X-Men
3x12 Savage Land, Strange Heart Part One
3x13 Savage Land, Strange Heart Part Two
Tuesday 10 September 2024
Fiction
The Once and Future King by T.H. White
The Sword in the Stone Chapters 19–24
That's the end of The Sword in the Stone, though far from the end of The Once and Future King — four more books to go (though I think Sword is the longest part).
I must say, it's been a bit of a slog at times (there's a reason it's taken me four months to get through this relatively slim section, and it's not just "been busy with other things" (which, of course, I have to some extent)), but there are also some fantastic passages, not least in this final stretch. So, though it's somewhat frustrating as a book unto itself, I'm hoping it will ultimately sit better as the opening salvo in a grander story. Indeed, I enjoyed this final stretch enough that I considered going straight on to the second part, but my plan all along has been to take a break after each volume* to read something else (or maybe a couple of somethings, we'll see) before I continue.
* I am very, very bad at reading long books, but pretty successful at reading short ones; so five books averaging under 200 pages each seems much, much more achievable than an 844-page epic.
The Sword in the Stone Chapters 19–24
That's the end of The Sword in the Stone, though far from the end of The Once and Future King — four more books to go (though I think Sword is the longest part).
I must say, it's been a bit of a slog at times (there's a reason it's taken me four months to get through this relatively slim section, and it's not just "been busy with other things" (which, of course, I have to some extent)), but there are also some fantastic passages, not least in this final stretch. So, though it's somewhat frustrating as a book unto itself, I'm hoping it will ultimately sit better as the opening salvo in a grander story. Indeed, I enjoyed this final stretch enough that I considered going straight on to the second part, but my plan all along has been to take a break after each volume* to read something else (or maybe a couple of somethings, we'll see) before I continue.
* I am very, very bad at reading long books, but pretty successful at reading short ones; so five books averaging under 200 pages each seems much, much more achievable than an 844-page epic.
Games
Fighting Fantasy
Shadow of the Giants by Ian Livingstone
Er, does this belong in Games or Books? Because it's a book, but, like, it's a game book... I've gone with Games because, really, it's a game in book form: it requires a pencil (to keep track of your stats, etc) and a pair of dice (though it has a clever alternative if you don't have any to hand), and you jump around as you make decisions rather than progressing in a linear fashion like a novel — I wouldn't be able to cite a chapter or page count for where I'm up to, for example (I suppose I could count how many pages I'd read along the way, but that would be a bit sad — and if the guy who runs this blog thinks that would be sad...)
Anyway, I played for about an hour, and made a right hash of it: I died twice, without feeling like I’d got very far into the narrative (whether I had or not, it's hard to tell with all the flipping back and forth). The first time I made a bad choice so just went back a step, like reloading a save game; the second time, the sum of my poor decisions caused me to lose an (apparently) unavoidable combat. At that point, it only made sense to start over. But I know a bunch of pitfalls to avoid next time! And there will be a next time, because I did enjoy it. I would’ve enjoyed it more if I’d done better at it, but that’s sort of on me, isn’t it?
Shadow of the Giants by Ian Livingstone
Er, does this belong in Games or Books? Because it's a book, but, like, it's a game book... I've gone with Games because, really, it's a game in book form: it requires a pencil (to keep track of your stats, etc) and a pair of dice (though it has a clever alternative if you don't have any to hand), and you jump around as you make decisions rather than progressing in a linear fashion like a novel — I wouldn't be able to cite a chapter or page count for where I'm up to, for example (I suppose I could count how many pages I'd read along the way, but that would be a bit sad — and if the guy who runs this blog thinks that would be sad...)
Anyway, I played for about an hour, and made a right hash of it: I died twice, without feeling like I’d got very far into the narrative (whether I had or not, it's hard to tell with all the flipping back and forth). The first time I made a bad choice so just went back a step, like reloading a save game; the second time, the sum of my poor decisions caused me to lose an (apparently) unavoidable combat. At that point, it only made sense to start over. But I know a bunch of pitfalls to avoid next time! And there will be a next time, because I did enjoy it. I would’ve enjoyed it more if I’d done better at it, but that’s sort of on me, isn’t it?
Videos
Critical Role
2x53 Cornered [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
I've decided to remove the Games tag from all previous and future Critical Role posts (unless I'm actually playing a Critical Role game (which do exist, but I don't own any (yet))). This is because I recently tried to look up some previous posts for when I had actually played games and had to wade through hundreds of CR posts, which seemed counterproductive. The Games tag does sort of make sense (these aren't 'just' Videos, they're Videos of Games) but, in practice, it gets in the way of what the Games tag is supposed to be for (i.e. when I play games). I doubt this actually affects anyone (because I presume no one actually reads this blog), but I mention it just in case.
2x53 Cornered [1st half]
[Watch it (again) on YouTube, or Twitch, or Beacon.]
I've decided to remove the Games tag from all previous and future Critical Role posts (unless I'm actually playing a Critical Role game (which do exist, but I don't own any (yet))). This is because I recently tried to look up some previous posts for when I had actually played games and had to wade through hundreds of CR posts, which seemed counterproductive. The Games tag does sort of make sense (these aren't 'just' Videos, they're Videos of Games) but, in practice, it gets in the way of what the Games tag is supposed to be for (i.e. when I play games). I doubt this actually affects anyone (because I presume no one actually reads this blog), but I mention it just in case.
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