Hello all, please read on if you want me to be eternally indebted to you. Sound fun? Good. The story so far...
I am about to enter my final year at university and need a topic for my English dissertation. Before going home for the summer I'd planned to do something on epic literature, possibly around the Napoleonic wars, and got some books out of the library, made a start, did a bit of reading here and there, but nothing more. I've got a month before I go back and nothing has really appealed to me.
Another, completely different, idea had been lurking in the background: game tie-in novels. I didn't think too much about it, because its hardly traditional and I didn't think it could work. But its been nagging at me and I've really begun to explore the topic in earnest.
Here's where you good people come in. Firstly, I'd LOVE it if any one out there could recommend tie-in books. I'm not necessarily looking for awesome action-packed thrill rides (although it is a bonus!) but books that you found interesting for the way they used the gaming property that they're based on, even if you thought the book itself was terrible. For instance, I've just read Fatal Alliance, a book based on the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic (a good read, I recommend it). Its a good adventure, sure, but its really interesting for the way that its presented like an MMO - there are several leading characters following their own story, they get loot, they grow more powerful, they explore. Then there's the fact that its based not only on a game, but a game set in the enormous expanded universe of Star Wars. And then there's the fact that its based on a game that's not even out yet - is it just an advert, or something more? There's plenty for me to write about beyond 'the fight scenes are awesome' and 'that character is badass'.
Secondly, if anyone knows of any other interesting material about tie-in novels that would be fantastic. I'm talking about criticism, articles, podcasts, forums, absolutely ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that has mention of game tie-in novels, even in tiny amounts. As an example from everyone's favourite website -
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/days-of-high-adventure/7886-Days-of-High-Adventure-How-to-Write-a-Tie-In-Novel
It doesn't even have to be on the internet - if you know about a resource, I want to hear from you, either on this post or you can message me if you want.
I understand that sometimes here on the Escapist you just want to talk about stuff and might not be interested in a stuffy academic thread like this - but I also know that this is a site where people are interested in the whole of gaming culture as well. Even if you can't help out with the two requests above, any thoughts, advice or ideas you have on the subject would be utterly, utterly wonderful and a colossal help to me even if you think its just a little comment. Say something if only to keep this thread visible on the forums so more people can contribute.
So thanks for putting up with my intellectual pretensions, this stupidly long post and my near-begging attitude. Looking forward to hearing from you all.
Jez29
I am about to enter my final year at university and need a topic for my English dissertation. Before going home for the summer I'd planned to do something on epic literature, possibly around the Napoleonic wars, and got some books out of the library, made a start, did a bit of reading here and there, but nothing more. I've got a month before I go back and nothing has really appealed to me.
Another, completely different, idea had been lurking in the background: game tie-in novels. I didn't think too much about it, because its hardly traditional and I didn't think it could work. But its been nagging at me and I've really begun to explore the topic in earnest.
Here's where you good people come in. Firstly, I'd LOVE it if any one out there could recommend tie-in books. I'm not necessarily looking for awesome action-packed thrill rides (although it is a bonus!) but books that you found interesting for the way they used the gaming property that they're based on, even if you thought the book itself was terrible. For instance, I've just read Fatal Alliance, a book based on the upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic (a good read, I recommend it). Its a good adventure, sure, but its really interesting for the way that its presented like an MMO - there are several leading characters following their own story, they get loot, they grow more powerful, they explore. Then there's the fact that its based not only on a game, but a game set in the enormous expanded universe of Star Wars. And then there's the fact that its based on a game that's not even out yet - is it just an advert, or something more? There's plenty for me to write about beyond 'the fight scenes are awesome' and 'that character is badass'.
Secondly, if anyone knows of any other interesting material about tie-in novels that would be fantastic. I'm talking about criticism, articles, podcasts, forums, absolutely ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that has mention of game tie-in novels, even in tiny amounts. As an example from everyone's favourite website -
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/days-of-high-adventure/7886-Days-of-High-Adventure-How-to-Write-a-Tie-In-Novel
It doesn't even have to be on the internet - if you know about a resource, I want to hear from you, either on this post or you can message me if you want.
I understand that sometimes here on the Escapist you just want to talk about stuff and might not be interested in a stuffy academic thread like this - but I also know that this is a site where people are interested in the whole of gaming culture as well. Even if you can't help out with the two requests above, any thoughts, advice or ideas you have on the subject would be utterly, utterly wonderful and a colossal help to me even if you think its just a little comment. Say something if only to keep this thread visible on the forums so more people can contribute.
So thanks for putting up with my intellectual pretensions, this stupidly long post and my near-begging attitude. Looking forward to hearing from you all.
Jez29
