What are you reading ?

Originally Posted by crpgnut
Has anyone read alot of Mercedes Lackey? I wouldn't mind reading a series or two of hers, but I can't abide homosexual males in my reading material. Has she written any series where she stays away from that? I've tried twice to read some of her work but both times she's had a gay male character. Sorry, I just can't read that crap without wanting to puke.

I've read ALL of her work!! Her very first series had no gay males: Arrows of the Queen; Arrows Flight and Arrows Fall. By the Sword is excellent and the Oathbound series is worthwhile. After that you're going to hit a few gay character; especially avoid the Magic's Pawn series. Her last 3 which includes 2 with Exile in the title and one about a thief, are also good. Hope that helps!!

She had the Jinx High series quite a while back. I liked those (don't remember any gays in that series), but that's all the Lackey I've gotten the urge to try.

Well, I'm most of the way through Night Watch and I'm hooked … the author does a great job of putting you in the shoes of a Muskovian … I have a number of Russian-born friends at the conference I'm at and it is just very interesting talking to them with that as a backdrop …

I read game manuals sometimes. Also I read about single-player games on the web . And I also read text in-game. So I guess I read a lot…

Originally Posted by Ammon777
I read game manuals sometimes.

Of course the funny thing with me reading Night Watch is that I'm also playing the PC game and have the movie on DVD on rental …

Originally Posted by txa1265
Of course the funny thing with me reading Night Watch is that I'm also playing the PC game and have the movie on DVD on rental …

Now thats total immersion!

Originally Posted by Ammon777
I read game manuals sometimes. Also I read about single-player games on the web . And I also read text in-game. So I guess I read a lot…

My favorite game manual was that of the original Tie Fighter, but only the localized version… it contained so many funny mistranslations.

My favourite game manual - well, sort of - was then the official strategy book by Prima Publishing - I mean the German translated version of the Collector's CD-ROM version.

Because it contained the story of Maarek Steele embedded in it - a story that was never published, I heard, except in very early versions of the original game as kind of a bonus.

For a similar reason, I'm still looking for the same strategy guide for the X-Wing Collector's CD-ROM version - because of the Story of Lt. Farlander, which has suffered a similar fate. I have never seen it.

My favourite game manual is, I think, that of Homeworld. But wait, SIM City 2000 was also very good.

That was the time when handbooks could sometimes be real work of art !
Nowadays we have almost nothing but PDFs …

The Maarek Stele story was mistranslated as well, which led to some rather funny dialogs and scenes (which weren't intended to be funny in the original lannguage version). Couldn't beat the translation of 'Mortal Coil', though ('Einsellen sterbliche rolle auf ihre harte fährt' is brilliant. Even better than 'All your base').

I also am an avid reader… mostly sci-fi and fantasy… but it's interesting that some of you have expressed interest in reading game manuals.

The first thing I do when I get a new CRPG is grab the manual and read it all the way through. I don't really read it to learn how to play the game as much as I do to get a feeling for the game. A well written manual is great.

Of course now most (but not all) manuals are quite slim and lacking in any imagination, but the game manuals of old were great. It used to be common for CRPG manuals to be upwards of 100 pages long (and longer), and they would not only include the "how do I play" stuff, but backstory, history, and other "flavor" text that added to the gaming experience.

Games like - the later Wizardry games, Ultimas (though I'm not a huge Ultima fan), Infinity Engine games, Realms of Arkania games, The Magic Candle, and so many others, had great manuals that were a joy to read.

Usually I'm a manual avoider, touching the pages only if I have to (if the code's in the manual, for example, or if I'm really stuck and might have overlooked a game feature). But some manuals are just too good to pass .

Originally Posted by Corwin
I've read ALL of her work!! Her very first series had no gay males: Arrows of the Queen; Arrows Flight and Arrows Fall. By the Sword is excellent and the Oathbound series is worthwhile. After that you're going to hit a few gay character; especially avoid the Magic's Pawn series. Her last 3 which includes 2 with Exile in the title and one about a thief, are also good. Hope that helps!!

Thanks Corwin, this is exactly what I was looking for! I'll check out the arrow-minded series and see how I like her stuff.

Charles Darwin, Origin of Species

Originally Posted by Jaz
Usually I'm a manual avoider, touching the pages only if I have to (if the code's in the manual, for example, or if I'm really stuck and might have overlooked a game feature). But some manuals are just too good to pass .

I agree - I think of Dark Forces, Jedi Knight (original) and Return to Castle Wolfenstein as three examples where you don't *really* need to look at the manual ,but you'll be glad you did!

I read Eragon a while back, which is really good and MUCH better than the horrible film. I then read Bridge to Terabithia (spelling?), which is a children's book, but grabbed my interest based on the previews of the film. The film is nothing like the previews make it look like, but it's an ok book.

I don't read much.

Originally Posted by GhanBuriGhan
Charles Darwin, Origin of Species

One of the best fantasies I've ever read. Kinda dry though.

I certainly agree about it being a fantasy!!

what was that fable about the "the ass in the lion's skin"…

Originally Posted by Ammon777
Now thats total immersion!

Too bad the Silent Storm engine is an awful means for conveying a story …

While we're waxing nostalgic about game manuals, let me go on record also as detesting the tiny little illegible pamphlets we get crammed into the dvd case these days--I guess I should be grateful they're not in six languages like instructions.

I remember the Black Isle game manuals all had a spiral binding so you could lay them flat by the computer as you played--the Fallout manual had that black & white flecked school exercise book cover "Vault Tec Lab Journal"--the BG2 SoA manual is thicker than some paperbacks. The last game I got with a decent manual was Temple of Elemental Evil. The last rpg I got with turn based combat was ToEE as well--coincidence?