So i'm just about to burn through my latest pile of SR Fiction and i still have about 40 books to go through.
any good recommendations?

i've read
never deal with a dragon #1
into the shadows
streets of blood
shadowplay
dead air
and some more books i can't seem to find atm



on a side note/question:
if there's items mentioned in the fiction that isn't mentioned or have stats for, should i assume they are available in tabletop play? or mayhaps they're just not available in 2074? by that i mean drones/weapons/drugs/armor

no chums read anymore? a fraggin lie! you had to read to make your charcter, i'd think.

i'm open to supplemental rules and info too, even from the early editions, since i've read all of 4th & 5th

I only read a few german books, don't think those help you.

But for the equipment used in the books: Most authors increase the effectiveness of certain equipments by a long stretch. In one storyline of my books, a Move-by-Wire System was part of the story. Although the system is strong, the described effects were over the top. So you should keep that in mind. Other than that, I wouldn't have a problem with it. Sometimes you would have to put up own rules or numbers for the items. If your group is up to that, I don't see a problem.

For SR I loved Wolf & Raven, but it was written in the early days and the author even admitted it did not always conform to the game world side of things.

I actually miss the piles of SR fiction which is hard to change with only having so few authors still writing, at least we still have Patrick and Critias and a few others still keeping it alive.

Maybe I am just being an old fogey and not realizing maybe actually few want to read new novels so the demand isn't there, but I still think The Company is missing a trick.

And yes I say The Company because I know Catalyst is not necessarily in control of this, it is a mire of IP and parent companies and more.

Still, when I look at the Japanese Business Triangle for their entertainment market which goes like this: Manga, Movies, Toys/Merchandise, and look at the equivalent for us of Game Books, Novels/Magazines & Merch (the forthcoming card games, video game, etc) we have an uneven triangle, which is odd especially since e-books/e-zines can now help fill that side.

There are more novels coming. The tangled mess of licensing rights and stuff got (partially) unsnarled this last year.

Wolf & blood en route chum. looks real good!
i've seen a few entries of fiction in the past that had me scratching my head to how i thought the universe worked. i got upset the first time but null persp.

i'm unsure as to why shadowrun isn't more popular. most people here in america seemingly know the xbox game. if they're over 25 then they may know the sega or snes game. but most don't have any idea about the still living and super sweet pen & paper game they could play and enjoy now that they're adults. i mean the concept is frigging amazing.

i knew of the pen and paper games years ago and thumbed through a few rule books at comic shops but i almost felt like i was alone living on the moon with my 15+ year interest in shadowrun. then 4 years ago i realized they printed novels and i got extremely hooked. it sorta died down until i got the 5th edition rules. hoping to still try the pen & paper game soon. love it here on dumpshock though.

anywho i'd like to reiterate as to my wonder as to why it isn't more popular. since i've worked in marketing for the 17-28 demographic, i'm sure that anyone who plays elder scrolls/world of warcraft/or any heavy based d&d game OR anyone with a mild anime interest should LOVE the concept. i think the new games are causing ripples though which is always helpful. hopefully people realize the gigantic universe behind the new games coming out. and more nuyen can only help the process. i'd hope



I'm hyper pumped for the new books though! can not wait. sucks with all the hoops you guys have to jump through i hope it becomes an easier process in the future. i'll be pre-ordering then when i can. i look forward to your novel neat, i'll be diving into it soon, lacking e-book capabilities at the moment but looking forward to it for sure!

Shining Bright is good.


I can't really recommend any others - read them if you come across them and really like SR - otherwise...meh.


Probably because SR has always been a complex game. People don't seem to want that anymore, at least in big numbers. I'm mostly the other way, for example the Dresden Files RPG. Loooove the setting, and I even liked reading the RPG books - but I doubt I'd ever run/play it. FATE rules just aren't my bag baby.

Also, computer/console gaming is more or less accepted now. Tabletop gaming is still a niche, nerdy, geek thing - as far as the masses go. I think this is breaking down more all the time, especially with more and more 'rpg like' table top games gaining steam.

