What are you reading in 2024?

[JEB]

I think I'm going to make a Quick Start guide for 4e. Making a QS guide is always for myself, it helps me to really understand a system. When I say Quick Start Guide, I mean a player-facing summary of the important rules, stripped down into as few pages as possible, with references to the area of the rules if the player wants to read further. Lots of bullet points

Funny, I'm doing exactly the same sort of thing with the original D&D rules (which I'm reading through now). Going to run an authentic-as-possible one-shot later this year, but wanted to make sure my players had a handy cheat-sheet...

 

[Autumnal]

Funny, I'm doing exactly the same sort of thing with the original D&D rules (which I'm reading through now). Going to run an authentic-as-possible one-shot later this year, but wanted to make sure my players had a handy cheat-sheet...

I’d be interested in seeing that. Lurking in the back of my mind are some thoughts about experiments in taking the text and interpreting them with different assumptions.

 

[JEB]

I’d be interested in seeing that. Lurking in the back of my mind are some thoughts about experiments in taking the text and interpreting them with different assumptions.

Be happy to share when I'm done! And I'd be interested in seeing those experiments, too. (The experiment I'm running myself is, "if I bought this off the shelf in 1974 and had nothing else to work with, how would I run the game?")

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I finished reading Bok's Beyond the Golden Stair. Phenomenal and surreal, a scintillant gem of a book. As Lin Carter points out in his introduction, Bok's background as an illustrator comes through with a heavy emphasis on evocative visual setpieces.

Now I'm reading Rudy Rucker's Software.

Woke up at 2 am and couldn't get back to sleep until 6 am, took advantage of the extra four hours to finally finish Imajica. I think I might have made my last post at the slowest point in the book — either immediately after Judith reached Yzordderrex for the first time, or immediately before, one of the two. From there, it was kind of like a ski jump. I think the return to the Fifth Dominion after Gentle and Judith connect in the Autarch's palace was helpful, too — it was good to reset and digest for a bit. Anyhow, I'm not sure I'll read more Barker, but I'm really glad I read this one.

If you do ever want to read more Barker, for more traditional Barker, I'd recommend the Books of Blood trilogy (all short stories) or Cabal (Nightbreed was based on this novella). For something more like Imajica, Weaveworld springs to mind.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I finished reading Bok's Beyond the Golden Stair. Phenomenal and surreal, a scintillant gem of a book. As Lin Carter points out in his introduction, Bok's background as an illustrator comes through with a heavy emphasis on evocative visual setpieces.

Now I'm reading Rudy Rucker's Software.


If you do ever want to read more Barker, for more traditional Barker, I'd recommend the Books of Blood trilogy (all short stories) or Cabal (Nightbreed was based on this novella). For something more like Imajica, Weaveworld springs to mind.

I wonder if the upcoming Infinite Staircase adventure will nod to Bok's book?

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I wonder if the upcoming Infinite Staircase adventure will nod to Bok's book?

While that would be cool, I think it references Tales from the Infinite Staircase, a 2e Planescape book. But I'll certainly keep my eyes peeled for any blue flamingos in it.

Beyond the Golden Stair would make for a very interesting adventure. You have a ticking clock, some surreal setpieces, and an exploration of who the characters are at their core.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

About two-thirds of the way through Locke Llamora. I hadn't gone into this knowing there was a mystery component to the story, and the author isn't making a big deal of it, but I'm trying to crack it before the big reveal that I assume comes late in this novel. Lots of twists and turns. I'm sorry I waited so long to read this; this is fully my jam.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Since Tsojancth is in the Staircase adventure compilation, the theme may just be "here are some classic adventures that we think will get you to pick up this book." Tsojancth doesn't have any real planar hooks at all. (And before anyone busts in with "but Tharizdun!" Tharizdun is in a completely different adventure that is just physically nearby.)

 

[Autumnal]

I got a sudden urge to read about encounters with mysterious megastructures, and have a pile of promising recommendation to re/read.

Walking to Aldebaran is a novella by Adrian Tchaikovsky; Audible has it read by the author as part of the Plus program, free to subscribers. He does a great job. The narrator is trapped endlessly wandering an alien maze that runs between star systems, in which engines don’t work, so it must be crossed on foot. Even with spatial compression, that’s a lotta walking. The narrator alternates describing his present-time journeys, encountering strangenesses of the maze and others inhabiting, and flashbacks to discovering an entrance 700 AU from the sun and the expedition to it. It’s a freakin’ wonderful story, soaking in both horror and sf. Some familiarity with Beowulf helps with allusions in the final part.

Eversion is a novel by Alastair Reynolds. It’s hard to explain why it’s so cool without spoilers, and if you already like Reynolds, skip the rest of this, go read it, it’s a stand-alone in its own universe, it’s up to his usual standards. For the rest of you: the narrator is the ship surgeon’s on an expedition to a hidden inlet in Norway in the early 1800s. And the ship’s surgeon on an expedition to a hidden inlet in Patagonia in the late 1800s. And the ship’s surgeon on an expedition to Antarctica in the early 1900s. And more. The others don’t seem to notice the repetitions and alterations, but the doctor does. Things pile up. Then there’s the rest of this book, in which things are explained very satisfyingly and the stories move forward.

These books share several things. The mysteries being confronted are really neat, very mysterious and very interesting as understood. The narrators are engaging guys, and remain so even when he portions of mystery around them are peeled back. They both establish their milieus really efficiently, with well-chosen details that feel like places in which plausible humans do plausible things. They bring what sf fandom calls (with a smile) “sensawunda” in bulk lots. I’m very happy to have read both.

 

[overgeeked]

These books share several things. The mysteries being confronted are really neat, very mysterious and very interesting as understood. The narrators are engaging guys, and remain so even when he portions of mystery around them are peeled back. They both establish their milieus really efficiently, with well-chosen details that feel like places in which plausible humans do plausible things. They bring what sf fandom calls (with a smile) “sensawunda” in bulk lots. I’m very happy to have read both.

That’s one of my favorite aspects of sci-fi. On the off chance they’re not already in your TBR pile, Rendezvous with Rama, Gateway, and Ringworld are great for that sensawunda.