#love the virtual reality AI aspect!!!! though I do feel like. in the end I was expecting it to go way further with it?

[aroaessidhe]

2023 reads

The Deep Sky

scifi mystery thriller

on a deep space mission traveling from an environmentally devastated earth with hope to restart humanity elsewhere

when they’re halfway, an explosion kills 3 crew and pushes them off course

the only witness is the Alternate who has no specific role, and she has to figure out who caused it & if they might continue to sabotage, while they're figuring out a way to get back on course with limited resources

flips between present and the past: of her childhood and training for the mission, her identity struggles, and relationship with her mother

questions the ethics of ‘restarting’ humanity elsewhere vs putting resources into fixing earth

[ais-n]

Hi ais! I've just finished re-reading icos and I once again feel so sad that it's over again. Do you have any nook recommendations or books that you like?

Aww thank you for reading ICoS the first time, let alone rereading it! That’s sweet of you

I could have sworn at some point I compiled a list (which I was going to link only because I have the worst memory and forget things I love whenever I try to list it all) but I can’t find anything! What the hey.

So, I made a list below the cut :D I broke it up between M/M, nonfiction, fiction, YA, and anime/manga. You should know ahead of time that I tend to read mostly manga or nonfiction, and/or I tend to gravitate toward “darker” stories or stories that deal with a lot of nuance and complexity. I don’t tend to gravitate toward stories that are really black and white (but idk about the ones I mentioned from when I was a preteen/teen because it’s been so long since I read them).

That may tell you if you might like any of these or not :) I wrote a little about the book by most of the names to give you a bit more of an idea.

Hopefully at least one of these looks interesting to you :) Let me know if you need links on something if you can’t find it, or if you want a bit more of an explanation on anything. Some (honestly, most) of these books I haven’t read in forever but others I periodically reread just because I

BOOKS BOOKS AND MORE BOOKS BELOW

**M/M:**

All for the Game series by Nora Sakavic - m/m, super awesomesauce series, it’s my fave in general. First book free, second 2 books 99 cents each. Nora was having some issues with the first book not being on the site with the rest so I put it on my site until she’s got that figured out, so people can still read the series. Get the first book here: http://aisylum.com/tfc/ and then I link the other books on there.

Raised by Wolves series by W.A. Hoffman - m/m, this one is a very different series and style of storytelling. I personally adore this series but it’s also the sort of thing some people may not be into for various reasons. But for me, I read the series all the way through and instantly started over and reread it all again. First book is Brethren.

**NONFICTION:**

anything by Simon Singh but especially The Code Book and Big Bang - these are nonfiction books and if that makes you go “UGH NO WAY” then know that Simon writes nonfiction like fiction so they’re really great and easy reads, plus you get lots of great info. Also, The Code Book is what I used as research for Jeffrey’s knowledge base + the whole thing with the message in Evenfall and the OTP comment. (If you’re like “Hey yeah what WAS all that about?” I answered it here.) (Also also, if you saw Imitation Game, then you should know that the Code Book covers at least part of the same history as that movie)

Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (follows the story of one of my favorite humans, Paul Farmer who founded/co-founded Partners in Health which is one of my favorite charities) also Tracy writes other books that look intriguing to me but I haven’t read yet.

Erik Larson - Devil in the White City, Thunderstruck, and other books by him – he, like Simon, writes nonfiction in a way that reads very easily like fiction. I like the way he interweaves various stories of various people into one book. Devil in the White City might be my favorite of his that I’ve read? Mostly because it combines architecture + America’s first serial killer + the 1893 Chicago World Fair and all of these things make me go YES PLX

Troublemaker by Leah Remini and Rebecca Paley - this is about scientology; I listened on audiobook–it was interesting and informative

Also, I listened to Dan and Phil’s first book (The Amazing Book is Not on Fire) on audiobook and that was also entertaining–although if you have no idea who tf Dan and Phil are, that may be less entertaining to you lol

Death’s Acre, or Beyond the Body Farm, by William Bass and Jon Jefferson - so, Bill Bass is super interesting, tl;dr is he’s a frontrunner in forensic anthropology, these books are about a farm people donate their bodies to where they decompose in various states to help forensic anthropologists learn more on decomposition which then helps in murder trials and elsewhere. If you’re into forensic anthropology, check out Bill Bass

Dismembered by Susan Mustafa and Sue Israel - this is true crime about a serial killer in Louisiana. It is, therefore, quite graphic and you should heed the title as quite accurate representation of what you will be reading about in the book. But if serial killers or true crime intrigue you, I really liked this book and have been on the lookout by more from these ladies. I thought it was written well and told the story well.

