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Despite the video game 02/23/2019 No comments

Metro exodus the videogame based on Metro novels

Hello there Wottareaders, Metro exodus is already here! What? You don’t know what I’m talking about? Let me show you:

Yes! It is a videogame developed by 4A Games and based on the Metro series written by the Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky.

The basics

Exodus is the third game in the video game series, preceded by Metro 2033 and Metro Last light. If you are a pc player you probably have played Metro 2033 at least, since it was free to download on Steam for 24 hours in October 2018.

Metro Exodus was released on 15 February 2019 for the following platforms: PC, Play Station 4 and X box one. For all the Nintendo fans wondering if Metro Exodus is coming to Nintendo Switch, the answer is no, the video game developers have no plans to launch this game in this platform. Who knows, maybe they will announce they are launching Metro Exodus for Nintendo Switch in future events, wouldn’t be the first time.

What is Metro Exodus about

As you just saw on the trailer, this videogame is a first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic Russia where you will have to face all kind of mutated creatures. This game is not only about the shooting, but it also stealth and strategy are key elements for your survival.

The plot develops after the events of its predecessor, Metro: Last Light. Exodus will have also Artyom as the main character. In this game Artyom wants to prove there is life outside Moscow, leading to dangerous and thrilling expeditions.

As you see this is one of those videogames where the story is relevant. This is not a videogame based only in shooting and killing monsters. Instead, the storytelling will immerse you in this post-apocalyptic world. The survival horror touch is always there, you will suffer more than once trying to survive as Artyom.

This videogame has also interesting features, along with the plot you will have to make your choices which Will have a real impact on the story. That is, depending on the decisions you make some of your comrades might not survive. So, be careful! Also, this video game includes a Dynamic weather system and a day-night cycle, which will make this game experience even more captivating.

The Metro Universe: the novels

Metro book covers

As stated before, this videogame is based on Dmitry Glukhovsky’s metro series. This is is a three-volume series whose universe gets expanded subsequently by the video game series. The proper Reading order is the following, this is also the published and chronological order:

Metro 2033. 458 pages.
Metro 2034. 320 pages.
Metro 2035. 502 pages.

This series is set in an apocalyptic world, after a global nuclear war, the Earth Surface turns to be uninhabitable due to the amount of nuclear radiation. This novel takes place in Moscow, the story beginning in the year 2033. Here the survivors live underground, the metro stations become new cities where humans defend against the hostile mutated creatures due to the nuclear holocaust.

The main character is Artyom, a 24-year-old man, who was saved from carnivorous rats when he was a child by a military officer, Sukhoi, who is one of the leaders of VDNKh, the metro station where they dwell. After a visit by a strange man called, Hunter, Artyom is entrusted a mission of warning another metro station about the increasing threat of the Dark ones, humans who survived and adapted to the nuclear radiation and therefore live on the Surface.

The first novel has a score of 3.9 out of 5 on Goodreads, while Amazon gives this a 4.4 out of 5.

How has been Metro Exodus received by the fans?

This videogame has achieved great marks, and lots of fans consider this a worthy candidate for the Game of the Year Award. Others say it’s a great competitor to one of the other big GOTY favorites, which is no other than Kingdom Hearts 3.

Metro Exodus scored 84 for pc on Metacritic, while the Metascore for videogame platforms is slightly lower, being 82 and 79 for Xbox One and Play Station 4 respectively.

The Good reviews

Generally speaking, fans seem to love the game according to numerous reviews published on this website. Fans love the open world, they praise the graphics and the dark atmosphere. And, an easy one being based on a novel series, they enjoy the storytelling.

The Bad reviews

There are of course others that didn’t like the video-game. Most complains are mostly because of the input lag and bugs they claim are experiencing. Also, seems like the open world approach is not something all the fans are enjoying, some of them claiming they prefer the most linear systems of the previous metro videogame installments.

What about you Wottareader? Do you think this is a worthy successor for the Metro franchise? If you liked this article, remember to check this one about The Witcher videogames.

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Others 02/17/2019 No comments

This is why you shouldn’t read A song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones)

Hello there Wottareaders! I know what you are thinking, is the title wrong? how can I.M Redwright suggest not to read Game of Thrones when he’s all day suggesting books and sagas to read? has he gone crazy? I’m afraid not, the title is right: This is why you shouldn’t read A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones). Or at least, not yet 😊.

