Larian Studios Forums General Chat @ Rhianna

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What is with that barrel? Anything useful?

something to make gunpowder with at the end of act 1. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

@ HandEFood

Do you remember a manuscript by Nicodemus called "how to make gunpowder"? Act 1 near Fergus room. One of the ingredients was salt. So perhaps you will need it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

just finished the novella yesterday.. LOVELY to read

Hey Viper, knowing you're from the Belgian area, where did you got this novella?

Curious. I live in Hong Kong, and the copy I bought has got the novella with it.

Thanks very much Viper. I am trying to put something more original into my signature than just 'Rhianna Pratchett' so I hope people like them...I've still got more to sign! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

In Greece the game comes with the novella. It was the most pleasant surprise to find it in. But I think this does not happen in some other countries.

Britain has the novella too. I'm about half way through, and I like it a lot so far <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

It's a very nice bonus, IMO. Adds flavour to the game and is a cool story in its own right <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

@Dunkman_10: I won my copy with the Raanaar messaging contest.

@Leather_Raven: I'm sad... sad that you didn't put a message in mine.. nor did Lynn.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" />
the novella still is good though, imho this could become a greater story

They are messages of sorts just not personalised ones <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

No personnal message from Lynn in the game box but she wrote herself the adress of the package by hand.

I kept the envelop, it's a kind of collector thing <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

Barta

winterfox, maybe yours is a UK edition? or is it a localised version? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> it'll be a surprise to see a localised version of rhianna's novella; in chinese!

Crap. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

Oh well, next time...

Probably UK version.

I've just finished reading the novella. I guess I'm the only one who feels that it's... so uninspired and bland. I've never read anything else by Rhianna Pratchett, so it might just be her style, but I get the impression that she didn't put much heart into writing Child of Chaos.

er...ouch. Don't quite know what to say to that.

No need to say anything, Rhianna. Remember, you're not going to please everyone. And everyone is not cut out to be a good critic. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shhh.gif" alt="" />

I haven't received my fan pack yet, but all I can say is if the game's charm reflects only half of the storyline in your novella, it's full of heart [and soul].


Faralas <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mage.gif" alt="" />

I'm sorry; it's nothing personal. It's just that the novella didn't do anything for me, and surely you are no stranger to criticism? I realize that my comment was rather brusque and unhelpful, so I'll give detailed reasons as to why I feel the way I feel. They're probably quite pointless to you, but hey, might as well justify my remarks.

The first is the tone -- I'm unsure as to whether the novella takes itself seriously or sets out to be tongue-in-cheek. Too humourous to be serious, and too serious to be humourous. The commentaries by the gods are... cute, but I feel they detract rather than add. I couldn't take the mortal characters -- Lucian, Damian, Anlokam -- seriously, since all they are doing is being chesspieces in a show to amuse divine beings. It lessens the impact of their emotions, their characters, and their struggles. I couldn't empathize with any of them. Perhaps it's the novella's length and the need to fit the plot in under certain page count limits (not to mention deadlines), but I find the character development rather lacking. When the story can't make me care about the characters, for me, all bets are off.

The prose strikes me as... bland. I'd quote specific bits, but that'd violate the copyrights stated in the inside of the front cover. Suffice to say that the words didn't draw me in, and when I came across cliches, they jumped out at me. The frequent explanations in parentheses likewise grated. This is personal preference, but for me, if something's in brackets (as far as narrative is concerned), it shouldn't be there at all. It reminds me of in-text author's notes so often seen in a beginner's fanfiction. The narrative also frequently goes on a tangent to do what I call "textbook info-dump." (Explanations of how inborn magic works, for instance. It does begin to sound a bit like an expository essay at these points, albeit an informal one.) There are some interesting descriptions here and there (such as the witty jabs at "narrative conventions"), but they don't stand out nearly enough.

It's not bad, IMO, certainly far from the worst things I've read, but it isn't particularly memorable, either. It's just... there. And of course these are all personal opinions, and my views might just be a tad colored by some of the emotionally intense, amazing fanfiction I've been reading recently.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" />

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> Your so lucky! *pout*


Rhianna , from what I've heard it sounds really good, and I can't WAIT till I get my fan pack (still haven't gotten my email for the personal message from Krill or anything! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cry.gif" alt="" /> ) but Winterfox is just a big critic on anything, I'd like to see the product she didn't say was lousy. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> No offense ment to either, just telling you how she is.

Oh, please -- I'm saying how I see it, and nothing is perfect. Writing prose is also a field I know something about. You don't see me criticizing, say, music, do you? So sorry for not giving fluffy, glowing adulations that praise everything to the stars. Isn't your memory being a tad selective, anyway? I've gushed enough about various authors (perhaps not frequently on this board -- not many threads discuss fiction) and various games.