Children of the Nameless was an intriguing Gothic Horror Mystery novella, which I honestly hadn't expected, judging by all the buzz I heard when it reChildren of the Nameless was an intriguing Gothic Horror Mystery novella, which I honestly hadn't expected, judging by all the buzz I heard when it released. As my first Brandon Sanderson story, I came in with high expectations, and this exceeded them.
The premise did a great job of developing the character of Tacenda, our fifteen-year-old protagonist with a unique supernatural flaw. Through a hilarious sequence of terror-turned-desperation, she finds herself bound by obligation into a fascinating relationship with the—shall we say—bad guys. Honestly, the entire premise of that relationship, at least thematically and foundationally, was strikingly reminiscent of the beginning of A Court of Thorns and Roses, which I'd read and reviewed earlier this year, so I formed a lot of my initial opinions through that lens. Without adding a spoiler tag, all I can say is that I was pleased to see that this inter-protagonist relationship avoided many of the pitfalls I feared, and fortunately it veered in a decidedly different direction.
The only true complaint I have is that Brandon Sanderson often seemed to try to shoehorn humor into the dialogue in order to lessen the terror. It often felt forced, but even then, I found myself laughing out loud, so there must be something right about all of it. The story itself was compelling, a perfect emotional roller coaster of levity and dread. One moment I would find myself laughing, only to be struck with an "oh no" moment that had been perfectly foreshadowed a few pages ago. The next moment, I'd be literally crying, and before I knew it, I was laughing again at the brilliant dynamic between the protagonists.
As a solid mystery plot, the seeds for the ending are planted carefully throughout the story, so that the big reveals have ground to stand on. I admit, the clues were enough that I was able to piece together the mystery (or at least the "whodunit" part) well before the book was halfway over. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, as the presentation was still very rational, and it paid off in the end. Just don't expect to be too surprised–I don't think this is that kind of book.
This novella technically takes place on one of the established planes in the Magic: the Gathering Multiverse, in a Gothic Horror world in a perpetual Autumn. If you're not a fan of Magic, don't worry: This is a stand-alone title that doesn't require any existing knowledge of Magic's lore. If you are a fan of Magic, however, you'll be pleased with subtle references here and there—nothing too in-your-face. If this story had not taken place on Innistrad (one of my favorite planes, by the way), it would still be a perfectly coherent novel, and it would still have my recommendation.
This is one of the first books I've read all year where I don't feel like I really need a sequel or f0llow-up. It leaves a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions, but as a stand-alone story it wrapped up very coherently, with an ending that leaves me satisfied to simply imagine how the characters' lives play out from here. That's not to say that there won't be a follow-up, however, as it seems this book was actually published less than 6 months ago.
If you're a fan of Brandon Sanderson, you'll probably love this. If you're a fan of Magic, you should certainly give it a shot. It's a great story in its own right....more
Majora's Mask is a faithful successor to Ocarina of Time. As with the games, this version of Link is clearly the same character and actually remembersMajora's Mask is a faithful successor to Ocarina of Time. As with the games, this version of Link is clearly the same character and actually remembers some of the events of Ocarina of Time. As far as pacing, the story seems to jump around a lot, expecting a lot from the reader in terms of remembering the game and filling in narrative beats. Also, since Majora's Mask has so many "side-quests," the writers devoted one chapter to each major quest. This left the overall story feeling rather episodic, such that any given chapter could probably be removed from the story without really making the narrative progression any worse. Interestingly, it did stop to break down a few game mechanics in-narrative, such as how the masks work and why they transform Link.
I definitely enjoyed the surreal imagery, such as the part of the story that puts the reader behind the eyes of the Skull Kid as the Happy Mask Salesman narrates.
After the core story is a short non-canon chapter that explains the origin of Majora's Mask. Much like the story proper, it's a sad, surreal, and chilling tale—but perhaps too confusing to have any value on the surface.
Overall, I appreciate this book as a visual refresher of the narrative, since I haven't played the game in years. But for anyone who isn't already a hardcore Majora's Mask enthusiast, I wouldn't recommend it....more
I've carried this book with me on almost every adventure through the Lunar series. It's absolutely essential.
I'd like to start by sharing all the waysI've carried this book with me on almost every adventure through the Lunar series. It's absolutely essential.