A song of Ice and Fire is already a success. I don’t mean it’s a bestseller saga, no, it is a social media phenomenon. People love Game of Thrones, so much that some even name their children as some of the most popular characters. And I don’t mean they name their kids Jon or Robb, which they may too, but the most popular GOT names are the most exotic, names such as Aria or Khaleesi. A brief pause here, how can Khaleesi, which is actually a title, be a more popular name than Daenerys? whatever. If you don’t believe it, just check this article .

With the upcoming season 8 of Game of Thrones this tv show is coming to its end, and then comes the following question: what about the books?

The novel: A song of Ice and Fire

Let’s not forget that this tv show is actually a movie adaptation of the novels. Or at least it was until season five, but now, the last season is about to be released (April 14, 2019, for those who didn’t know) while the next book in the series, Winds of Winter, has not even a release date. This is why I said in a previous article, that George R.R Martin could have published his prequel, Fire & Blood, after publishing Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring, the last two volumes of this saga, which someday (maybe?) will have a release date.

True, George R.R Martin stated that the last books were going to be 1.500 pages long each, which is fairly long even for his standards. It is totally understandable that the writer takes his time to finish his manuscript, his story has a lot of characters and subplots and he wants everything to fit in. Of course, it is his story and he can take all the time he needs and wants, that is out of the question.

Having said that, just take a look at these terrifying release dates and you will understand why you shouldn’t read A Song of Ice and Fire, at least not for now:

A Game of Thrones. Release date: 1996.
A Clash of Kings. 1999.
A Storm of Swords. 2000.
A Feast for Crows. 2005.
A Dance with Dragons. 2011.
The Winds of Winter.Release date: who knows.
A Dream of Spring.Release date: who knows.

You see it don’t you? no? let me help, 5 years from A storm of Swords to A Feast for Crows, 6 years from this one to A Dance with Dragons. See the progression? now, if you do the maths, you might expect The Winds of Winter to be released seven years after, which would be 2018. But that did not happen, George R.R Martin didn’t publish Winds of… wait, wait for a second, we are forgetting something, didn’t he publish a book recently?

Fire & Blood book cover

Fire &Blood

Publication date: November 20, 2018.

2018! exactly! is the author doing it on purpose? don’t think so, but somehow, consciously or not, the progression is working. Do you realize what this means? with such formula we don’t need to wonder anymore when the two remaining books are going to be published, we already know the answer! I’ll do the numbers for you:

The Winds of Winter. Release date: 2026.
A Dream of Spring.Release date: 2035.

We just hacked A song of Ice of Fire publishing dates! here you go, this is why you shouldn’t read this saga unless you don’t mind to read the last book in 2035 but that is, of course, your choice.

Hope you enjoyed this article, let’s hope George R.R Martin’s progression is not a real thing, please not, I am not watching the tv show until the books are released and I don’t want to wait until 2035. Please make a reboot if that happens.

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This is my story 02/15/2019 No comments

This is my story: I.M Redwright

So here it is, with a bit of delay, true, but here it is after all. As I promised on Twitter, I would talk about me when I got 1.000 followers. As you might have assumed, either because this post exists or because you follow me on Twitter, I already achieve such a magic number. Until now, I have told you about books, movie adaptations, authors, everything I love related to reading I have shared it with you.

Now, It’s time to get a bit more personal. This is how I decided to become a writer. This is my story.

How it all began

I have always been a creative person, I don’t think I have a lot of virtues, but creativity is surely one of them. This has been always a two-edged sword, if any writer is reading this I think he/she will relate with this, when your imagination is above average, you just make up scenarios that for other people might be inconceivable. Some may think this is great, and sometimes it is for sure, but lots of times you just get worried for scenarios or situations that are nearly impossible. Your mind plots like crazy, and your life gets harder than it actually is.

Such inventiveness lead to a weird situation: I had too many projects and I didn’t know on which to focus on. Really, I had the following projects in mind:

A movie script
An electronic invention
A fashion design project
A computer program
Writing a book
A Youtube channel

There are a few more, but these are the ones I had already started, each of them at a different phase. I know, some of them sound more serious than others, but when I have an idea I want it to be real. Unfortunately, I had to make a decision, time is limited and I couldn’t focus on all of these while having a regular job. I had to make an important decision: I had to prioritize.

Setting a priority

I read somewhere, sadly I can’t remember where, that the word priority originally existed only in singular form, it had no plural. Which makes sense, if you have more than one priority, then you don’t have any priority at all!

