I added a new section to the Runescape Bookstore called "Reader's Recommendations". There I will add books recommended by you, my dear readers. So, if you would like to share some of your favorite books with others, simply, leave a comment to this post with name/author of the book as well as short description/review and I will add it to the bookstore.
Thank you!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Runescape Bookstore Update
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
Here are a couple to consider:
We often think of Gielinor as a light hearted land, but it does have dark corners. Many of the more horrific elements in Runescape were inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The quests "Horror From the Deep" draws upon Lovecraftian themes, but the strongest link is in the quest "Slug Menace". Read Lovecraft's story "Shadow Over Innsmouth" and then do the "Slug Menace" quest and you will feel you are experiencing a retelling of the same story: townsmen who become semi-aquatic creatures, mobs of monster from which you must flee, a temple to inhuman gods, government agents - it's all there.
http://www.amazon.com/Best-H-P-Lovecraft-Bloodcurdling/dp/0345350804/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236364511&sr=8-1
-----
Who are you playing in Runescape? You are often tricked by the people you are trying to help, you face danger with self effacing humor, you are sent by other people to gather strange items. . . I think the character we play in the game is something like Fafhrd or the Grey Mouser. Who?? These are characters created by Fritz Leiber in the early days of fantasy writing. He invented the stereotypes that many other authors later tried to copy. Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are fighters and thieves and sometimes spell caster. Their stories are full of action and exotic exploits and are just plain fun to read. The stories have been republished recently as the Lankhmar series - but this is not one of those endless series that people write now days, this is more of a collection of short stories and novellas which happen to involve the same characters in the same world. Each story stands on its own.
http://www.amazon.com/Lankhmar-Book-1-Swords-Deviltry/dp/1595820795/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236365435&sr=8-1
Here is another:
Some fantasy stories cannot easily be transplanted from their native books into a computer game. Michael Moorcock's stories of Elric of Melniboné fit that mode. Elric is an antihero of epic proportions. He is king of a decadent people whom he despises. He is a weakling albino who must take drugs to survive. Then he finds the evil sword Stormbringer which grants him power but demands to be fed souls. The Elric character descends into journeys of self annihilation which seem to reflect the era in which they were written (think rock-and-roll, drugs, the Cold War, and Vietnam). The imagery and stories will stick with you for a long time, even if you don't want them to. Rumor is that three (count them three) movies are being made to tell the Elric story, but I'm sure they will pale in comparison to the books.
http://www.amazon.com/Elric-Stealer-Chronicles-Emperor-Melniboné/dp/0345498623/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236367556&sr=1-2
Ask my opinion about books and I can's stop. Here is another:
It's 19th century Spain and an end of an era, when men of honor duel they pick up pistols and leave the swords behind. . . but there are still a few traditionalists. Don Jaime Astarloa is The Fencing Master who still teaches the art of swordsmanship and is in pursuit of the perfect thrust - a sword attack for which there is no possible defense. Astarloa is an almost scholarly character who becomes embroiled in political intrigue and murder. Oh . . . and he has a new student . . . a woman . . . a beautiful woman . . . scandal! This book is so good that I ended up reading four others by the same author, but none of them can match The Fencing Master.
http://www.amazon.com/Fencing-Master-Arturo-Perez-Reverte/dp/0156029839/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236369916&sr=8-1
-----
Don't let me monopolize these comments: surly other people have a list of favorite books. Pitch in!
Great idea Vaskor!
Here's a few of my faves:
Choke - Chuck Pahlaniuk
http://www.amazon.com/Choke-Chuck-Palahniuk/dp/0307388921/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236378313&sr=8-2
The Gunslinger - Stephen King
http://www.amazon.com/Gunslinger-Dark-Tower-Book/dp/0452284694/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236378403&sr=1-1
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
http://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Jest-David-Foster-Wallace/dp/0316066524/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236378446&sr=1-1
Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim - David Sedaris
http://www.amazon.com/Dress-Your-Family-Corduroy-Denim/dp/0316010790/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236378469&sr=1-5
Calvin & Hobbes - Bill Watterson
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Calvin-Hobbes-v/dp/0740748475/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236378524&sr=1-1
and of course
If Chins Could Kill - Bruce Campbell
http://www.amazon.com/If-Chins-Could-Kill-Confessions/dp/0312291450/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236378560&sr=1-2
Knifestorm and G, thank you very much! Suddenly I have tons of books to read :-)
Knifestorm, I added two of the books you recommended to the Runescape section and other two into Reader's section.
G, if you decide you provide short reviews for the books, I'll gladly add them. Meanwhile, I just put the "Recommended by G (Gsmeck)" note to every book you recommended.
Vaskor - I attempted reading Soul Music by Terry Pratchett when it was a gift for my 14th birthday i think. I really struggled with it and had a hard time with the language (british slang was hard to wrap my head around at the time). I feel that now I'm older, I need to give it another shot. Thanks!
I'll work on the reviews. Should I just post them here?
G, maybe try Mort or Equal Rites. Terry's books are similar but not quite, there are several among them that stand out (IMHO).
And, yes, just post the reviews here and I will move them to the store.
Thank you!
The one book I'd like to suggest: John Irving's The world according to Garp. http://www.amazon.com/World-According-Garp-Modern-Library/dp/0679603069/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258987344&sr=8-1
Post a Comment