Book Reviews and Thoughts on RPG Adaptations

Welcome to my Christmas Week
By Alex Ness
December 20, 2021

I pray that all of the readers here have had a lovely holiday season so far.  Whatever your holiday, whatever who you celebrate it with, may it be a blessing to you. I tend to give books as gifts, so, if you find these books interesting, I hope you might pursue finding them to make the reading life of others that much more interesting or fulfilled.

OPEN SKIES
By Yolande Kleinn
Published by Yolande Kleinn
Copy acquired by reviewer, not provided by publisher

Eleazar Dantes is a capitalist in a future era, where there are wars that cross galaxies, between distinctly different species. But in the massive chaos of war on earth, let alone war in the stars, lives get lost in the disasters, and not all are dead, not all are injured, some are simply missing. Dantes hires a pair of finders, people who are hired to locate whatever they are paid to locate, to find his daughter. Finders who find what they seek is one thing and the purpose, but this story offers danger, and a deeper threat. Acts of heroism always cost more with bounty hunters, but these are out for a simple payment. All the while of the quest to find someone, is an additional focus upon the pair finders, and how they work together, and find themselves amidst the stronger pull of a relationship. Can a person who is asexual and cold towards another respond to a entreaty of love?  Can a pair of different beings, who struggle to create a bond do so without romance or sexual attraction?  What is love but a commitment to the other being's well being?

I think the work was subtle, and in construction well written.  I liked the characters and I think where some might see an odd connection between two people, I see love as a wrench in the machine. If you fall in love, whoever you fall in love with, and it isn't conventional, you will be emotionally irrational, and make choices that are risky.  Having an asexual partner might be different, but finding where the two might connect is probably worth the investment. I think some will go into this as a cop buddy film but find something more difficult to analyze. (Think the Buzzcocks or Fine Young Cannibals "'Ever Fallen in Love With Someone You Shouldn't've"). I did have one small issue.  The matte cover is very hard for me to touch, glossy works far better.  I have certain touch related issues, but I don't know that this is an issue I suspect others have. I say this because whenever I see a matte or glossy cover choice is offered, I see most people choosing matte.

THE LAST OBLIVION: Best Fantastic Poems of Clark Ashton Smith
By Clark Ashton Smith
Published by Hippocampus Press

Review copy provided by me... when I was mad from the lack of sleep.

“Bow down: I am the emperor of dreams;
I crown me with the million-colored sun
Of secret worlds incredible, and take
Their trailing skies for vestment when I soar,
Throned on the mounting zenith, and illume
The spaceward-flown horizons infinite.”

I am a fan of Clark Ashton Smith, but I didn't know about this book. That is, until I went 4 days without sleep, not even a momentary doze. My eyes were strawberry red, and I had 20 dollars in my paypal account. I thought, wait, a new collection of a favorite Weird Fiction poet? OH HELL Yeah.  I wasn't thinking properly, in as much as I have uses for my money, and I needed it for a project. But, gone mad from lack of dreams, I bought a book by a dreamer and king of imaginary stories. When it arrived I was happy with the physical look, the editorial work, and the cover art and back cover. The poems are brilliant. But as a fan, I think you should know why I bought it, and even with my condition at the time, I can say this, it was good purchase of a great product.

RPGs ADAPTATIONS

I have been asked what book the Role Playing Game Dungeons and Dragons was based upon, and there is usually a shocking look when the first reply is, it is a game based upon the genre of fantasy, and not Lord of the Rings. Now I've been told that in the beginning the game did use many features and traits of LOTR and that it required a certain new naming convention for the game rules manuals to not be LOTR with dice. Even so, it was more from the beginning than simply a game based upon Tolkien's world. The game's co-creator Gary Gygax had reason to deny the influence of LOTR, but he was also a well read gentleman. Other genres affected other RPGs, such as Traveler being based upon the genre of science fiction. While the idea didn't necessarily draw a straight line to a story or universe from a book or movie, there are some quality games based upon books, movies, and characters from books. Game of Thrones began as a book, was translated into television and since then, an RPG. Artesia is a brilliant fantasy comic book, but it was adapted into a game. The world could be explored from there. Conan the Barbarian is a character by Robert E. Howard, with adventures that had a RPG featuring his exploits and that of those who live in the world created by Howard. GURPS by Steve Jackson Games is a system that can adapt anything, as proof with Alan Dean Foster's Humanx Commonwealth Universe, and I very much enjoyed it. I didn't play the Gundam RPG but the model sets and manga stories feature a rich universe to explore. And Star Wars has opportunities to explore and play, the worlds and characters and settings are worth exploration, how well it did so, I am uncertain, as I've heard reports it is more difficult to get the epic feel that the movies create.  And perhaps that is the main issue, playing an RPG that has a basis found in different media might disappoint the fans of the franchise.

About Getting Reviews from Me

First off, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email at Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that.  It was a crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them for free to others.

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