http://www.sfshenanigans.com/2018/03/05/sfs-episode-13-cj-carella-part-one/
Hope his novel writing is better than his novel covers.
Carella did good work on RIFTS. Like most game designers, I'd strongly distrust his ability as a novelist.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1028412Carella did good work on RIFTS. Like most game designers, I'd strongly distrust his ability as a novelist.
Some have been dire ... others, such as Aaron Allston (RIP), have been pretty good.
I read a few excerpts from his site. It obviously draws heavily from his gaming habit, but it has a self-aware humor to it. It's not my normal cup of tea, but it's not bad. But you know, that doesn't mean anything from an excerpt. His Warp Marine Corps stuff looks more interesting than his other stuff.
I may give it a whirl... but my reading list is pretty booked so it'll be a while.
Does he talk about us Rifts stuff in the interview? He did great work on it . Never read his novels
It looks like his latest book is *very* Rifts inspired.
Quote from: tenbones;1028452It looks like his latest book is *very* Rifts inspired.
Is that the Warp Marine Corps novels? He's written a lot and if it is Rifts inspired I'll give it a go.
I honestly don't know. I've never read any of his books - just checked out a few excerpts. The Warp Marines has a very "40k"-ish kinda feel. Space opera.
His new book is a series of short stories in the same setting "Land of Gods and Monsters" -
The Many Worlds: Alternate Earths where history played out differently, magic or superhuman abilities exist, the future is here and humans must battle hostile aliens, or entities of myth and legend are alive and active in the affairs of humankind.
Four tales of heroic action, epic fantasy, military science fiction and alternate history.
A Land of Gods and Monsters: Will was a divorced, unemployed loser who lived only to play his favorite roleplaying game, until one day he died and woke up in the body of his player character. Trapped in a madman's castle, can his now-real abilities help him survive? A Land of Gods and Monsters is a 30,000-word novella introducing a new fictional universe.
Lori's War: When hostile aliens strike at a remote colony world, the fate of an entire town is in the hands of a teenage girl recovering from a terrible loss, and the town drunk – who happens to be a Warp Marine. This 7,000-word short story first appeared in the Galactic Frontiers anthology and is being released here with additional content and revisions.
Golden Horde: The year is 1968, and the US is mired in a war in Asia. But this war is being waged in China, and the military fields entire units of superhuman men and women who will pit their powers against a mad tyrant's own Celestial Warriors. Set in the world of Armageddon Girl, this 18,000-word novella first appeared in the New Olympus collection and is being re-released with additional content and revisions.
The Way the World Ends: When freak events – people from other times and place begin appearing all over the world – cause society to collapse, will a young boy manage to protect his family in the face of supernatural evil?
sounds very Rifts to me!
Quote from: RPGPundit;1028412Carella did good work on RIFTS. Like most game designers, I'd strongly distrust his ability as a novelist.
What does game design have to do with novel writing?
Quote from: mAcular Chaotic;1028457What does game design have to do with novel writing?
Nothing, which is why he's dubious about the writing ability of good, if not great, game designers.
Quote from: CRKrueger;1028458Nothing, which is why he's dubious about the writing ability of good, if not great, game designers.
I mean there's nothing stopping them from also being good writers. It's just as likely if it has no relation. So why distrust specifically.
Carella introduced a lot more short story stuff into Rifts and there's a good amount in the Nightbane RPG. (Which I think is a great RPG)
The quality is... I'm going to coin a phrase and call it Stackpole-esque. It's very technical and procedural and the more emotional and personal stuff is very hackeneyed. A lot like the Brian Herbert/KJA Dune books as well.
Now, these are short stories in RPG books, not at all a proper comparison to a novel, but it is a sampling of his writing.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1028412Carella did good work on RIFTS. Like most game designers, I'd strongly distrust his ability as a novelist.
I have the actual original trilogy of Rifts novels. They read like a weapons catalog, The writer was absolutely terrible.
Still probably better than anything Kevin J Anderson ever wrote. Much less Brian Herbert
Quote from: Darrin Kelley;1028473I have the actual original trilogy of Rifts novels. They read like a weapons catalog, The writer was absolutely terrible.
He didn't write those. I kind of like them because of my memory of reading them at the time they released. Haven't reread them since they came out
I backed CJ's first book on Kickstarter. He delivered nicely and I enjoyed the book. (Armageddon Girl, which was a superhero novel.) Apparently he's selling novels well enough that he mentions in the interview that going back to do RPG stuff would involve taking a pay cut.
It's not a great interview, but I think the guy giving the interview doesn't really know RPGs very well - apparently it's normally a two person team interviewing, and one of them's out sick. That said, once I've heard this interview (it's in two parts) I'll probably unsubscribe. I may seek out CJ's newer work and try it out.
Quote from: jcfiala;1028762I backed CJ's first book on Kickstarter. He delivered nicely and I enjoyed the book. (Armageddon Girl, which was a superhero novel.) Apparently he's selling novels well enough that he mentions in the interview that going back to do RPG stuff would involve taking a pay cut.
It's not a great interview, but I think the guy giving the interview doesn't really know RPGs very well - apparently it's normally a two person team interviewing, and one of them's out sick. That said, once I've heard this interview (it's in two parts) I'll probably unsubscribe. I may seek out CJ's newer work and try it out.
The rest of the superhero books are also great. _Shadowfall Las Vegas_ is my favorite book of his but I may be biased as I wrote the poker scene (and he acknowledged it in the book) It is set in a setting similar to the Buffyverse or the Dresdenverse and I would characterize it as horror but with many competent characters. His Warp Marines books are good also.
Quote from: Darrin Kelley;1028473I have the actual original trilogy of Rifts novels. They read like a weapons catalog, The writer was absolutely terrible.
I've never seen an RPG-related novel that was good. The very best one could hope for was 'slightly above mediocre'.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1029041I've never seen an RPG-related novel that was good. The very best one could hope for was 'slightly above mediocre'.
Follow up with Pundit's recommended reading list.
Quote from: RPGPundit;1029041I've never seen an RPG-related novel that was good. The very best one could hope for was 'slightly above mediocre'.
Pierced Heart, based on "Over the Edge", was quite good. I have leant it out to non-gamers.
Quote from: Nerzenjäger;1029075Follow up with Pundit's recommended reading list.
Well, if you're going to read fantasy, my choices tend toward the classics. Zelazny, Moorcock, Lieber, Tolkien, etc. A lot of people like Howard but he's not quite my thing, though some of his stuff is decent. Lovecraft was great.
The main point is, no fucking series. No FR books or RPG world books, no Star Wars novels (ugh) or Star Trek novels, or even Doctor Who novels. Robert Jordan bored the shit out of me.
I never read GRRM.
Of course, I think one thing that's helped me be a great GM is reading a shitload of History & Classics. Not to mention world mythology. In some ways, those are much more important influences on me in terms of GMing than the fantasy novels.