Saturday 7 May 2016

Tak

One of these days I'll get around to writing some book reviews, and when I do, The Name of the Wind and the other books of the Kingkiller Chronicle will be among the first.



I am a long-time lover of the fantasy genre, falling at first to The Hobbit and later The Lord of the Rings and Silmarillion. I spent many nights burning candles into the morning, journeying through Midkemia, Lankhmar, The Kingdoms of the West, Eosia, Melnibone, and many other realms and places.

"I only know one story, But oftentimes small pieces seem to be stories themselves."*

The Name of the Wind is the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicle, and it is one of the very best books I have had the pleasure of reading, irrespective of genre. Intelligent, deep, interesting and beautifully written it had me by the throat from the start and didn't let go.

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.” *

Now I find that a game described in the series, that world's version of Chess or Go if you will, has been designed by James Ernest, and is currently on Kickstarter. Looking at the rules and how to play video, it looks like a solid abstract strategy game, which is no surprise from a designer such as Ernest.



As a lover of the books, and a sucker for games of all stripes, this is something that pleases me mightily.

"The entire game, not just the fiddling about with stones. The point is not to play as tight as you can. The point is to be bold. To be dangerous. Be elegant."*


*All quotes from The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss.






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