I like stories in all their forms. I like books, movies, video games, comics, and anything else that tells a story. I can’t help but filter all that stuff through writer-vision, so I’ve decided to share my reviews with the world.
Books
I’ve been reading the Dresden files, by Jim Butcher, which are great. At least the first seven I’ve read so far. Easy to read, and I like the way that each of the books is separate, but that there is also a slowly unfolding ongoing story. It’s hard to pull something like that off across a number of books.
I’ve also just finished the second book in the John Cleave series, Mr. Monster, by Dan Wells. It reminds me of the Dexter books, only more disturbing, which is good for a book with a sociopath as the protagonist. I did find that this book starts off somewhat slower than the first, at least that’s what it felt like to me.
Movies
I was pleased with the Hobbit, as I already wrote.
I also watched the Grey recently, the ending of which I found particularly interesting. Without giving away too much, it doesn’t deliver on some of its promises. Or, if you at it differently, it has an open ending. I still don’t know if I liked that or not.
Video games
I loved the Wolf Among us. It’s not as powerful as the Walking dead season 1, but the story-telling is still brilliant (in both games). The setting is taken from – also good – ‘Fables‘ comic book series. It’s a detective story with some twists, with an interesting protagonist and very interesting choices for you as player to make. It does not make the mistake that Mass Effect made, and the ending feels like it reflects your choices. It’s not that long, which I would have hated when I was younger, but I’m so busy these days that it feels just long enough for me.
A much longer game is Wasteland 2. I’ve finally finished it yesterday. Unfortunately, at the end it felt more like an endurance test than a game. I honestly didn’t care much about the story any more, I just wanted to get to the end. I like the feel of the game, the combat system, and the in-game jokes. The story is pretty good as well, but it’s too strung out, because of side-quests and time spent exploring map after map. And I feel the dialogs and descriptions could have been written more tightly. They feel fluffy. It’s a staple of the genre of course, but I feel less repetition and better stories and characters make for a stronger game.
Comics
I’ve been reading Le Sang du Dragon by Jean-Luc Istin, Guy Michel, and Sandrine Cordurié – well, the dutch translation. It’s a fantasy pirate story, which is right up my alley. It being an adult French graphic novel, there is some nudity which I did not quite think was necessary, but hey, not as bad as other things I’ve read. The story itself is intriguing, and I like the way the characters develop.
A final word
So, I’ve blurted some reviews at you. Not very detailed reviews, but I still hope they’re useful. Happy reading/watching/playing.