I am LOVING the FATE system... Love it, Love it, Love it.

The general advice I give to folks looking into the old paperback is (a) anything by Nigel Findley's probably worth a read, and (b) cast a wide net. Look for 'em cheap on eBay, do a search for "shadowrun lot" and buy as big a pile you can for as cheap as you can. Not just because the quality varies wildly from author to author, but because tastes vary wildly from reader to reader.

I know folks that are just ga-ga over Nyx Smith's "Bandit" character, the raccoon shaman, or his weretiger stripper...but those two just never grew on me. Conversely, I'm a sucker for elves and adepts, so I really dug Nyx Smith's other work, Steel Rain, even though I know full well it's goofy "katana blocking a minigun" bullshit, all super-samurai nonsense, etc, etc. Tastes vary.

Folks that like some stuff won't like other stuff, and the best way to find out which stuff YOU like is to, well, buy it cheap and read it for yourself.

I just looked at the list of English language shadowrun novels during the FASA/ROC era to refresh my memories ...

As always personal preferences will certainly vary, but I pretty much enjoyed all of the SR novels back in the days with the exception of the following two:

1. Terminus Experiment - for various reasons, including cybered vampires - although they have become "street legal" thanks to SR4
2. Run Hard, Die Fast - simply because of what Mel Odom did to Findley's Argent. I guess I could have enjoyed that one as well as some sort of goofy power creep fiction if the protagonist had been named differently

Oh and Critias, you could at least be generous enough to write Stiper's name correctly

Pot, meet kettle

And here I thought I'd get the humor across ~sniff~

is that 2nd one the one based in hawaii?? if it was the lore was too deep. i think. i've read 1 of nigel's books but i'm looking forward to 2xl.

That was House of the Sun (I think)...
2XL is a great book.

you are correct

The Vladivostok Gauntlet is presently ranked #32 in Amazon Kindle's sci-fi short story category. Cant be that bad! Go read it!

/tireless pimping

2XL and House of the Sun are pretty good indeed.
Preying for Keeps is one of the few SR book that really tells a story about a team of Shadowrunner running the shadows without getting too "high level" (if you exclude a bit at the end of the book).

I don't know if the Shadowrun Returns anthology is for sale somewhere (I got it from the Kickstarter), it has some pretty good stories, but also a few bad ones.

Wow, I just bought and read Neat a few weeks ago, and didn't know that this existed (nor Another Rainy Night). Will have to pick these up!

Do let us know what you think when you do this.

Like everyone else said, if it says Nigel Findley it's worth a read.
I enjoyed the original "secrets of power" trilogy, plus the extra one.
Neat is good.
Spells and Chrome is hit or miss, but chock full of plot threads that can be picked up, especially if you're playing around 2070.

They were both quite good. I really enjoy the novella length stuff, just because it is readable in an evening and the plot keeps clicking along.

That being said... You got any plans for a second book, after that ending?

You mean Burning Bright? The story of the uncovering of the Chicago Hive? Certainly the best of the novels I've read.

I'm looking at proofs in another window as I type this, so...yeah.

Don't know if it was released under different names, but the book referred to above as 2XL was released (at least in some places) as 2XS. As a self contained story, takes the gong IMHO.

Night's Pawn was also good, gave a decent look into europe which I still don't think got covered much in later books, the first appearance of Alamais, Lofwyr's brother.

2XL - Does this book make me look fat?

I always knew the novel as 2XS, I think the title is often misremembered as 2XL due to the main character going through the goblinization and dealing with it.

...?

I think you're thinking of something else. Changeling, maybe?

Indeed, though for some reason I still confuse the covers in my head, another senior moment.

Didn't the original cover of Changeling feature a troll that looked like a slightly goblinized Lou Ferrigno? I remember seeing the cover and not realizing he was supposed to be a troll.

You might, also, consider something new: Sail Away Sweet Sister is now available for immediate download.

Excellent timing all around! . Just bought this and added it to my kindle cloud library. Hope to get to read it this Saturday.