were only using it to pretend to be nonconformist tend to whine about how their exclusive little club isn't so exclusive.

EDIT: For the record, I only read a little King and a long time ago, but he was pretty alright from my recollections.

Offline
Joined: 06/30/2010

Haestepsis wrote:

(Just look at the first four volumes of the Gun Slinger's saga compared to the last three - night and day IMO)

I agree 100%. Exactly what I think of the series as well. Maybe more so the last two volumes, though. I very much enjoyed the third book, Wolves of the Calla.

Haestepsis's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/14/2010

Wolves had a great start, probably because he'd been working on parts of it for years, but it seemed to get off the rails pretty quick (Sorry for this minor spoiler: the Harry Potter sneetches still make me cringe). I think because he didn't want to leave it undone, King rushed through the last few books. Their completion to me was bitter sweet, as I know if he really took his time it could/would have been greater, but I was happy to have the story "finished."

Offline
Joined: 06/30/2010

I didn't care too much for the final two books, either. However, I think the ending of the last book, after several days of thought, is perfectily fitting for Roland as a person. It's just perfect. If you've read the books and have read the heartache and background stories, the ending is perfect.

 

***SPOILER***

 

 

Yeah, I didn't like the involvement of sneetches and lightsabers, either. I realize worlds criss-cross and all that jazz, but it didn't work for me just like King putting himself into the story didn't work for me. Actually, the latter really pissed me off, honestly. I think it's somewhat creative since he combines characters/aspects from past stories, and because he's obviously the author of all of this, but... I didn't like his own involvement in the story. I don't think an author should ever put themselves into their writing. Defeats the purpose, you know? *shrug* I still love him, of course, and he'll always be my idol. Where his plots usually make me go "What the hell?", he never fails to deliver believeable characters and outstanding character interaction.

Haestepsis's picture
Offline
Joined: 12/14/2010

I'm with you all the way, buddy. I give him credit creatively for inserting the Stephen King character, it's very bold. But like Robert Downey Jr. says in Tropic Thunder, "never go full retard."

B
B's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/14/2010

I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't read the Dark Tower series; however, I did ask for The Gunslinger for Christmas and plan to start reading it over the holiday break.
 

B
B's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/14/2010

I've been on an iPhone gaming kick lately.  Currently playing Dungeon Hunter 2, Infinity Blade, and RAGE.

 

Offline
Joined: 06/30/2010

B, if you get bored with The Gunslinger, keep reading. I don't think it's boring, but most people who quit the series say they did because of that book.

B
B's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/14/2010

Redsrock wrote:

B, if you get bored with The Gunslinger, keep reading. I don't think it's boring, but most people who quit the series say they did because of that book.

For better or for worse, I asked for the "Revised and Expanded" edition.

 

Offline
Joined: 06/30/2010

Nice. I believe I have the "normal" edition.

Offline
Joined: 06/30/2010

So now I'm not going to read Schindler's List next, and I may be stopping The Stand pretty soon. I write fantasy (right now, at least, before my taste for post-apocalyptic modern stuff kicks in like it always does.... I'm always switching back and forth between fantasy and post-apoc modern), and I want to read fantasy for inspiration. I've already started the first book of the Malazan Book of the Fallen series by Steven Erikson, and I've heard great things about The Wheel of Time series. I'll finish the Malazan series -assuming I don't finish it before the final book is released- and then take on TWoT series. Both are pretty damn gargantuan and I'll definitely take breaks in between and read something else. I'll finish The Stand and Schindler's List along the way somewhere...

Jeroic's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

 I'm gonna finish The Color Of Magic, read the Dragon Age novels after I get them on Christmas, then I'll be doing The Lord of the Rings again. 

Lady N's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/26/2010

Reading the Upanishads. Hoping to buy and start playing Mass Effect 1 & 2 tomorrow. 

Jeroic's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

Lady N wrote:

Reading the Upanishads. Hoping to buy and start playing Mass Effect 1 & 2 tomorrow. 

 

Do it, Mass Effect 2 is my favorite game of 2010. 

Lady N's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/26/2010

Mass Effect is fun so far, except I suck at it. There should have been a "you're a horrible soldier, but managed to buy your way up the ranks" back story. War hero seems a bit inappropriate for a chick who keeps dying.

Astion's picture
Offline
Joined: 07/10/2010

We rented 9 yesterday and I really liked it. I had rather high expectations after seeing the shortfilm and the previews made it look like a kid's animation adaptation, but I think they really did it justice.

Luagar's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

Anyone read A Canticle for Leibowitz? I found it on a list of 'books to read before you die' alongside LotR, Dune  & Ender's Game, which makes me feel like I should have heard of it before.

Jeroic's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

Lady N wrote:

Mass Effect is fun so far, except I suck at it. There should have been a "you're a horrible soldier, but managed to buy your way up the ranks" back story. War hero seems a bit inappropriate for a chick who keeps dying.

Maybe Shepard had a head injury that effects her aim? : D

 

Got and started Fable 3. I'm really enjoying it so far.I always love a good revolution. On a related note, Dragon Age: the Stolen Throne is pretty alright as well.

Luagar's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

Jeroic wrote:
Got and started Fable 3. I'm really enjoying it so far.I always love a good revolution. On a related note, Dragon Age: the Stolen Throne is pretty alright as well.

Just ordered Fable 3 the other day. My only desire for it is that it's at least moderatly difficult in comparison to it's predessesors, has a storyline that had at least a solid five minutes of thought put into it, and has a final boss that isn't a little pansy who puts up literally no fight.

Brian's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

currently reading:

Samuel Beckett: Molloy/Malone Dies/The Unnamable

Lao Tzu: Tao Te Ching

some book on philosophical logic with various authors

then it's on to In Defense of Lost Causes by Slavoj Zizek and collected poems of John Keats, then waiting in the mail for Heidegger's Introduction to Metaphysics, Kant's Critique of Pure Reason, Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, Vonnegut's Sirens of Titan, Pynchon's Gravity's Rainbow, Hurston's Jonah's Gourd Vine, and Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises

 

i got a huge amazon gift card and i am a happy fucking camper.

Lady N's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/26/2010

Spoiler: The main quest of Mass Effect revolves around Jane Shepard trying to make babies with a female blue alien. All that Prothean stuff is fluff.  

Jeroic's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/28/2010

Luagar wrote:

Just ordered Fable 3 the other day. My only desire for it is that it's at least moderatly difficult in comparison to it's predessesors, has a storyline that had at least a solid five minutes of thought put into it, and has a final boss that isn't a little pansy who puts up literally no fight.

 

It's not that hard if you level up a lot (I'm a compulsive side-quest-er), but the plot is definitely much better this time around. I'll get back to you when I've fought the final boss. And I agree that the lack of an actual final boss was a big notch against the second game. 

 

Oh, but I hear getting the best ending is very difficult. Naturally that makes me want to get it even more.

Lady N's picture
Offline
Joined: 06/26/2010

Lady N wrote:

Spoiler: The main quest of Mass Effect revolves around Jane Shepard trying to make babies with a female blue alien. All that Prothean stuff is fluff.  

Mission accomplished.