The Shattering: Prelude to Cataclysm, by Christie Golden

This is one of a series of books that elaborates the narrative behind the MMORPG, World of WarCraft.  I was delightfully surprised by the quality of writing in the book.  Golden is a talented author, worthy of the awards and recognitions she has received.  In the past when I've read books associated with TV series, movies, and  now computer/video games  (although this is the first book of that sort I've attempted) I have been disappointed.  Often they are just commercial products to profit from the popularity of media phenomenon.  I'm delighted this is different!  It reads very well and is an engaging story.  I think that even if you were not a player in WoW you could read and enjoy the story.  It is about leadership, power, corruption, and good intentions; all universal themes in literature!

As a WoW play I found this affecting me in two ways--first, I have begun to observe and understand more as I am "in game."  Now much of the landscape and "decor" have significance that I was overlooking.  As a reader I was able to read the book with much greater depth--understanding the gaming experience upon which the story is built.  I found myself flying around Orgrimmar looking for the skull and armor of Mannoroth. 

As a teacher/reader I am convinced about the value of knowing about this body of literature and seeing out similar titles for other games.  The young people in our schools are passionate about their games.  We need to use this passion in helping them to develop advanced reading skills.  It is also likely that we can help them move into other literature, perhaps some more aligned with the accepted canon, if we prove ourselves trustworthy.  Having familiarity with these sorts of titles will provide those sorts of credentials.

I must note the experience I had in real life while reading this book.  I was in Pagosa Springs, Colorado relaxing in the hot springs (strongly recommend you plan some time here if you are in the area!) and had this book with me.  Multiple individuals and families initiated conversations with me because of the World of Warcraft logo on the front of the book.  Two teen-aged boys and their parents were the first to initiate a conversation.  They boys were elbowing their parents in the pool--I'm assuming because they saw me as an example of an adult sanctioning WoW.  We talked about their game play.  Both boys had fallen away from WoW and were now more interested in Minecraft and other games.  (I could only think that probably the problem here was related to not having a spectacular guild like mine!  Inevitable Betrayers--you're the best!)  In every pool I ran into others who wanted to talk about the WoW phenomenon.  This included a woman of my age (nearing retirement) who talked about her friend who played almost every moment outside of work.  The power of books!!!  It never occurred to me that simply carrying a book with a WoW logo would open the way to multiple conversations and entry into a rich community of human citizens as I moved casually through the world.

I recommend this as a good choice for anyone who has contact with gamers.  Grandparents--it will open the doors into understanding the virtual lives of your grandkids, teachers--it will help you in multiple ways as you try to encourage your charges in their literacy development, parents--it will help initiate lively conversations with otherwise reticent children, citizens--you'll develop casual conversations and be granted entry into a community that is astonishingly large!  At it's height there were approximately 12 million players.  Currently there are approximately 6.8 million (http://www.statista.com/statistics/276601/number-of-world-of-warcraft-subscribers-by-quarter/).  It still remains the most popular PC game in the world (also from statista).  There is real power here that all of us need to understand and appreciate.  This novel will help the non-players do so.

The Gray Wolf Throne, by Cinda Williams Chima

2011, Hyperion

I am still enjoying this series very much.  Chima has managed to continue the characters in the Seven Realms series and added to the depth of most of them.  The plot developments continue to engage the reader.

In The Gray Wolf Throne, the action picks up as Raisa ana'Marianna is hiding in Fetters Ford trying to stay hidden from her various enemies and survive long enough to return home.  She hope to return to the capital city, Fellsmarch, and reunite with her mother, the queen.  Raisa has reached the understanding that she and her mother together may have the combined skills necessary for a successful reign.

The rest of the book is an exciting quest as Raisa, Han, and Amon work together and separately trying to return to Fellsmarch and return Raisa to the line of accession to the Gray Wolf Throne.  As always there is a wonderful combination of wizardry, woodsman-ship, military, and street-smarts.  Every moment of reading is a pleasure and in many parts thrilling enough to get the reader's blood racing.

I am adding "gaming" as a tag for this book.  I believe that students (and adults) who enjoy the role playing games will enjoy this book.  It is one that I would recommend to any reader who enjoys quest based games.

I'm just beginning my semester so life is about to get busy.  I am number eight on the wait list for the next, and final book in the series, The Crimson Crown.  I will need to work hard the next few weeks so that when my name comes up I can put work aside to read.

The Exiled Queen, by Cinda Williams Chima

I continue to enjoy this series, The Seven Realms.  It is fantasy with a medieval setting.  Lots of horses and a feudal sort of society.  Political intrigue and a struggle to retain/grasp power in the Seven Realms is the unfolding story.  Although the plot line is familiar to fantasy readers, Chima does a nice job of making the story fresh with engaging characters who have enough development to keep sophisticated readers engaged.

