Novelization
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'Mass Effect Andromeda' novels tie into the full video game saga
Literary pop culture powerhouse Titan Books will publish four new novels in the Mass Effect universe between August 2016 and March 2018, as outlined in its 2016 Fiction Rights Guide. The books line up with the release of Mass Effect Andromeda in March 2017, but they'll tie into the entire Mass Effect series, serving as prequels and sequels to some events in the games. "They will focus on key characters and answer the many questions fans have been asking," Titan writes. The first novel, Mass Effect: Andromeda Initiative, is written by The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms author and three-time Hugo Award nominee NK Jemisin. The final novel will be penned by Mac Walters, creative director of the Mass Effect franchise.
The axe falls: DDO's first novel is released
It's not every MMO that is honored with a published novel set in its world, but when it happens, it's a cause for celebration. Today Dungeons and Dragons Online joins the ranks of other novelized MMOs by being immortalized in book form, as Wizards of the Coast has released The Shard Axe by Marsheila Rockwell. According to the description, The Shard Axe is steeped in familiar DDO settings: Sentinel Marshal Sabira d'Deneith has spent the last eight years trying to drown the memories of the mission that cost her partner his life and gave her the nickname, the Shard Axe. But all the old memories come flooding back when she's recalled from the city of Stormreach to carry out a mission on House Deneith's behalf-to protect and defend the heir of the dwarven city of Frostmantle during his murder trial. The same heir she and her partner guarded eight years ago in the same city-from the same style of murders. Is the dreaded Nightshard still alive and taunting her? Or is there another serial killer loose in the Mror Holds? We got the opportunity to talk to Ms. Rockwell back in February with an extensive interview about the book. The Shard Axe is just $6.99 and is available in both paperback and on a variety of e-readers.
ArcheAge novel penned by popular Korean fantasy author
MMO novelizations are pretty common nowadays, what with everything from EVE Online to Guild Wars represented in extra-game lore-centric endeavors. ArcheAge is looking to join the hit parade with its first tie-in novel, a fantasy romp called The Fir and the Hawk that fleshes out the upcoming sandpark's extensive backstory. When we say extensive, we really mean extensive, as the book chronicles ArcheAge history some 2,000 years prior to the game's timeline. The novel is the work of popular Korean fantasy author Min-Hee Jeon, and fansite ArcheAge Online calls it "ArcheAge's first official tome of lore." The Fir and the Hawk isn't yet available in the States, but Korean-language fans can pre-order it via the Aladin service. [Thanks to Mark for the tip!]
ICO novel being translated, coming to the US this fall
You might classify our position as "ornery," but we're finding it difficult to get excited about the HD ICO and Shadow of the Colossus Collection that's due out on the PS3 this Spring. Sure, we're excited about reliving the magic of ICO, but we'd actually prefer some lower definition graphics. Like, way, way low. Like, non-existent, so that we have to draw up our own visuals using our mind's eye. In fact, if someone would just adapt Miyuki Miyabe's 2004 novelization of the game for English-speaking audiences, that would probably -- wait, they're actually doing that? How serendipitous! The novel, ICO: Castle in the Mist, appeared on a recently release Simon and Schuster release calendar for the summer and fall of 2011, and is tentatively dated for August 16, 2011 on Amazon. We look forward to getting our hands on it, but we're also willing to bet that a large portion of the text therein is composed of unintelligible beckoning.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Recap and review of Edge of Destiny
Welcome to 2011! I, along with pretty much the entire Guild Wars fanbase, am incredibly excited about what this year is going to bring to both Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. There's a lot in store, so I want to start the new year by looking at the thing that finished 2010 and brought us into 2011: Edge of Destiny. Of course, there are spoilers galore, so if you're one of the few who hasn't read the book, be warned. They're all past the cut, so follow along and let's look at Edge of Destiny.
Massively Exclusive: RuneScape Betrayal at Falador excerpt
It's not every day you get to read a novel on Massively, so grab a cup of your favorite beverage, curl up next to the fireplace (assuming it's relatively chilly in your neck of the woods) and prepare for something a bit out of the ordinary. We recently interviewed RuneScape novelist T.S. Church about the impending re-release of 2008's Betrayal at Falador. Now that the mass market edition of the book is hot off the presses, we're pleased to bring you this exclusive excerpt in order to whet your appetite for all things RuneScape. Turn the page for more.
The future of the RuneScape novels: Massively's interview with T.S. Church
I had a lot of fun recently reading and reviewing Betrayal at Falador. This RuneScape novel was published in a very limited format a few years ago, and this month it's being re-released in paperback on a much wider scale. I enjoyed the opportunity to read the book and give my perspective as a RuneScape novice, but the follow-up was even better. Author T.S. Church spent some time chatting with me about the the characters, his plans, and the world of RuneScape. Church was very open and forthcoming about the story so far and gave plenty of exciting details on what's to come. Follow along after the jump to see what he had to say.
RuneScape's Betrayal at Falador: Impressions of a newbie
The first RuneScape novel, Betrayal at Falador, will be released October 12th. If you were a RuneScape fan a few years back, you may be a little confused, seeing as how this novel came out back in 2008. That version was a limited release hardcover, and fans have been hoping for a wider publication since then. This version is a mass-market paperback, so if you missed the tale the first time around, you're in luck! If this is all news to you -- Runescape fan or no -- follow along after the cut to see what my first impressions of the novel are.