In order to prioritize, I used a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and set all my projects. This was my list:

A pretty simple one isn’t it? but it helped me to make a decision. As you might see the most advanced project was the movie script, followed by the fashion design project. I also considered money, some of these projects required quite a high amount of money, and not only that, I needed help for some of them. Also, when I would have these projects finished, or at least in an advanced state, was also something to consider. There was another thing I considered, don’t stare at the image, no column for this one. It was my heart.

In my heart, there were three major projects, the book, the movie script and the invention. The movie script was the first project I started, which lead somehow to writing a book. The invention is just, in my opinion, a great idea I would love to develop some day.

My first choice

So, after considering all of this, which do you think was the first project I decided to focus on? well, it was the movie script. I had it written already, it was for an animation movie, so I only had to email Pixar. They would love my script, then buy the script no matter the price, and then the movie would win at least 10 Oscars and… nope, no need to say this didn’t happen but instead, it got way more complicated than I expected. Remember what I said previously about too much imagination?

I realized this is getting longer than I wanted to! and it actually was fun, this is where it all began but there is still a lot more to tell.

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Book series 02/14/2019 No comments

Introducing Discworld

Hello Wottareaders, today I am Introducing Discworld!

Each time you come across the coinage “Discworld,” do not forget that it refers to an outstanding fantasy series in the world of literature. Discworld comic series is a must-read for every fantasy lover. Are you looking for a fun saga to read? you found it. If you have been following my blog, then you have heard before, since I mentioned this sage in my article about Racism in literature.

What is Discworld about?

The author of this series worked relentlessly hard and created an irresistible magical flat Discworld on a turtle’s back floating laterally in space. The natives of this “turtledom” are hardworking patriots committed to building their world into a better and happy sphere.

Split into several mini-series (based on the main characters); Additionally, the Discworld books is a lovely collection for readers of any age bracket. This series is a parody of the Fantasy cliches and stereotypes, full of real-world analogies and references.

The first books tell the story of Rincewind, an unskilled magician, he is not a hero but a coward instead. Despite his reluctance, he will get involved in several dangerous expeditions.

What are the Strengths of Discworld?

The truth is; no book rivals Discworld’s magic, warmth, humor, command of words, silliness, emotion, character and occasional despairs. It is thrilling and aptly written. Every fan of the Discworld series has the same opinion.

Readers looking for a stand-alone-book can be happy any of the stories can be enjoyed independently.

There is a purpose for Death’s appearance in every book: he’s the best one in the universe and the most magnificent saga of the Discworld Series. The first novel focused on him showing him at his freshest and funniest. Death as a predominant saga unfolds from the beginning through all the books.

Who wrote this series?

Who else than Sir Terence David John Pratchett? Terry Pratchett was an excellent English writer of comical fantasy novels. One of his greatest works is the Discworld series which comprise of over 40 books. Pratchett’s published his first novel, The Carpet People, in 1971 at the age of thirteen.

Adaptations

This saga has no movie adaptations since Terry Pratchett’s novels would be difficult to be adapted into a movie format. Alternatively, 18 novels have a stage adaptation, so if you are fond of theatre you might want to check if you can watch one of these productions! Also, Discworld has more than one videogame adaptation, most notorious are Discworld and Discworld II for Play Station and Play Station 2 respectively. Furthermore, if you like board games, you can enjoy some of this series in such format, it is the case for Thud! Guards! Guards! Clacks and Ankh-Morpork.

You should read Discworld if you liked

If you like Steven Erikson’s Malazan Books of the Fallen, Lois McMaster Bujold’s Five Gods novels, or Kate Griffin’s Matthew Swift and the related Magical Anonymous series, then you will love Terry’s world.

Hope my article thrilled you to read this awesome series, keep reading!

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Others 02/12/2019 No comments

Animal sidekicks, which is your favourite?

Hello Wottareaders! This is an article about animal sidekicks. We all love to imagine the lives of the protagonists of the stories we read every day, don’t we? It lets our imagination fly to unsuspected limits. In many of the stories we read, these protagonists are accompanied by animal creatures. Companions whom we take a special affection because they accompany the main character throughout their story helping them in their journey.

It is funny how these characters do not even need to talk in order to earn our affection, isn’t it? We love them because of their loyalty, because of how they take care of their master. These animal sidekicks sometimes are adorable or also funny, this is why companies like Disney use them so often.

