I can’t understand when people tell me that ‘They don’t read books’ or ‘Don’t have time to’. Seriously, give reading a fresh start in 2013. Ipads, Kindles & Nooks alike are ingrained in our culture now. Not to mention, there are those OLD analog versions that can be found at brick and mortar stores, online distributors and oh yeah…something called a ‘Library’ . What can you expect, and what books do you need to get your hands on now in 2013.
Armada by Ernest Cline
It’s clear that Cline is a geek that caters to the geek fandom of the world. It works for him, he’s well liked for it, and if the geeks of the world are very lucky, Cline will continue to put his genius down on paper for our entertainment. His first novel, ‘Ready Player One’, was filled with a fascinating, futuristic world where people mostly live in a virtual simulated society called the OASIS. Using vivid detail and reference, Cline was able to recreate the 80’s paying homage to a vast majority of the time. Anyone who grew up in that period will most likely find themselves having several memories rushing back to them. ‘Ready Player One’ more than shows, tells, and screams that Cline is a creative soul.
Rumor has it that ‘Armada’ will cater to ‘video game fans’ If I’m thinking 80’s, arcade games and spaceships the science fiction adventure film ‘The Last Starfighter’ (a.k.a. the ultimate wish fulfillment to every video game fan on the planet) comes to mind. while the plot is under strict secrecy, It’s pretty safe to say those who enjoyed ‘Ready Player One’ will do the same with ‘Armada’.
YOU by Austin Grossman
It’s pretty clear reading Austin Grossman’s ‘Soon I Will Be Invincible’ that he has spent a lot of time reading comics. His second novel, ‘You’, should be a testament to his back ground as a writer and game designer of such titles as ‘Deus Ex’, ‘Thief: Deadly Shadows’ and last years revenge drama that landed on my best of 2012 games list, ‘Dishonored’. Touted as a novel about games and game development, the blurb also says: A novel of mystery, and the story of how learning to play can save your life. I’m sure that someone who has spent countless hours writing the entertainment that we play will turn ‘You’ into a easy to read, fun, wink at those of grew up with ”Tron’ and Flynn’s arcade.
‘Doomed’? A.K.A. Damned sequel by Chuck Palahniuk
Palahniuk has a very distinctive voice in his writing, all of his fans have gotten used to it, and look forward to it with each new book. I know people that can not stand his prose, I buy everything he puts out. And while I enjoyed ‘Damned’ a good deal more than Chuck’s past three works, Tell-All, Pygmy and Snuff. This is the closest he’s come in a while to ‘darker’ material, which is what I’ve felt he’s always been best at, with the satire being a complimentary element rather than the focus. The man no doubt has quite an imagination, even if twisted at times. Even in his lesser works, there are always moments where you’re thinking ‘Where the hell does he get this stuff?’
‘Doomed’? (I don’t think an official title has been announced) will follow Madison back to earth as a ghost, doomed to haunting her parents for a year. Also, it’s been said that we begin to recognize a centuries long conspiracy engineered to train and test Maddy for her role as the savior for all spiritual beings. And that ‘The world ends in this book’. By the way, what ever happened to the ‘Rant’ trilogy that was planned?
Runner UPS:
Miss Peregrine’s Sequel by Ransom Riggs
Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles #2) by Marissa Meyer
Prodigy (Legend #2) by Marie Lu
What books are you on the look out for this year?
-Dagobot
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