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Finished The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester Wednesday night. Very good book.

Gully Foyle, an illiterate space bum with zero prospects, has been trapped in space living in the only remaining airtight area of his ship (the Nomad), a 4×9 foot tool locker. For 6 months he lives like this, playing a dangerous game of Russian Roulette with air canisters, then one day a ship appears. Thrilled at the thought of rescue, Foyle sets off a series of distress flares to attract attention to himself. The ship draws level, then in an instant is gone along with any hope of rescue for Gully Foyle. This is enough to ‘wake’ Foyle up from a life of passivity and give him the drive he needs to get out of this situation. To hunt and kill whoever gave the order to leave him out there. All he has is the name of the ship, Vorga, and a a murderous thirst for vengeance.

Foyle is a great character. On the one hand you can get behind his quest for revenge and cheer him on in his mission, on the other hand, Foyle is a rapist and a murderer and probably has more bad traits than good. This is a man so consumed by revenge he will do anything to reach that goal. In one part of the book, after discovering that 2 of his 3 leads have had medical procedures performed on them, designed to stop the heart if sensitive information is about to be revealed, the third lead is knocked out cold and using Foyle’s cybernetically enhanced speed and hypnosis training, he removes his heart, then connects him back up to a pump system designed to keep blood circulating around the body without a heart. Threatening to keep him alive like this for a long, long time, Foyle soon discovers the information he requires.

Throughout the book, Foyle transforms from an uneducated space bum, to an intelligent, medically enhanced, ruthless killer… before finally becoming almost a God at the end. I really enjoyed the end, but can’t talk much about it without giving spoilers away so go check it out for yourself.

Everything I have read from the SF Masterworks range so far has been gold, and this was no exception. A solid 5/5

Next up is #6 on the Masterworks list, Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany

Hmm.. it seems it’s been a while since my last SF Masterworks post. I was just starting Cities in Flight by James Blish the last time I posted.

This may be a long one, be warned

Great book, well I say book, it’s actually 4 collected in one. Starting off with the invention of anti-gravity fields (spindizzies), and anti-aging drugs enabling mankind to colonise the far reaches of space, the story twists and turns over the best part of a thousand years, going all the way to the end of the universe (and through the other side).

The first book deals with the invention of the spindizzy field and anti-aging drugs, plus the effect it will have on humanity and earth. The second tells the story of a boy trapped on a city that has gone ‘okie’ and set off for the stars. The third book follows the exploits of the city of New York on it’s final trip through the galaxy. Lastly, the fourth book is all about New York settling down planetside again, and the end of time itself.

Not a light read by any stretch of the imagination, and can sometimes be a little dull in places, but overall it was a really great book. The last two in the series were especially good, ‘Earthman Come Home’ and, ‘A Clash of Cymbals’.

Took a break from the SF Masterworks list after CIF and read Consider Phlebas, and Use of Weapons by Ian M. Banks. I had read The Player of Games some years ago but then promptly forgot it was part of a series and went off to read something unrelated by Banks. Now it’s been so long I can’t remember how it fits in so one for the re-read pile I think.

Both Phlebas and Weapons were great books. Both unrelated other than the involvement of ‘The Culture’, Phlebas is a Space Opera of sorts featuring Horza and his attempt to track down a ‘mind’ (ships computer) that is hiding out inside one of ‘The Planets of the Dead’. Lot’s of twists and turns and Banks trademark ‘nasty’ section is just as hard to read as always, cannibals with wire stripper type steel teeth extensions and a finger with a lot less meat on it than normal

Weapons was the more interesting of the two books imo but perhaps more because of the way it was written than anything. Two stories are told here, the main narrative moves forward as normal, the second starts some time after the ‘end’ of the book and moves backwards towards the end. Both stories head towards the same event. As you can imagine, this can sometimes be confusing, and towards the end, I found myself skipping back to the start to re-read something that made less sense at the time. Again, Banks trademark ‘nasty’ section is present here and the lead up to it is both intriguing and baffling. Why on earth is this man so afraid of white chairs? Well, you’ll find out why and then some. Banks seems to have made good use of the ‘nasty’ section here and used it as a distraction from the final twist in the tale. It is hinted at all the way through the book and by the end I was itching to find out what was going on with the white chairs so much I was blinded to the final twist. Great books, I intend to read a few more of The Culture series soon.

Hmm, what else? Ahh yes, while stuck in Japan I bought and read Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams. I’m ashamed to admit I had never read it, but not ashamed to admit I loved it! Very, very funny. Can see the influence it has had on many shows/books. Slapped me in the face with the end though.. I was hoping for closure not cliffhangers Another series I will be continuing to read.

On a recommendation from a friend I picked up Enders Game by Orson Scott Card. Finished that at the weekend. Very good book but I would have enjoyed it more if had I read it as a teenager I think. Aliens (Buggers) have attacked earth twice, been defeated twice, but are now on the way back for the third and final attempt. Earth is worried, so much so they are forcing young gifted children to go through brutal combat and military training in a place known as Battle School. The last best hope for humanity is a 6 year old child named Ender Wiggin who the powers at be do their best to destroy in the name of hardening him up for the task at hand.

I may have enjoyed it more as a teenager however I still found it hard to put the book down. Always something happening or something interesting hinted at over the next few pages.. very easy to get lost in. Nice couple of twists at the end, one obvious, one not so obvious. Only complaint I have is the two most interesting parts of the book (for me), Lock/Demosthenes, and Speaker for the Dead, are only touched on briefly towards the end despite being major parts of the story. Another series I’ll be going back to I think.

…and so that brings me up to date more or less. Currently about three quarters of the way through The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (back to the SF Masterworks again for number 5 on the list) and so far, really enjoying it. More to follow when I get done.