Which animal sidekicks am I talking about?

Hedwig- Harry Potter series

I’m referring to such endearing characters as Hedwig, the snowy owl who accompanies Harry Potter throughout his adventure in Hogwarts and, lately, trying to defeat the Dark Lord.

Hedwig’s character plays an important role in Harry’s life throughout all the books in the saga. It is a white female owl and is Harry’s 11th birthday present from Hagrid.

Throughout his adventure, Hedwig gives Harry messages and packages as well as his company and affection. She shows her devotion for Harry biting his ear or fingers affectionately.

Along the books and films, Hedwig can be seen most of the time on Harry’s arm or shoulder when she’s not resting on her cage or in the Hogwarts owlery. Since the beginning, there is a strong connection between the owl and Harry that is conveyed to us throughout the plot.

Although sometimes she may be angry with Harry, for example, when he left her locked up while Harry is at the Dursleys’ home, thus preventing Harry from exchanging messages with his friends.

Unfortunately,

Spoiler alert

Hedwig’s fate is painful for the reader as she is finally murdered during the Battle over Little Whinging. Here the owl is a camouflaged hero as it saves Hagrid’s life and makes the reader suffer from losing a character so dear to Harry and for us.

Speaking of Harry Potter, did you hear about the prequel story written on a postcard that got stolen?

Guenhwyvar – The Legend of Drizzt

Another example of an animal sidekick is Guenhwyvar, a black panther who belongs to the universe of Forgotten Realms. This panther belongs to Drizzt Do’Urden, this being lives in an astral plane and accesses the material plane when called by his master using an onyx statuette. If you are willing to read the Legend of Drizzt click here for the proper reading order!

Guenhwyvar was created by the magician elf Anders Beltgarden and was a gift for an elf swordsman. In the story, it is not known how it finally reaches the Dark Antipode where it ends up in the hands of Drizzt Do’Urden finally getting after defeating the evil Masoj Hun’ett.

In the battle, Guenhwyvar is a very important element for his team, formed by Drizzt Do’Urden, Catti-brie, Bruenor, Wulfgar, and Regis. As he saves the lives of his companions many times. Thanks to his adventures and perfect rapport, Guenhwyvar comes to consider Drizzt as a friend and takes care of and protects him as such.

Ghost – A song of Ice and Fire

It is worth mentioning the appearance of the six direwolves in A Song of Ice and Fire (known as Game of Thrones if you watch the TV show). These large, strong looking wolves appear when Lord Eddard Stark encounters a dead direwolf wolf with the direwolf cubs around it. Initially, the lives of these wolves are in danger as they consider killing them, but finally, thanks to the intervention of Jon Snow, the little direwolves survive and the five legitimate children of the Stark family adopt them.

When all of them are distributed, a sixth white pup appears, which is finally adopted by Jon SNow. We talk as many of you know about Ghost which takes on a leading role throughout history. This last direwolf is very different from the others because it is an albino direwolf with red eyes, the smallest of the litter. Ghost accompanies John to the Wall and throughout his adventures in the North helping him to survive while protecting others as Sam Tarly, companion of the Guard of the Night.

Even though Jon is

Spoiler alert

killed by the mutineers of the Nightwatch, Ghost always stood with Jon’s lifeless body which expresses Ghost’s fidelity and love for his master.

Gwaihir- The Lord of The Rings

Speaking of wolves (or wargs in Lord of The Rings), we cannot forget to speak about Gwaihir. This is the eagle that appears in the saga of the British writer J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, which appears for the first time to help and rescue the Company of Thorin, Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf from the attack of the wargs.

This noble eagle descends from Thorondor and is known as the king of eagles in the Third Age of the Sun.

After the attack of the wargs, Gwaihir also participated in the Battle of the Five Armies at the foot of the Lone Mountain. In this battle he led all the Eagles of the Cloudy Mountains, and fought in favor of Dwarves, Men, and Elves, having a relevant role in that battle.

Gwaihir acquires an important role in helping Gandalf the Grey, who does not hesitate to ask for help his eagle friend. Gwaihir saves Gandalf from being held captive by Saruman in the Orthanc tower in Isengard as well as helping him to get out of the peak of Zirak-Zigil after the Battle with the Balrog.

Surely you know many animal sidekicks like the previous ones! Do not hesitate to comment and tell us your favorite animal companions!

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