UK Roleplayers Book of the Month - March

[w00hoo]

is The Three Musketeers (book) the version in this link is 2 quid new.

The vote was tied between this and Day of the Triffids so I broke it by going for the one I didn't vote for.

I'll put all of the ones that scored 4 or more in to the voting for next month, along with any new ones that get suggested.

Get hold of a copy of The Three Musketeers somehow (libraries, jumble sales, Amazon (buying through the link generates some pennies for UK Roleplayers to use), whatever) and read it by the end of March and we'll waffle on about it a bit in April...

[dpmcalister]

If money is tight there is always the free version from Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1257

[w00hoo]

Book wise I say go for an old classic...

I agree. The classics are called that for a reason

The Three Musketeers (although I've never read it myself - it's on my "to read" list!)

Just got my Amazon copy through. 555 pages! This had better be good. I'll be checking the softness of the paper, 2 quid for that lot, I may be changing from Charmin in the future...

[dpmcalister]

I started reading my Project Gutenberg version on my Kindle for Android app yesterday. The prose is, certainly, flowery so far

[Elrick]

It's also available in a variety of electronic formats (epub, pdf, kindle, etc) from Feedbooks: http://www.feedbooks.com/book/398/the-three-musketeers

You can also get the sequels:
http://www.feedbooks.com/book/3586/twenty-years-after
and
http://www.feedbooks.com/book/3588/the- ... bragelonne

[Pete]

555 pages! This had better be good.

Oh, it really is. It's very fast-paced, you'll blast through it.

I'm just starting again tonight... ah, that foolish Gascon!

I'll be checking the softness of the paper, 2 quid for that lot, I may be changing from Charmin in the future...

Cheers
Pete

[heiowge]

555 pages! This had better be good.

Is it just me or are books getting longer in general? My favourite book of all time is Imajica by Clive Barker. That stands at 1100 pages plus (although the first printings were only 825 pages because they used a smaller font).

I remember the first time I read it. I was on teaching practice at a Church school in Wales in the 1990s. I was reading it in lunch in the staffroom and was about halfway through, when one of the teachers (a woman, if that matters) asked what I was reading. I showed her the cover. She asked if it was any good. I replied that it was the best book I'd ever read. She replied "...apart from the Bible!". So I had to say "Couldn't finish it!" I wanted to say it was too far fetched!

[w00hoo]

555 pages! This had better be good.

Is it just me or are books getting longer in general? My favourite book of all time is Imajica by Clive Barker. That stands at 1100 pages plus (although the first printings were only 825 pages because they used a smaller font).

Yeah, that wacky trend setting Dumas!

Don't think so, but then I read LotR in its super cheap all in one book format back in the day which was something like 1192 pages. Well, I say 'read' naturally I just skipped the 100 pages of the Council of Elrond after the first time, to retain my sanity.

[Pete]

I read Chapter I last night.

Spoiler: show

It seems like we're in for a roman à clef here, as D'Artagnan receives scant little from his parents to set him on his journey through life: an odd-looking horse, some sage advice, and a healing potion (2d8+4) from his mama.

It is nicely established that he is a Gascon provincial. Despite having read a lot of Dumas and Balzac, I know next to nothing about France and have never even set foot in the country. I'm assuming that the French view those from Gascon in the same way as Londoners purportedly view those from Bradford.

The story fair cracks along doesn't it? Dumas doesn't piss about in the tavern talking ****; rather he throws our Gascon straight into the action. In this first chapter we are introduced to D'Artagnan's goal, and a couple of the major players in the story to come: the fragrant Milady and her puissant companion, the mysterious gentleman that our Gascon tries to duel. Corking stuff from Dumas, with plenty of stirring dialogue riding alongside the narration of cracking blows to the noggin.

I wonder what awaits D'Artagnan in Paris? Will he succeed in meeting M. de Treville and becoming a Musketeer? Will he encounter the mysterious gentleman again and find satisfaction in duelling him? And what of Milady? I desire to know more of her schemes and the erotic qualities of her alabaster skin.

Tick good.

Cheers
Pete

[Pete]

For those who have a commute or like to listen to soemthing while out running or the like, there's also the audio book from Librivox.

This ain't "cheating" because it's the unexpurgated text just plain read out loud. Last year I listened to chapters of the Count of Monte Cristo while out running interspersed with reading chapters from the text myself at night.

[Pete]

Morning

I've been reading a chapter a day. That's been a little hard to do at times, because the story is fairly cracking along. Last night saw this piece of sage advice elicit a guffaw from me.

d'Artagnan's servant, Planchet, is hungry, to which our Gascon replies...

He who sleeps, dines!

... and so Planchet settles down for a hearty meal of sleep

Superb! I'm quite enjoying reading this again. How is everyone else getting on?

Cheers
Pete

[dpmcalister]

My weekend's reading was disrupted by watching some football and then, fatally, installing Angry Birds on my phone!

[w00hoo]

How is everyone else getting on?

I'm going to open it on Friday...

I've had a lot of game writing to do of late (start of a new thread for the Hunter campaign, start of a new thread for the Firefly campaign, prep Escape for Tentacle City for Cow and a short run Buffy game for Phoenix that I really want to get right) so while I bought the book I realised that re-reading Buffy rpg stuff was more important. First session of the Buffy is Thursday night, so Friday I'll start T3M.

[Kaiserjez]

Must admit I had absolutely no interest in reading this, so I didn't bother!

[Pete]

Aw, that is a shame Jez.

No worries. It's a classic for good reason mind. It's also a very easy read, so for all that it is a lengthy tome, it flies by. There's plenty of good fuel for swashbuckling role-play in the book, and oh, the intrigues of Milady, she of the cruel mind and full décolletage... she is the stuff of dreams.

Cheers
Pete