Book Update - True Grit, LotR and RPGs
Cut for large pics of the book covers.
True Grit by Charles Portis
I wanted to read this book after seeing the most recent movie version. It's a good read. Mattie Ross is a practical narrator and her no-nonsense attitude comes through well. The reader feels like they're going along with her on her journey to avenge her father. It's a coming of age tale, in a way, and it's presented in a satisfying way. It seems very much like a real-life story - there's nothing too unbelievable about it.
I recommend this book to everyone, but in particular people who like westerns, coming of age tales and those who've seen the movie(s) but haven't read the book.
The Magical Worlds of The Lord of the Rings - The Amazing Myths, Legends and Facts Behind the Masterpiece by David Colbert
As the subtitle says, this book analyses the myths and legends behind the Lord of the Rings. It looks at everything from influences that Tolkien's childhood had on the series to the origins of character names. This same author has also written another book like this, only with a focus on the Harry Potter series. (I read that book in high school.)
If I had one criticism, it's this this book was designed more for children or pre-teens to read and it shows with the formatting of the text and pictures. Still, it's full of interesting information and would be a useful tool for anyone wanting to know more about Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings.
The World of Darkness
This is the core book for White Wolf Publishing's World of Darkness (or WoD) RPG. If you want to play any form of this table top game, you need to read a copy of this and have it handy. WoD presents a bleak and scary world full of monsters and people struggling to survive. If you want to have a game with vampires, werewolves, mages, fairies (the scary kind) ghosts and spirits, this is the system for you.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2
This book is a supplement to the Pathfinder RPG. It's full of interesting monsters and creatures that would be useful for GMs and players to add to their games. I think this would be helpful in particular if GMs are stuck in a kind of writer's block situation with their game. Having an encounter with a new and different kind of monster is a good way to stimulate the imagination.
Scion: Demigod
Scion is another White Wolf publishing RPG system. In it, the players are the children of the ancient gods and fight monsters. It has a much lighter tone than WoD.
Demigod is the 'middle' book of the three main Scion books. (The first being Hero and the last being God.) Demigod has the characters advance to near-god level, which gives them access to stronger and more fantastic powers. However, it also means there are tougher monsters to fight. This book includes pre-made characters, as well as a whole new pantheon involving the gods of Atlantis. There is also a grand quest to discover Atlantis.
This book is good if you already have a basis with Scion: Hero and wish to take the game to the next level. You could also use 'dumbed down' versions of the more difficult monsters in a Hero game.
This makes 12/50 books for me.
True Grit by Charles Portis
I wanted to read this book after seeing the most recent movie version. It's a good read. Mattie Ross is a practical narrator and her no-nonsense attitude comes through well. The reader feels like they're going along with her on her journey to avenge her father. It's a coming of age tale, in a way, and it's presented in a satisfying way. It seems very much like a real-life story - there's nothing too unbelievable about it.
I recommend this book to everyone, but in particular people who like westerns, coming of age tales and those who've seen the movie(s) but haven't read the book.
The Magical Worlds of The Lord of the Rings - The Amazing Myths, Legends and Facts Behind the Masterpiece by David Colbert
As the subtitle says, this book analyses the myths and legends behind the Lord of the Rings. It looks at everything from influences that Tolkien's childhood had on the series to the origins of character names. This same author has also written another book like this, only with a focus on the Harry Potter series. (I read that book in high school.)
If I had one criticism, it's this this book was designed more for children or pre-teens to read and it shows with the formatting of the text and pictures. Still, it's full of interesting information and would be a useful tool for anyone wanting to know more about Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings.
The World of Darkness
This is the core book for White Wolf Publishing's World of Darkness (or WoD) RPG. If you want to play any form of this table top game, you need to read a copy of this and have it handy. WoD presents a bleak and scary world full of monsters and people struggling to survive. If you want to have a game with vampires, werewolves, mages, fairies (the scary kind) ghosts and spirits, this is the system for you.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2
This book is a supplement to the Pathfinder RPG. It's full of interesting monsters and creatures that would be useful for GMs and players to add to their games. I think this would be helpful in particular if GMs are stuck in a kind of writer's block situation with their game. Having an encounter with a new and different kind of monster is a good way to stimulate the imagination.
Scion: Demigod
Scion is another White Wolf publishing RPG system. In it, the players are the children of the ancient gods and fight monsters. It has a much lighter tone than WoD.
Demigod is the 'middle' book of the three main Scion books. (The first being Hero and the last being God.) Demigod has the characters advance to near-god level, which gives them access to stronger and more fantastic powers. However, it also means there are tougher monsters to fight. This book includes pre-made characters, as well as a whole new pantheon involving the gods of Atlantis. There is also a grand quest to discover Atlantis.
This book is good if you already have a basis with Scion: Hero and wish to take the game to the next level. You could also use 'dumbed down' versions of the more difficult monsters in a Hero game.
This makes 12/50 books for me.