Former SAS op Chris Ryan handling Medal of Honor prequel novel
EA has tapped British author Chris Ryan to write a prequel novel to Medal of Honor, which will use in-game missions as the basis for "an authentic and respectful account of an elite soldier fighting in Afghanistan." Ryan is the author two bestselling novels, in addition to The One That Got Away, a narrative account of his time as a Special Forces operative on the Bravo Two Zero patrol in Iraq. Presumably he'll use both his combat experience and storytelling prowess to do the game franchise right. Hopefully his first line will be better than the one we came up with: "They loaded their guns carefully, knowing that soon, they'd be shooting a lot of people." The creatively named Medal of Honor: The Book will be offered as a bonus with preorders of the game from UK retailer HMV, but we're not sure if it will be available for sale elsewhere -- we've contacted EA for comment and will update if we hear more. We sure hope it sees print in the US, if only to find out what a former British operative thinks of the Medal of Honor, a uniquely American military decoration.
The Daily Grind: Have MMOs prompted you to read books?
There's no denying the fact that MMORPGs come with a lot of reading built-in (Exhibit A: the quest text box). But for some folks, they can't get enough of their favorite MMO and look to read about the world elsewhere. Perhaps it's the desire to stay connected with the online world even when you can't be near a computer, or perhaps you want to learn more about the lore and backstory of the places and people you encounter in your daily gaming sessions. Whatever reason it might be, have MMOs prompted you to pick up and read a book based on the same world? Has an MMO gotten you excited enough about an IP that you've gone back and read novels that the game is based on, such as The Lord of the Rings or Conan the Barbarian? Or did you dive into paperbacks derived from the MMO, like the Warcraft series or the new Star Trek Online novel, The Needs of the Many? Or are you eagerly snatching up books based on upcoming MMOs to tide you over, such as Guild Wars 2's Ghosts of Ascalon and The Old Republic's Fatal Alliance?
New EVE Online novel "The Burning Life" released
Storyline is an important part of any MMO and EVE Online is no exception. New Eden is steeped in story-telling, from the regularly released fictional chronicles to the countless blogs, battle reports and dramatic events recorded by players. EVE is a game that lends itself very well to creating immersive stories, videos and other creative efforts. Back in June of 2008, CCP commissioned author Tony Gonzales to write a novel set in the EVE universe. The novel, titled "Empyrean Age," came at the same time as the expansion of the same name and gave some background story for faction warfare. June 2009 brought the announcement that CCP's own fiction-writer Hjalti Daníelsson had begun work on a second EVE novel entitled "EVE: The Burning Life." Hjalti is better known as CCP Abraxis, the pen behind most of the EVE chronicles and the current driving force behind the game's storyline.
EVE Online novel The Burning Life to focus on pirate factions
For many players, EVE Online is a game where the developers provide the galactic setting of New Eden but it's them, the playerbase, who makes their own stories. They join together or band against their rivals in alliance warfare, drug cartels, pirate organizations, and industrial powerhouses. The complex interplay of involvements that allow the game's players to establish and destroy invariably triggers cascades of drama. This is the point of the sandbox design of the game, what you do in New Eden affects other players on some level. For some players, EVE is just about their interactions with one another and the fiction underpinning of the game is of marginal concern. While not all players choose to immerse themselves in the game's backstory, the setting is actually quite rich -- built on roughly six years' worth of lore fleshed out in the Chronicles, short stories that provide snapshots of the various levels of activity in New Eden.
The challenges of storytelling in EVE Online's player-driven setting
MMO storylines finding their way into books is becoming increasingly common, but typically it's the fantasy titles we see in print. Guild Wars, Warhammer Online, and of course World of Warcraft all have their lore fleshed out in paperback form. But sci-fi lends itself well to novelization as well, and in the MMO scene as it exists today, EVE Online is a prime example. The game's far-future setting of New Eden is known for its sweeping warfare between vast empires, republics, and federations, but the game's lore has also shown there's a lot happening on a much smaller level. That sweeping warfare was the focus of the first EVE Online novel, The Empyrean Age written by Tony Gonzales, and this was tied in with the storyline events leading up to all-out war between the game's races. However, EVE's creators CCP Games will be showing a different side to the game with the second novel, The Burning Life, written by Hjalti Danielsson.
The Daily Grind: Would you read an MMO novelization?
The funny thing about translating a game to a novel is that it's a tightrope walk between sticking to canon, and inventing something new that feels canonical. Balancing between just writing up the events of the game, and trying to expose action lying just outside of view. Stray too far, and you'll alienate the fanbase; hew too closely, no one will feel the need to read it.A game like World of Warcraft, though, has a fairly extensive lore, with lots of unexplored nooks and crannies just begging for attention. We can see a great deal of promise in books based on the Hellgate: London title, and can imagine the complexity of EVE Online fiction. What's a good way to turn a game into a novel, and which worlds deserve the treatment?
Gears of War novelization coming, Steven Kent at the helm
While trolling some online book retailers, as video game bloggers are often wont to do, VH1 Gamebreak stumbled across a listing for a novelization of video game-cum-horror movie-cum-science fiction cliché fest, Gears of War. Now, don't get us wrong, we don't mean to imply that we didn't like Marcus Fenix's touching tale of redemption -- in fact, it was our favorite game of last year -- but we never considered the story to be the game's strong point. Why was Marcus Fenix going back to his Dad's house again?Sure, they're making a movie based on it, but those often show a similar disregard for plot consistency. However, a novel .... The good news is, former games journalist Steven Kent (he wrote this) will be handling the adaptation. But what good is he at communicating the fraternal bond between Marcus and Dom you ask? Well, he also wrote this, which just so happens to be about space marines and was also well received. To be honest, we're just excited to discover why Marcus' childhood home also happened to be the nexus of the battle against the Locust. What are the chances?[Via VH1 Gamebreak]