**FICTION:**

books by Jefferson Bass - there’s a whole series called the Body Farm series or something. Jefferson Bass is the combo if the two people for Death’s Acre, except that pseudonym is for their fiction series based on scientific reality/facts. It’s a pretty interesting series from what I recall but I never finished it. But if you like forensic anthropology and want to read a sort of murder mystery/detective type of series written by an actual acclaimed forensic anthropologist with all the science being legit, this is your series

Tony Foster series by Tanya Huff (starts with Smoke and Shadows) - ok so, Tanya Huff was SUPER nice the one time I messaged her. I like her a lot as a person. I will say that this series is not the actual best writing you will ever read–BUT Tony Foster is such a freaking great narrator that I love the series. Also, Tony’s a gay male which is always cool to have as a lead, especially in a sort of fantasy like this :)

Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman – honestly, just about anything you pick up by Neil Gaiman will be good. I’d have to reread all the books to say which is my favorite but I do recall liking Good Omens a lot, which he cowrote with Terry Pratchett. But Sandman is what got me into graphic novels, eventually manga (because I was used to reading GNs by then) and Neil Gaiman as a whole. I fucking love Sandman and will forever recommend it, but it’s a GN so it may not translate well to nook? idk

Speaking of Terry Pratchett, if you like stories that are easy to read and oftentimes have a fair amount of humor infused into them, I recommend him and probably any of his books but my particular recommendation would be Mort as well as the Sam Vines books. I think the first time we see Sam Vines is in the Guards! Guards! book.

Otherland series by Tad Williams - ok in all honesty, I never finished the series (got partially through 3rd of 4 books) and it’s been probably 20 years since I read them, so maybe my opinion would be different now. But Otherland was such an interesting sci-fi ish series which I honestly think is probably going to end up being somewhat realistic to our future. Basically, VR is a thing and people choose to live there instead of in reality sometimes, and now people are dying IRL because their bodies are wasting away and a diverse group of people from around the world get together in the virtual world to try to figure out what’s happening and how to stop it, but they don’t realize the politics and danger involved. Why didn’t I finish reading, you wonder? It’s because I read this series when I was a teenager when it first came out, and I think when I read reading the 3rd book the 4th hadn’t even been written yet. Anyway I was suuuuuper engrossed in the series–so much that when a certain thing happens related to my favorite character in the series, I was too emotionally affected by it I set the book aside to take a moment to reset my emotions before continuing, and then I just…. never continued…. ^^;; I got too distracted by other series but I always plan to finish it. Also side note, Tad Williams is a super nice author who actually wrote back to little teen me(!), taking my email seriously and encouraging me to write. Also side side note, Tad Williams wrote a bunch of books and I recall liking all of his fantasy series I read too but I don’t think I’ve read all his stuff.

Tamir Triad by Lynn Flewelling - first book: Bone Doll’s Twin. It’s been a while since I read this (as is the case for pretty much everything on this whole list) but I remember thinking this was a really interesting trilogy with a rather unique story, especially for the time this was written. If you ever read Lynn’s other book series (Nightrunner, m/m) then know that the Tamir Triad is set in the past of the Nightrunner world, by I don’t remember 500 years or something– also it’s written TOTALLY different than Nightrunner. The two styles are like night and day; if you don’t like the Nightrunner style, totally give Tamir a chance. If you do like Nightrunner, I still think you should read the Tamir books because I think they’re better, even though I did like Nightrunner in the beginning :)

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. This book is the inspiration for the wildly popular musical Wicked (which I also recommend you see because it’s omggggg

**YA:**

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer - for the most part, I quite like this series. It’s a very easy to read YA series that re-imagines the Disney Princess/fairy tale female leads into a sort of cyberpunk Earth with space adventure future. Most of the females in this series are pretty strong female characters, leading their own stories, having agency, not being overpowered by the male characters like in their Disney or fairy tale versions. It has kind of a Sailor Moon vibe in some aspects, mostly because Marissa’s a total nerd who loves Sailor Moon lol

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - this is actually part of a series but tbh I liked Six of Crows more than the other book. Basically this book is a heist novel with young adult MCs. It’s a freaking BEAUTIFUL hardcover btw, like black edged paper and cool illustrations on the chapter pages and omgggggggg so this is one I recommend you buy in print if you like it, rather than just getting the ebook. It has an MC (Kaz Brekker) who I swear to god is like if early Evenfall Boyd and Hsin had a baby lol

Books by Sherryl Jordan - it’s been approximately forever since I read any of these books so maybe my opinion would change if I read them now, but back in the day I loved the fuck out of Sherryl’s books when I found them as a preteen/teen. I remember feeling like a lot of her female characters felt strong or at least I thought they were cool. The main one I remember liking back then is Winter of Fire. Mind you, Sherryl Jordan’s books are now really hard to find–turns out she’s a New Zealand author and a lot of the books went out of print at various times. But if you happen to run across one, you can check her out and see what you think. I mention her because her stories stuck in my head for 20 years.

