Gamersoasis

I've given up hoping anything is actually ever going to come of any of this.

Really not posting here as often as I should, so I'll break the list format.
I've recently been digging into some fantasy again, digging into the Cosmere universe by Brian Sanderson. I enjoyed Mistborn, read Elantris some time last year, and have now read the first two books of the Stormlight Archive (+the "Edgedancer" short novel), and am well into the third.

Not the most original material, but damn it still works extremely well. Being aware of Sanderson's grand design of all of his books taking place into a unique universe also gives quite a few different levels of reading to some of the events and references in the book, though it does feel also like the kind of project too big for its own good. (I'm still hugely disappointed with how Stephen King finished the Dark Tower series for example).

Been a while.  I read some stuff.
1. Boneyard, by Seanan McGuire.  2/5.  I appreciate branching out, but maybe not into some genra RPG that others have been writing about.  Quite frankly it wasn't worth it. 
2. It, by Stephen King.  5/5 - one of my 3 all time favorite books.  Still the only book I've ever read that scared me.  The only one - ever.  I needed something wonderful after finishing that last disappointment.  (Ironic that Seanan McGuire also authored one of my three favorite books, now that I think of it.) 
3. The Red Plague Affair, by Lilith Saintcrow 4/5.  Good read in the steampunk genre; book two in the series.  I like the author for some things and this one was a decent hit.  I'll read the follow ups sometime soon. 
4. Lake Silence, by Anne Bishop - 4.5/5.  A spin off of The Others series, which I absolutely love.  I was afraid this would be a bit of a cheap knock off.  Nope!  Still brilliantly written.  But you'd lose the whole point without reading the main series first.
5. Moonbreaker, by Simon R Green - 4/5.  Just like every other Green book.  There's nothing unexpected here.  It's not a deep read.  It's just amusing.  You like his shit or not.  (except the Ghost Finder series - even fans hate that shit.)
6. Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline - 5/5.  Yes, I reread it before seeing the movie.  I liked it even more than the last time I read it.  Yes, I still recommend it. 
7. Tricks for Free, by Seanan McGuire - 4/5. Back to a well work and loved series.  This was a fun read, although it's straying down a slightly dark path.  And I'm still not thrilled that she co-mingled this series with Sparrow Hill Road.  But still - well loved.  SO much better than the last crap I read by her (see #1)
8. The Lost Gate, by Orson Scott Card - 3/5.  This was a reread, but I had forgotten that I'd read it before.  That should tell you something.  I somewhat enjoyed this, but there were stretches in the middle that were kinda boring.  He could have done more with the book.  But I did like it enough to order the sequel. 

* = reread
1. She-Wolf and Cub, by Lilith Saintcrow - 3/5
2. Vallista, by Stephen Brust - 4.5/5
3. Beneath the Sugar Sky, by Seanan McGuire - 4/5
4. Boneyard, by Seanan McGuire - 2/5
5. It, by Stephen King - 5/5 *
6. The Red Plague Affair, by Lilith Saintcrow - 4/5
7. Lake Silence, by Anne Bishop - 4.5/5
8. Moonbreaker, by Simon R Green - 4/5
9. Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline - 5/5 *
10. Tricks for Free, by Seanan McGuire - 4/5
11. The Lost Gate, by Orson Scott Card - 3/5 *

So I've read the book twice and seen the movie.
I loved both
I don't mind convoluted puzzles in books because my ass doesn't have to solve them.  I also don't care that it's a celebration of geekdom.  Hello?  If you don't like that, don't buy the fucking book.  It's pretty obvious what it's about.
For the movie, that's also true - but they made a ton of changes to make it more relatable to the audience and have a better flow.  Frankly the book as it was would have been nearly impossible to be made into a movie.  But I was good with the changes.  Story was changed but the spirit stayed true.  There were one or two annoyances, but not enough to ruin it.  I'll buy the movie when it comes out as well.

Picked up Yakuza Kiwami last week (the remake of Yakuza 1 from the PS2), figured I'd at least try to catch up a bit in the series now that 6 has come out.  The improvements they added from 0 help a lot in keeping it interesting, with all of the fighting styles intact, and some of the better mini-games.  The story is much simpler and shorter, but the pricetag was correspondingly lower (base is $30, but it's on sale for $18 on PSN right now).

Speaking of PSN sales, there's some decent stuff on sale this week.  Monster Hunter World for $45 and Tales of Berseria for $20 peaked my interest.  Nice of them to put a sale on considering this week has been all about God of War, which has never really interested me.