Next up, Babel-17. Also ordered Lord Of Light, and The Fifth Head of Cerberus, so back to the SF list with a vengeance for the next few books. More to follow soon.

Completed Transformers: WFC late Saturday night.

Given that it only came out on the Friday, you could be forgiven for thinking perhaps the game is not that long. Well, much as I’d have loved it to be longer, the truth is, I hammered the single player a LOT on Friday night and Saturday day/night. Once I got started, it was very hard to stop to be honest. The full game weighs in at around 10+ hours depending how you get on with the bigger battles.

As I mentioned in my last TF post, the gameplay is solid doing everything you would expect from a third person controlled shooter. The transformations  add something a little new to the genre however with vehicle forms being just as useful in most situations as robot forms (In some cases vehicle forms are actually essential to avoid high levels of damage during some of the bigger fights). The system feels very balanced and I found myself constantly shifting in and out of vehicle forms enough that it felt like second nature… as it should in a Transformers game. Flip to jet mode, turbo across the room to grab some health, quickly fire a few missiles, flip back to robot form – use special abilities/gun, back to jet form for evasive actions. The system feels.. well, it just feels right.

The story was particularly interesting to me as a Transformers fan, and Hasbro obviously agrees as TF:WFC’s take on a prequel to the events of the original animated series (and the 1984 movie) is now officially declared cannon in the Transformers Universe. For good reason too.

SPOILER ALERT

The game takes place in the middle of a civil war between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Featuring two campaigns, played chronologically, the first features Megatron and his quest to obtain Dark Energon which he intends to use to control Cybertron. The second campaign deals with Optimus becoming ‘The Last Prime’ and his attempt to cleanse Cybertron of the corruption Megatron has unleashed.

It’s a basic plot, but along the way fans will find much to enjoy here. Omega Supreme’s involvement is nothing short of epic in my opinion. The fight goes on for a long time, and while not always in direct confrontation with Supreme, he affects every step of your journey through that level. Starscream’s defection to the Decepticons was of particular interest for me. I’ve long been a fan of Starscream and his treacherous ways so to finally see something of his origins was really great, plus all his trademark attempts to overthrow Megatron and assume control are all present and accounted for.

High Moon have really done a great job at accurately portraying the characters largely as you remember them from the 80′s. The opening Decepticon cutscene shows Megatron annihilating one of his own underlings after being questioned on the logic of crashing his spaceship directly into Starscreams orbital station. If that doesn’t say ‘Megatron’ then I don’t know what does.

Having not played the Multiplayer much I can’t comment more than I did on the demo just yet, but the single player experience is everything and more any Transformers fan could ask for. I was happier with WFC than I was with the recent perversions to the franchise made by Michael Bay, as was a fellow Transformers fan who played the last 3 Decepticon levels with me. 3 Levels out of 10 convinced him it was better than Bay’s Transformers. Not only in terms of story, but also visually.

5/5 – I’d highly recommend this to any TF fan. Up there with Batman Arkham Asylum in terms of setting the bar for quality in licensed games.

Transformers: War for Cybertron (Xbox 360)
Price: —

9 used & new available from GBP 34.00

Well, I can definitely say the book was better than the film(s). At only 160 pages, it’s an easy book to get through, which leads me to my one criticism…

I wish it had been a bit longer.

It is without doubt a refreshing twist on the traditional vampire tales. Although I wanted a different end for Neville, I still enjoyed the direction the story took and felt a slight chill reading the last three words of the book.

Where the recent Will Smith movie attempts to hold the character up as a hero figure who’s actions in life will go down in legend, the book shows the character as an actual legend. A thing of the past. Society has moved on without Robert Neville leaving him and the memory of his kind as much a legend as the vampire tales of old. Something to be feared and wary of.

I Am Legend: 5/5 – Great book. Would highly recommend giving it a try

Next up on my SF Masterworks challenge for 2010… Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?

The first I saw of VVVVVV was at the Eurogamer expo in Leeds last year. I only got to spend 5 minutes or so on the game before going to a talk, but the little time I had with this gravity-flipping, frustrating experience was enough to hook me on the concept.

Harking back to the glory days of my childhood, VVVVVV immediately reminds me of classic C64 games like Monty On The Run, and the Dizzy franchise. Back when difficult damn well meant difficult.

You will die playing VVVVVV, a lot.

But unlike the frustrating, 3 lives/no continues gameplay of the old C64 titles, VVVVVV instead opts for the Trials HD formula and succeeds in bringing a familiar sense of gameplay. Checkpoints come fast and furious meaning you are never more than a few steps away from your last failure, and continues are infinite. Death is merely a minor setback, a footnote of anti-achievement upon completion of the game, an incentive for replay and continuing honing of your gravity-flipping skills. This, coupled with the fact most puzzles tease you with the sight of your next checkpoint, keeps you coming back for more punishment. “Just one more try!” gaming at its best.

On my first completion my time stacked up at just over two hours, with slightly over 1 thousand deaths. I think “Doing Things The Hard Way” claimed at least a third of those deaths with over 300 on that single puzzle. A frustrating dive of death through a spiky hell is the best description of my time with this room. Needless to say, I moved on before crushing a section of my keyboard in frustration, but it’s a good frustration. I know I’ll go back and nail that room, and right there is one major reason I enjoy this game so much. From the look of the map, I still have some exploring to do and lots of trinkets to collect, never mind bringing that death count down to a more respectable number

VVVVVV is classic gaming done in a modern way, very fun, very challenging… and at £8 you simply cannot go wrong. Lots of replay value, and a great soundtrack, I highly recommend you try the demo and see for yourself.