Mage Heart (and the Chronicles of Dion Trilogy) by Jane Routley. Another one from forever ago–no idea what I would think of this if I read it today but I remember really liking it when I read it as a teenager, and the story has stuck in the back of my head since. I don’t remember a lot about the actual plot, just that I was inspired by the story/world.

Aaaaand that’s probably enough. You’re probably regretting asking XD

There are a couple of other books I remember from when I was really little but you probably don’t care about those lol The only one I’ll mention is Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede - that’s the first book in a YA series. I quite like Dealing with Dragons, but tbh I was really frustrated by the other books. You could read just the first if you wanted to check it out.

Lastly, if you like manga/anime at all, here are some other recs: fave anime/manga recs, plus here’s another good manga

[recentanimenews]

"Code Vein" Producer & Director Discuss the Creation of a Harrowing New Action-RPG

One of the major highlights of Crunchyroll Expo was getting a chance to speak with Hiroshi Yoshimura and Keita Iizuka, the respective director and producer of Code Vein. For those who haven't seen it yet, Code Vein is a post-apocalyptic action-RPG from the folks who brought us the God Eater series. As we learned from their panel and the following interview, however, what they're crafting this time around is a different beast entirely.

Joseph Luster: First, I'd like to ask how you're enjoying Crunchyroll Expo so far?

Yoshimura: I'm really impressed by all the cosplayers, and how many people in America love anime. That's what's made it the most fun.

Iizuka: Since everyone else is having fun, it's really easy to relax and have fun with them.

What was the starting point for Code Vein conceptually? Was it the style of gameplay or the story that set everything in motion?

Yoshimura: It really started with developing the world of Code Vein, and then deciding what kind of genre of game would match with that world better. That's how we came to the conclusion that it should be a dungeon-crawling RPG.

Code Vein sets itself apart from others in the genre not just with its visuals, but with its heavy focus on vampires (Revenants). Was there anything in particular you drew inspiration from for the characters and setting?

Yoshimura: We really wanted to focus on the action and decide what kind of human character we could have in the post-apocalyptic world of Code Vein. We decided that going with something like a vampire would match the story and the atmosphere of the game.

You mentioned the game consisting of Revenants and The Lost, both of which used to be human. Are there any actual humans remaining in the world of Vein, or is that something you want to leave as a surprise?

Yoshimura: There are a few. You might find them in the game, but there aren't very many.

Iizuka: The Revenants require human blood to live, so if there were no humans they wouldn't be able to.

That makes sense! Iizuka-san pointed out Yakumo as his favorite character. Other than being "a cool and nice guy" and an "ikemen" (basically a hot dude), what do you think is the secret to making a memorable game protagonist that players want to follow from beginning to end?

Iizuka: Because they lost their memories when they turned from human to Revenant, the kind of journey they go on in the game and the way they develop through the story is what really makes the characters memorable.

Was there a specific character design that made you feel you were on the right track with the game, and if so… was it Mia?

Yoshimura: Mia was actually the first character we designed for the game. Even from the beginning we had her concept kind of decided and knew what kind of character she was going to be. So that helped set the role for the rest of the characters.

"Russian Hat Girl."

Yoshimura: (Laughs) Yes!

Judging from the designs and artwork you revealed during your panel, it looks like you're aiming for a variety of expressions in Code Vein's characters, which is unique for such a bleak setting. Are we going to see the characters reacting to the world around them in many different ways?

Yoshimura: Overall the world is still pretty bleak and terrible, but as the characters go through it there will be flashbacks to their time as a human. And since you're traveling with your companion throughout the game, you'll see the relationship between the two characters, and they'll start, you know, playing games with each other and joking around, which will kind of lighten the mood of the game and lead to those everyday reactions.

The style of Code Vein is really unique, especially when so many other games in the genre play it safe in that regard. Were you concerned at all with limiting your potential audience, or do you think its anime aesthetic is a key aspect of its appeal?

Iizuka: While creating the game we were really going for the overall experience rather than just the image or just the story, and so as a result the gameplay mixed with the aesthetic mixed with the world-building is really what led to the final product. So, we don't think it will be a problem.

Yoshimura: The gameplay is exciting regardless of the image the characters have, so if you're into this kind of genre… even when we were playing the prototype we had problems clearing the first level. We think the difficulty of the game and the dynamics of the gameplay are going to draw people more than the image.

I was reading a bit—and you also discussed it at the panel—about the Partner system in Code Vein. Can you elaborate on that concept and how it came about?