I'd like to start by sharing all the ways that this book improves on the first one: It's twice the volume, with a hardback cover that's protected it from half a dozen exhaustive read-throughs. The cover is a deal-breaker for most strategy guides, because it's very difficult to expect a paperback strategy guide to stay open on a table while you leave it for a few minutes to play the game—this one did not disappoint.
The book also has three beautiful red ribbon bookmarks sewn directly into the spine. This is perfect, because I often find myself flipping between the gameplay section, the monster stats, and the item info pages in order to make sure that all of the necessary game info is at my fingertips.
Which brings me to my next point: All of the necessary game information is included in this guide. Much like a quintessential extension of the hardback game manual that came in the "Lunar 2: Eternal Blue Complete" box, this contains full-color and high detail images of every aspect of the game and story. They've really gone above and beyond with features such as: � A detailed stat block (complete with images) for every single monster in the game, including bosses. There are also abridged versions of these monster guides, including page reference numbers, in all of the corresponding dungeon entries for quick access. � A full script (including performance notes) of every anime cutscene in the game, of which there are 30 minutes, in addition to several frame captures of the actual contents of the scene to accompany the text. � Locations, descriptions and images for every single item in the game. This includes Bromides, which were very difficult to find and manage in the Lunar 1 strategy guide. In the Lunar 2 guide, they are clear and complete.
This guide is also bursting with bonus features. One absolutely stunning inclusion is the entirety of the full-color "Lunatic Parade" chibi manga series, interspersed throughout the other game content. As with the original, it also has more concept art and creator interviews than any reader could ask for. The back includes twice as many stickers, including (but not limited to) one for all twenty-two bromide images, character portraits, and stickers to label your PS1 memory cards.
In the margins, they even made room to include photographs from conventions and crudely funny mashed-together comics out of the official imagery. My only complaint in this regard is that—as with the localized games as a whole—virtually none of the humor has aged well. Take this with a grain of salt, however, because if you're looking for awkward 90s pop-culture references in an RPG strategy guide, you'll find what you're looking for here.
The game itself has an epilogue, which this guide also explores to completion. One positive note on this section is that, since the epilogue is very open-ended, all of the key information appears in the beginning and the optional content appears at the end. This is especially nice for readers who compulsively flip to the last page before finishing the book (you know who you are), because the final encounters of the game are actually detailed before the optional content.
Overall, I would posit that there's nothing that this strategy guide is missing. It's everything the ideal game guide should be, and more. If you're going to play the Lunar series, take this with you; it's an invaluable companion to the game. ...more
Full disclosure: I have a bias toward Working Designs because I became attached to their games at a young age.
Let's start with the positives. I love tFull disclosure: I have a bias toward Working Designs because I became attached to their games at a young age.
Let's start with the positives. I love that this strategy guide was produced in-house. The fact that it was made by the people who made Lunar makes this perfectly compatible. The strategy guide and the game seem to communicate with one another, using the same humor, language, and references to create a sort of meta-experience. I can't imagine playing Lunar without this companion.
A few negatives: It wasn't exhaustive. There were some moments where I was thinking "what was this" in the game, so I flipped to the book and I couldn't find my answers. This was true in a few boss fights—which are really easy, so that's no big deal. The worst part is that some information wasn't conveyed in chronological order, so I found myself missing out on two collectibles due to the missing information.
Which brings me to my next (and perhaps most important) point: This is not a suitable reference for finding Bromides unless you're interested in extensive bookkeeping and cross-referencing. In all seriousness, I would recommend any internet guide over this as far as locating Bromides.
The binding is pretty weak, so I've had to use various methods to stick the pages back into the book. This problem seems to be exclusive to the paperback copy (the sequel is available in hardback).
Overall the guide still belongs with the game; I believe that it's the proper and intended way to play Lunar. The jokes, interviews, and retro-checks were a great way to annotate my experience and immerse myself in the creation as I went. I can't even say that it lacks effort, because clearly they went above and beyond when it comes to content. I just wish it had about 5% fewer mistakes....more
After reading the Ocarina of Time manga, I didn't have very high expectations. This book exceeded them... slightly.
This story has a new Link, distinctAfter reading the Ocarina of Time manga, I didn't have very high expectations. This book exceeded them... slightly.
This story has a new Link, distinct from the character in Ocarina of Time. The writers have clearly come a long way, as Link has much more personality and a few character flaws (which usually come down to childish impulse, but that counts for something).
