 Fistful of Data novel is out, Have at `er boys |
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 Oct 11 2006, 08:45 PM
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#1
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Moving Target  Group: Members Posts: 126 Joined: 20-December 05 Member No.: 8,088  |
I just found quite by accident on the bookstore shelves Stephen Dedman's Fistful of Data for Shadowrun. Looks good, but I won't really get into it until I finish Hammerjack (cool new cyberpunk novel)
I I'll post more when I finish it. |
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Oct 11 2006, 08:52 PM
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#2
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Shadow Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 3,737 Joined: 2-June 06 From: Secret Tunnels under the UK (South West) Member No.: 8,636 |
PDF? |
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Oct 11 2006, 09:16 PM
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#3
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
anyone know anything about it, or any good recommends for the author?
where's bookwyrm? |
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Oct 11 2006, 10:32 PM
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#4
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 174 Joined: 10-September 06 Member No.: 9,349 |
I've bought it, will have it read within a week of arrival. (Have to read book 5 first, which is shipping at the same time)
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Oct 12 2006, 01:59 AM
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#5
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,379 Joined: 16-April 02 From: the LI shadows Member No.: 2,607 |
Sorry, I completely forgot about this novel. Been spending a LOT of time with reading the SR4 main book & Street Magic; seeking employment; & of course, time with the new girlfriend. I'll see if I can secure a copy soon.
Edit/Update: Picked up the novel last night, started reading it. I'll have a review as soon as I finish it. |
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Nov 4 2006, 05:35 PM
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#6
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,379 Joined: 16-April 02 From: the LI shadows Member No.: 2,607 |
OK, finally finished the novel & I have to say....Excellent work! Stephen Dedman has certanly a gift for a good engaging story without overburdening the non-gaming reader with over-simplifiying explaining what happens. 4 1/2 stars!
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Nov 4 2006, 05:47 PM
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#7
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 340 Joined: 18-September 06 From: Chicago (CZ) Member No.: 9,422 |
That was quick...
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Nov 4 2006, 07:34 PM
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#8
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
and short.....
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Nov 4 2006, 08:28 PM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 126 Joined: 20-December 05 Member No.: 8,088 |
I've finished it too and think it's the best of the new Shadowrun novels out.
May we have some more please? |
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Nov 4 2006, 08:29 PM
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#10
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
May we have some details please? :)
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Nov 4 2006, 08:31 PM
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#11
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 340 Joined: 18-September 06 From: Chicago (CZ) Member No.: 9,422 |
I know vaugeness on the shadowrun boards doesnt fly unless you got something to hide or someone is threatening your life.
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Nov 4 2006, 08:48 PM
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#12
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
I'm just a big fan of a good book, and when that combines is SR, it makes for good times. Bookwyrm usaully has more to say. Guess his priorities changed.
Not that I can blame him. |
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Nov 5 2006, 09:40 AM
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#13
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Great, I'm a Dragon... Group: Retired Admins Posts: 6,699 Joined: 8-October 03 From: North Germany Member No.: 5,698 |
Bought it at amazon.de last week, but didn't have the time to read it yet.
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Nov 5 2006, 01:43 PM
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#14
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Neophyte Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,453 Joined: 17-September 04 From: St. Paul Member No.: 6,675 |
It is good. Not Shakespeare, but good.
There were a couple scene changes that lost me for a while, but not a dealbreaker. The main characters were mostly 3 dimensional, one more than all the others, and the plot stays engaged and engaging. It has a lot of different perspectives: corporate, mob, mercenary, low level runner, prime runner, squatter, crazy, sane. Decking, rigging, contacts, guns, adepts, shamans, mages, toxics, metahumans, cross and double-cross....you get the idea. All of the concepts of a full and rewarding campaign, in a conveniently bound novel. I am enjoying it, haven't quite finished it yet, but it has been a good ride so far. |
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Nov 6 2006, 04:16 PM
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#15
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,379 Joined: 16-April 02 From: the LI shadows Member No.: 2,607 |
Thanks, Fistandantilus. It usually takes me a while to get through a book, and I try to savor it (I am something of a voracious reader). What time I get to myself I use to read (on the train, bus, when nothing watchable is on the tube), so I tend to fairly 'devour' a book sometimes faster than most.
Also, it's rude to just whip out a book when I'm being seduced by my GF. I keep the reviews short so that the person reading it is interested, but nothing is given away. It's more fun to let a person discover their own likes/dislikes about a book than spoiling it. |
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Nov 7 2006, 12:26 AM
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#16
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Uncle Fisty Group: Admin Posts: 13,891 Joined: 3-January 05 From: Next To Her Member No.: 6,928 |
BW: Just looking for a highlights good/bad, not a book report. ;)
[ Spoiler ] Jray: nice ta see ya. I like the variety. Does it manage to pull that off without to confusing of transitions or being to hectic? |
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Nov 7 2006, 12:40 AM
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#17
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MechRigger Delux Group: Retired Admins Posts: 1,151 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Hanger 18, WPAFB Member No.: 1,657 |
I did like this one, though I thought the start was abit slow, and that Dedman seemed to spread out the characters too thin unil later, but it came together well. I liked Book 5 a little better than this one, but overall it was nice to ahve a decent Srun story out there.
