Book 11 of 2024: Black Pill

  Black Pill

Author: Elle Reeve

Genre: History/Politics

Pages: 304

Finished: Yes

Final Rating: 8.3/10

From Dungeon Crawler Carl to Black Pill; this was like getting pulled from the freezer and being thrown right into boiling water. Damn guys, at least let me get to room temperature first!

Elle Reeve accomplished something truly impressive here. Over the last several years, she collected multiple sources among the alt-right and even seemed to gain their trust and respect. She traces the rise of online fascism from places like 8chan to violent protests spilling into the streets.

I couldn't put this down. It's compelling, complex and nuanced, and it's clear the author takes this subject very seriously.

Great book!

Game 19 of 2024 - Not For Broadcast

Not For Broadcast

Developer: NotGames
Publisher: tinyBuild
Platform: PC
Genre: Adventure/FMV

Difficulty: Easy
Hours: 8

Finished: Yes
Final Rating: 8/10

I forgot to get screenshots of this one, too :(

At the beginning of the game, Dave, the editor, runs off on holiday and pressures you, the janitor, into doing his job for him while he's gone.

Classic Dave.

Dave of course never comes back, so now you're thrown into the fire as a full time live news editor. Apparently the National Nightly News' bar for their editors is pretty low.

Not For Broadcast, which has a record-setting 42+ hours of full motion video, is something of a political satire. It's a bit... on the nose for my liking, but generally the writing is good and the actors are fantastic. Bonus points for Paul Baverstock (Jeremy Donaldson), Andrea Valls (Megan Wolfe), and Lucy Foley (Stacy). 

I found some of the mechanics annoying, but you can turn the ones you don't like off. There's a ton of little jokes and gags throughout the scenes, and while you might be too busy doing your job to notice them during the game, you can replay the footage to catch everything.

Overall, a fun game with some perhaps confusing political messaging, but that might be the point. 

Book 10 of 2024 - Dungeon Crawler Carl

 Dungeon Crawler Carl

Author: Matt Dinniman

Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi/LitRPG (whatever that is)

Pages: 464

Finished: Yes

Final Rating: 7.5/10

what the fuck is LitRPG

Meet Carl. Carl has had some pretty shit luck recently. His girlfriend was cheating on him, and aliens invaded Earth and flattened every building while he was chasing her cat outside in his boxers. 

Carl now needs to enter the dungeon, a live-action televised MMORPG type thing, in order to earn his freedom. His companion, Princess Donut (his ex-girlfriend's cat), gains human intelligence and the ability to cast spells.

Join Carl and Princess Donut as they gain experience and followers, defeat goofy monsters, and meet other survivors on their way to the bottom level of the dungeon. I really expected to hate this, but it was quite enjoyable. A friend of mine (appropriately named Karl) really pushed this on me, assuring me I'd enjoy it and he was right. Despite the ridiculous premise, Matt Kinniman doesn't forget to inject some humanity and wit in this example of uh, LitRPG. Apparently this is a series of like seven books, and I want to know how the story ends, so I guess I'm committed now. Luckily they're cheap on Kindle.