The queen-to-be, Princess Raisa, has gone undercover to escape a planned marriage (I'm going to try and avoid spoiling the plot line of the first book, The Demon King.  Meanwhile, the other major characters Han Alister, Hayden Fire Dancer, Amon Byrne, and Micha Bayar all end up together with Raisa (in disguise as Rebecca Morley) at the magic and military schools at Oden's Ford. 

The love triangle (or is in a quadrangle?) between Raisa, Han and Amon continues with "doomed" love between them all.  The fourth in the mix is Micha Bayar and he continues to play a part in the connection between the young protagonists in the book.

Of course there is magic involved.  Han, Fire Dancer, and Micha are gifted magicians while Raisa  and Amon are not.  Much of the plot that keeps the reader going is how Han is learning about his magic and dealing with other magicians who would like to use him for their own purposes.  Han has the Demon King's amulet as his magic "piece."  The implication is that he is the heir to the Demon King's great powers.  The Bayar's would like to regain the piece and its power.

While Han is learning about his magic, Raisa is learning about fighting and how to lead her country.  There is a sort of "King Arthur" flavor to her learning about her kingdom in the role of a citizen rather than leader.  

I will be finishing the series and will let you know if it falters.  Otherwise, assume that I still find it worth recommending to young readers who enjoy fantasy.  I think it would be a great recommendation to young adults who play World of Warcraft of League of Legends.  The plot/settings will resonate with the video games they play and will encourage some reading.

Wizards of the Game, by David Lubar (2003)

I picked this up because it appeared on a list of recommended books about gaming. I'll have to change the search to video-gaming. The plot of this book centers around the older version of gaming involving cards and face-to-face activities. The main character, Mercer, is an 8th grader. He is totally absorbed in a game similar to dungeons and dragons.

He persuades the school authorities to have a gaming fund raiser. One of the other students on the planning team is a conservative Christian who begins a political/religious initiative to ban the game on school grounds based on the idea that it is devil/demon worship.

Meanwhile, Mercer begins to attract a following of homeless folks who believe themselves to be wizards. At the end Mercer ends up having to deal with all these various special interest groups.

Lubar has written an accessible book that will prompt deep thinking about conservative Christian pressures, gaming, and our perceptions of reality. Even though it wasn't really what I was looking for, I will include it in my recommended reading list. It does deserve a warning. There are some parents who would object to its treatment of "demonic influences on children" and apparent questioning of religious groups. With that warning, I think there are a lot of 6th & 7th graders who would really enjoy the book. Some older students with reading delays would also find it enjoyable. Although I don't see as many students playing the card-based fantasy games any longer, I think they will find the premise compatible with the video games they play.

Genesis Alpha: A Thriller, by Rune Michaels (2007)

Gaming, genetics, stem cells, designer babies, psychology, families, love--this book packs it all in with just 193 pages of text. it is a well told, terrifying story that suspect I am going to hesitate recommending to teens. It got under my skin and as a result I worry about the effects it might have on the thinking of adolescents.

I've read other books that make me hesitate about recommending them to teens--Looking for Alaska, by John Green for example. But this is much more. This well-crafted story exploring the psychology of a psychopathic killer involved with gaming is just outright chilling. Some of the kids I know who are gamers are already tottering on the edge. Thirty years ago I worked with other kids who remind me of the edgy gamers, often they were kids who were fascinated with science fiction.

I'm probably too sensitive--the plot line is no more frightening than that of The Matrix or even in some ways that of Harry Potter. But, some how set in what seems like a normal middle class setting, it becomes all that much more frightening. Well--perhaps not entirely middle class--both Josh's parents are university professors. But, that seems pretty normal to me.

I picked this up because I am collecting books that will appeal to gamers. It is much more than a story about gaming, the risks of online gaming, and internet security. I am going to share this with a couple of others to get their reaction. I'll report back.

The reviewer from The School Library Journal was relatively critical about this book. He suggested that some of the characterizations and plot elements were unrealistic. That may be the case, but I think no more so than many other books.

Roadside Crosses, by Jeffery Deaver (2009)

This is a book I am going to bring to class today and recommend to teachers. Deaver is still exploring new literacies, the internet, and digital worlds. Roadside Crosses is a "Katherine Dance" book set in the Bay Area. It explores gaming culture and the dangers of the internet. Although Deaver portrays the dark side of the internet in this book and his most recent Lincoln Rhyme book I can't help but read a positive feeling about this new world we are all exploring as well.

There are some "contrived" plot twists and I considered the ultimate villain as a suspect from the beginning, but still the book was a compelling read. It also gave me some personal comfort in explorations of the difficulties of working within bureaucracies. Both this book and Michael Connely's recent novel The Scarecrow are going to stay in my home as reference sources.