Yoshimura: Compared to other games in the genre, we thought having another character helping out and making the gameplay more dynamic in that sense would make the game more unique and more appealing. When we originally started working on the game, the support characters were intended to be temporary, but we realized adding that character brings a new dynamic to the main character's personality and to the story. The two characters can build up the courage together to overcome the obstacles ahead of them and develop that relationship as the game goes on.

Did you experiment at all with the possibility of introducing online co-op with the Partner system?

Iizuka: We know other games of the same genre do have that kind of co-op play, but because of the way the story is built and the way the partner characters change based on how you actually play the game, it's kind of difficult to have an AI-controlled character that's thinking about how you're playing compared to a human character who's going to play their own way. As a result, we didn't think it was a good idea.

Yeah, it might not have been as dramatic.

Many games try to go for the difficult Dark Souls-like action-RPG, but they lose sight of the purpose and simply make them difficult with little nuance. How do you go about balancing a game like Code Vein to make it rewarding, engaging, and evenly difficult?

Yoshimura: We know those games are difficult, and this game is just as difficult, but we designed it so it wouldn't be the type of game that makes you want to give up if you fail. You can customize your character in different ways at any time, even when playing the game, and even if you come up to a particularly hard boss or a portion of the game that's especially difficult, there are multiple routes to tackle this obstacle. If one way doesn't work, you can come back and try a different way, which keeps the game more engaging.

We designed it to be difficult, while still being a game that anyone could complete.

Action-RPGs like this, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne are known for their bosses, and the intense challenges they add to the experience. Is this a focus in Code Vein, as well?

Yoshimura: (in English) Yes. (laughs)

The bosses are incredibly difficult, but they're designed with the Partner system in mind, so you can cooperate with the AI to finish all the bosses. Basically, if your partner dies it's going to be impossible to finish on your own.

You've been working on a running series with the God Eater games, and now you have something fresh to play with. What's the best part about starting from scratch?

Yoshimura: Working on something from scratch is especially exciting, because we're making something the world has never seen before. It isn't like anything else, even if it is in a similar genre to something else. It really changes the dynamics of the team working on it, so for the first time in a long time some of the team members got a little spicy and started fighting with each other (laughs).

A lot of passion.

Yoshimura: Yes.

God Eater has expanded well beyond its initial scope as far as media is concerned. Do you see similar potential as a multimedia project in Code Vein?

Iizuka: Definitely. But if it's successful, we want it to be successful for being Code Vein, so we want people to know Code Vein the way it is.

The world of Vein is post-apocalyptic, so I have to ask what your favorite post-apocalyptic media is. It can be anything from movies to games, manga, and so on.

Yoshimura: I like Daybreakers, which is a post-apocalyptic movie that's also about vampires. I like that, even though both Code Vein and Daybreakers are similar as far as post-apocalyptic setting is concerned, they're both completely unique from each other.

Iizuka: I like The Walking Dead, because the zombies have destroyed everything, so it's interesting to see the human drama of how the humans are fighting against the zombies, as well as fighting against other humans or trying to work with other humans to make the world better, or at least reclaim it. 

Yoshimura: I like The Walking Dead, too (laughs). Overall we really like the post-apocalyptic genre.

What classic games do you look to for inspiration, and were there any specific titles that made you want to develop video games in the first place?

Yoshimura: Probably Final Fantasy, Street Fighter, and The Legend of Zelda had the most influence on me.

Iizuka: Mega Man was one of the main influences, but I also like classic RPGs like Final Fantasy and Romancing SaGa.

Are there any current studios or titles other than your own that you particularly admire?

Yoshimura: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is probably one of my favorite games ever. When I played it I could feel myself trembling from how excited I was.

Yeah, I think many people had that reaction.

Yoshimura: Great game.

Iizuka: The most recent Resident Evil game (Resident Evil 7), especially the virtual reality portions of it, was super engaging.

I was too nervous to play the VR version.

Iizuka: It's scary!

We're at Crunchyroll Expo, so I have to ask: Favorite anime of all time?

Yoshimura: Number one?! Hmmmm…

It maybe doesn't have to be number one, just a favorite, or a few favorites.

Yoshimura: As far as classic anime goes, Urusei Yatsura is one of my favorites. For more recent anime, I really liked Kill la Kill.

Iizuka: I really like Patlabor, Ghost in the Shell, and other anime in the near-future genre, just because it's a future that might actually exist, which is kind of exciting to watch.

Yoshimura: We both picked Mamoru Oshii titles.

The Kill la Kill answer may have covered this, but are you watching any current anime?

Yoshimura: I watch My Hero Academia, and I'm looking forward to Black Clover.

Iizuka: I watched Tokyo Ghoul and the most recent Gundam, because I like more difficult stories.

-------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his webcomic, BIG DUMB FIGHTING IDIOTS at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com