One of the fantastic things about being part of Adventures in Scifi Publishing is access to books, often well before they are slated for publication. One of the things I’ve been reticent in doing is talking about what I’m reading and what’s coming out. So, from now on, every Friday I’ll be posting what I’m reading and playing with a couple of short thoughts pre-review. Make sure to let me know what you’re reading and playing, as well, in the comments below!
Reading
A couple things actually. I recently finished THE PROPHECY CON (paid for in Audible), by Patrick Weekes out of 47North. For those in the video game know, Patrick is one of the lead writers on Dragon Age Inquisition, a game now famous for sinking hundreds of hours of gamers lives into digital fantasy land. Review to come on both but THE PROPHECY CON is for those of you who love your fantasy with a bit of D&D and fun adventure. A bit D&D, a bit Oceans 11, and a lot of Dragon Age style adventure and wit that I’ve come to love. Tentatively we’re crossing our fingers Patrick and Karin Weekes will be able to come on the show to chat video games and books, so stay tuned.
I’m also halfway through the Audible version of Jim Butcher’s BLOOD RITES (paid for in Audible). I would listen to this series for James Marsters narration alone. And I just started UNSEEMLY SCIENCE by Rod Duncan (c/o Angry Robots- Thanks guys!). It’s gotten my attention on the first page- a hanging with a mob will do that – Will let you know next week here and on Twitter how that’s fairing for me.
Last, but by no means least, I’m part way through Chuck Wendig’s ATLANTA BURNS (paid
for by me on Kindle). This one is a YA worth reading. It’s violent- but in a mesmerizing way that rings true how teen life often feels. Won’t lie — had to put this down a couple times but I keep picking it back up. We’re planning to have Chuck on the show to chat about ATLANTA BURNS in April and can’t wait for the interview.
Playing
BLOODBORNE. But seriously, who isn’t playing this game right now?
People who don’t hate themselves I imagine. 
First impressions: BLOODBORNE is a beautifully designed game not for the feint of heart. This game wants to punish you. For everything…especially for thinking you could pick up this game. Trying to clear the second boss atm and both dreading and anticipating the point where other players start to invade the game and kill me…in my own game play…
Not for: Anyone remotely prone to throwing the controller at the TV. This one intentionally scores a ten on the frustration level.
So there you have it! That’s what’s on my kindle, Audible, and taking over the PS4 for the next week. Remember to let us know what you’re reading/want to read and I’ll post another update next Friday from Norwescon 38.
Kristi Charish – AISFP Co-Host, Interviewer, and Producer
Kristi is a scientist and science fiction/urban fantasy author who resides in Vancouver, Canada. The first instalment in her debut urban fantasy series, OWL AND THE JAPANESE CIRCUS (Simon & Schuster Canada/Pocket Books) was released Jan 2015. Her second series, KINCAID STRANGE (Random House Canada), comes out May 2016.
She received her BSc and MSc from Simon Fraser University in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and her PhD in Zoology from the University of British Columbia. She is represented by Carolyn Forde at Westwood Creative Artists. You can follow Kristi on Twitter @kristicharish and FB.
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I just read Atlanta Burns this week–and pretty much steamrolled through the whole thing in a few hours. Great read, and my first of Wendig’s, though I’ve followed his blog for a while. It does a good job of setting the ground for sequels, too.
Hey Jared! Chuck’s blog is also mesmerizing- I’m not done yet but I love the tone he sets and I have to put it down b/c I care about the character. Not an easy thing to do! The other book I listened to recently was Scalzi’s Fuzzy Nation. Another fantastic narrator (Wil Wheaton). Two audible winners in a row!
Don’t get me started on boss fights. I’ve been ready to throw the controller at the TV screen too often. But, weirdly, some of the harder ones have been in the older games, like Tomb Raider: Anniversary (the last fight was next to impossible, even on medium setting). Ditto the chariot race in Prince of Persia: Warrior Within – lost count of the number of times I tried to beat that thing on my still-functioning PS2. And I simply never managed to complete any of the Marathon games, even though I’ve happily charged through Bungie’s Halo series, or four of them at any rate. What do you think about older games and their challenges relative to the newer, high-tech ones?
Hey John!
I think game developers think about it a heck of a lot more. I went back recently to playing KOTOR and realized fast some of the challenges with game play (ie: if you don’t pick a fighter you are hooped in a number of fights). A lot of games now look at accessibility and determine whether they need to make it more accessible to entry level players. In the case of Bloodborne and the previous Demon Souls and Dark Souls, the appeal is the brutal difficulty harking back to old games. As a whole I think it’s great game companies are more aware of what difficulty can mean for new and casual players and that it can also be a huge draw. As a result they are now more intentional in their design.