If you've played the games, you'll find that many characters who once felt like game mechanics are now actual characters. You'll start to get a deeper understanding of their lives and what they actually do when they're not being objects. In that vein, if you were expecting Link to be occupied by a diverse cast of bumbling sidekicks that he'd met in the games, you won't be disappointed. I am a little sad to say that Vasu didn't make an appearance, though.
The Seasons storyline felt very rushed and skipped over a lot of the development in favor of hitting all the plot beats as quickly as possible. It had a lot of high-action moments, but the motivations for these moments often felt forced and unclear. It felt less like the game in that it had no real arc for problem solving: The dungeons weren't given a mention, and the Rod of Seasons was only ever used once.
The Ages storyline picks up right where Seasons left off, hearkening back to that "play both games back to back" premise that they were marketed on. It's the same Link, and the events of the previous story are remembered and reflected going forward. For a Legend of Zelda manga, this is praiseworthy. The story itself moved at a comfortable pace, exploring a variety of interesting characters and their motivations. It slowed down to give the reader a chance to appreciate the social intrigue and the motives that were actually involved in its central conflict. Ages also doubled down on the "problem solving" aspect, making real thoughtful use of the time travel mechanic and a few key items. Just don't expect any established laws of time travel to be consistently followed whatsoever.
I was pleased to find out that the story also included the secret epilogue that you only get for completing both linked games back-to-back. It was about as shallow as I expected, but the writers' attention to detail deserves credit nevertheless.
This Legendary Edition was a bit of a heavy read, but as it is technically a collection of two original books, this was to be expected. It certainly held my attention better than both volumes of the Ocarina of Time manga. I'd recommend this to anyone who can't get enough of the original Oracle games....more
A continuation of Ocarina of Time Part 1, this carries a lot of my praise and criticism from the previous volume. Beyond that, a few comments:
This finA continuation of Ocarina of Time Part 1, this carries a lot of my praise and criticism from the previous volume. Beyond that, a few comments:
This final section seems quite rushed, with many "dungeons" being skipped and resolved in a single page. I didn't need to see a chapter for each dungeon, but I felt like those final segments lacked depth.
I was really intrigued by the fact that a couple of the sages end up traveling with Link for a significant part of his journey. This offers excellent character development for both parties—Nabooru is hilarious—and did a great job filling the space between dungeons.
I was surprised that the Ocarina of Time was never really used; after all, it's the namesake. This story focuses on the adult timeline, but it offers none of the time-hopping shenanigans that defined the gameplay we expected.
Overall the Ocarina of Time books were pretty good. I'd recommend them to any fan of the game, if only for the chance to relive it one more time with a new perspective....more
An endearing interpretation of a classic story. The point-by-point plot follows very closely with the Ocarina of Time game, just as the reader might eAn endearing interpretation of a classic story. The point-by-point plot follows very closely with the Ocarina of Time game, just as the reader might expect. The character elements, however, are much more thoroughly fleshed out. We get to see a fun and adventurous side of characters such as Zelda and Mido, for example, which gives us a deeper connection to their personalities than the game offers. Their expressions, as with most of the detailed art, are priceless.
Though the story is predictable, fans of the gameplay will be pleased to see in-fiction justifications for many of Link's random treasures. For example, the Deku Shield is literally carved from the Deku Tree and Link's first Kokiri Sword was (ironically) given to him by Mido.
The story skips a few basic plot points, apparently under the premise that this information is assumed by people who have already played the game. It doesn't make it unreadable, but it certainly makes the progression feel choppy at times....more
I hadn't read this story since probably second grade, and I must say, I didn't give it enough credit back then. This short story expertly uses imageryI hadn't read this story since probably second grade, and I must say, I didn't give it enough credit back then. This short story expertly uses imagery, metaphor and every other prose technique I ever learned about to reach the reader on as many levels as possible.
This a five-page read about what appears to be the fallout of a nuclear war in 2026, which I definitely didn't realize as a child. It gives the house a tragic, lonely personification that conveys to the reader a sense of dread and longing at the same time. It seems to be a cautionary tale, about perhaps technology, perhaps war, perhaps both. It's chillingly accurate considering it was written about 70 years ago.
I looked this up on a whim today as I walked by a black, rigid, sci-fi looking house by the shore. We are drawing very near to this era....more
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