Top Ten Fantasy Books

Good fantasy literature I think requires two vital elements to be present:

Imagination – the ability to dream, to create new wonders, to explore new realms and bring them to life. In fantasy the ideas can be original or not, that is not important. Often the re-use of the old, of archetypes and legends, is of crucial importance in fantasy, which is a form of literature that connects us with our deep past. On the other hand, I personally value originality in approach, and I notice that this list seems to consist largely of works by unique, one of a kind writers. It's the power of their imagination which is so vital, which makes their works so unforgettable.

Storytelling – the story must captivate the readers or listeners. This ancient art goes back many aeons to the first cro-magnons huddled around the cave fires, listening to the shaman's tales of the mysterious world(s) beyond… And it is just as important today. Fantasy is about stories, things have to happen, events have to unfold, quests have to be fulfilled, monsters killed or perhaps heroes (as the case may be), uppances have to be comed, and consequences have to be faced. Homer knew this when writing the Odyssey, as did all fantasy writers (and tellers) since.

So, once more into the breach. Here's my list.

Installing Commandos - A Tale of Woe

I used to love Commandos; that is, the first game in the series, Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines. I often go back to play games from ten or more years ago, and this is the latest one I have a craving for.

Did I mention, I've just ordered a pretty powerful, expensive gaming laptop from Zepto? Some of its power, I think, might go wasted …

Anyway, the first thing I needed to do was find the disk. It definitely wasn't a DVD case, which meant trawling through boxes and boxes of disks, often with no names along the spines, hunting for it. Three hours later - and with a significantly less tidy room - I gave it up.

Five days of Ubuntu Linux

Last wednesday I ordered a new laptop. I'll definitely be installing Vista on it, if only for gaming and DirectX 10, but I also plan to use it as an excuse to get to grips with Linux. I've used Windows all my life, 3.1 followed by 95, 98, 2000 and now XP, and I'd describe myself as fairly competent at working with it: this would be a pretty new experience for me. A few years ago I'd installed Fedora Core 4, and I wasn't impressed a great deal, but this time I decided to go with Ubuntu. This distribution, from what I've read, seems to be fast entering the realms of user-friendly for those with no experience of Linux - that is, it would hopefully be less like jumping in at the deep end and hoping to surface. Ubuntu's apparent popularity among those looking for a place to start in looking for a Linux based alternative to Windows, made it seem like an increasingly good place to start.

Beowulf

Beowulf is a new film version of the Anglo Saxon epic poem, which as every schoolboy knows is the oldest poem in the (Old) English language.

It tells the story of the hero Beowulf in his battles against the monster Grendel, then Grendel's mother, then finally in his old age against a mighty dragon.

This is an animated version, with a lot of clever CGI trickery, though all the actors are quite recognisable. Ray Winstone plays Beowulf, a real hero though given to boasting and lying. Anthony Hopkins is old King Hrothgar, complete with Welsh accent, as indeed all the Danes seem to have funnily enough. And Beowulf speaks cockney - gor blimey! John Malkovich is also on good form as the slimy and devious councillor Unferth.

Hitman Film 'Review'

 
I was hoping to actually type a review of Hitman, but I changed my mind after watching it and instead I've decided to make a list of why the film is so crap:

This film totally fails to capture the essence of the game. If you want to see a Silent Assasin style Hitman, this is […]

Psychonauts and others for Free

As part of their Holiday Threesome offer, Gametap have provided a list of games which you can play for free until the 31st of December, including several Hitman games (to coincide with the release of the frankly dire film version), Tomb Raider Legend, as well as some classics like Metal Slug. However, the best […]

The Eye of Argon - Worst Fantasy Novella Ever?

This is hailed to be the single worst fantasy novella in existence; the challenge is, if you can read more than a page without falling over laughing, you're definitely some kind of professional newsreader. Or somesuch.

Anyway, I figured I'd post it up here; this is too good to be missed.

Stardust

Stardust is a film is based on the book of the same name by Neil Gaiman. I've been a big fan of Gaiman's work for a few years now, especially the epic "Sandman" graphic novel series, also other works like "American Gods".

Stardust was a nice little book, slightly different from Gaiman's other work. An almost whimsical fairy tale, but with plenty of his usual dry humour. Clearly inspired by Lord Dunsany's "The King Of Elfland's Daughter", it starts off in a quiet English village near a Wall, which separates our world from Beyond, and tells the story of what happens to a mortal who happens to cross the Wall.

Riddley Walker

This is easily the most fascinating novel that I have ever read. The first sentence is a great example of the language: "On my naming day when I come 12 I gone front spear and kilt a wyld boar he parbly ben the las wyld pig on the Bundel Downs any how there hadnt ben none for a long time befor him nor I aint looking to see none agen." It's difficult at first, but once you get into the novel it isn't that hard to understand and by the time you finish the book it really does feel like you have learnt a new language.

Five more great CS Source mods

Based on the relative success of the last article, here are five more CS source mods you should definitely try out, given the chance. They all include download links for the server addons, and a link to all of the servers running them, should you wish to try them out. Don't forget - if you want to try writing your own addons for CS Source, you can get into it within a week, and with minimal experience.