You know, I didn't get to go to the writer's forums at GenCon this year, so I have no clue if there will be more novels or not. I'm hoping so... can anyone inside shed some light>? |
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Nov 7 2006, 02:26 AM
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#18
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King of the Hobos Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 2,117 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 127 |
From what I remember it was the three Steve Kenson Duels linked novels first and then Drops of Corruption by Jason Hardy, Aftershock by Jean Rabe and John Helfers and then Fistfull of Data by Stephen Dedman as the confirmed books. After that you'll have to ask Adam or someone whether Roc has decided to pick up the option of doing any more. Unfortunately I don't think they did, I'm having vague memories of someone mentioning that they decided not to but can't find anything concrete now.
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Nov 7 2006, 01:31 PM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 595 Joined: 12-May 05 Member No.: 7,392 |
Unfortunately FlakJacket is right--Roc did not pick up the option to publish more novels. There is a plan in the works to hopefully get the novels moving again, but it's probably not at the stage where I can provide details yet. However, it's possible that there might come a time when we need fans to send letters or forum posts showing their interest in having more novels--I'll let you know when and where!
Jason H. |
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Nov 7 2006, 05:05 PM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 248 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Note Calonna Member No.: 241 |
Haven't read the new one yet. Just finished Aftershock. If the authors of that book ever write another novel for Shadowrun, their editor should stand behind them as they type and poke them with a cattle prod whenever they attempt to have their characters use too much slang. Having a character use one word of slang over and over isn't colorful, its annoying.
On the other hand, I also just read Drops of Corruption and really liked it. The burnt out mage main character was interesting. One of the better Shadowrun novels IMO. |
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Nov 7 2006, 05:44 PM
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#21
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,333 Joined: 19-August 06 From: Austin Member No.: 9,168 |
I need to get some of the newer books. I started rereading my old collection (starting at Striper Assassin) and was struck primarily by the fact that I'd have to be a youth to find them as cool as they found themselves....
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Nov 7 2006, 07:33 PM
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#22
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 500 Joined: 4-September 06 From: Salt Lake UT Member No.: 9,299 |
Ahh, Nyx Smith. A great big plate of shapeshifter weirdness and a little serving of trollrape with every entree. Those were the dayze. I'll start by saying that you should buy this book I'll explain why later. However... I can't say that I enjoyed "Fist Full of Data" With a tittle like that and the plot structure I was hoping for a Cyber-Western. But then Dedman threw in the "Alice in wonderland" crap and it ruined it for me. Sure It was like "Magnificent Seven". A bunch of Runner "Cowboys" (cowboys is a metaphor not actual cowpunchers), Vs. the hired guns of the Aztechnology "Mexican Banditos". The "cowboys" are protecting the poor people of a small "town" in the barrens from the evil corporate "bandits". But instead of a snarling gunman with a big black mustache we got a tea-drinking Ponce in a top-hat and coat-tails (the mad hatter), with a buck-toothed elf for a sidekick (the white rabbit). And instead of the super cool Yule Brener we get a bald Dwarf named 8-ball who used to have an afro. WTF? Much like "Magnificent Seven" I couldn't identify a strong protagonist. In that movie i didn't care because I loved all the good guys and wished there had been a whole movie about each of them. In the book I didn't really care about any of the good guys and started to wish that more of them would die just so I could feel something. There was one interesting part where two of the female runners kiss :eek: but that was never developed further. IIRC the whole story sadly lacked even one instance of trollrape. (and I was watching for it!.) There was a female troll named BEEF PATTY ( ;) soon to be a classic troll name) but she doesn't rape anyone and she gets hit fairly early in the story to be scenery thereafter. Why you should buy and read this book. there are about 40 different characters you can reverse-engineer from the text to use as NPC's in your game. Some of the characters are individually cool or based on interesting concepts their abilities and methods are fairly well fleshed out. The problem is that as a group, they don't hang together as well as the "Magnificent Seven". As NPC's they'll work good all you have to do is pick a name, fill out a character sheet and reference the book for the back-story and legwork. [edit:] I was just looking through the book again and I have to say that the flash back to 8-ball loosing his afro was a good bit of writing. I remember that I actualy *saw* the sceen in my head and there were some litterary triggers that made me *feel* the character. That's probably my fave part it was good. |
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Nov 7 2006, 10:24 PM
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#23
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Great, I'm a Dragon... Group: Retired Admins Posts: 6,699 Joined: 8-October 03 From: North Germany Member No.: 5,698 |
Never mention this author and his crappy novels again, please. Shifters = Uber-killers? Please. :rotfl: This thread should stay ontopic, there are a lot of "which novels I hate/ enjoy" threads. |
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Nov 7 2006, 10:48 PM
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#24
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 500 Joined: 4-September 06 From: Salt Lake UT Member No.: 9,299 |
:( (sniffles:) but Grinder I wrote a whole book report, didn't you even read it? :(
let me try again without mentioning whether I hate/enjoy the book "Fist Full of Data" is a rip-off of "The Magnificent seven" (a movie I really enjoyed :P ), While the Lawless American West premise has strong potential in the Shadowrun setting, the author confuses the reader by mixing the western metaphors with actual characters from "Alice in Wonderland" then further confounds the reader by failing to include any instance of non-consensual insertion of Troll phallus, of which further discussion is unnecessary because this sentence is all ready very long. Many players, and especially GM, may find the book useful. There are many characters developed by the author that may be plagiarized and use in games at home. Regardless of whether I hate/enjoy the book I give it 3 stars and a thumbup :grinbig: |
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Nov 7 2006, 11:22 PM
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#25
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 165 Joined: 26-February 02 Member No.: 1,002 |
Now is the seting 3rd ed or 4th.
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