JFSOCC

Obsidian joined Microsoft for security. The idea that that conglomerate gives a **** about job security is a joke. They'll shut you down as soon as you go against the grain or have more than one disappointing result. The video states that Microsoft was on board with not changing the culture at obsidian, that too, will be an empty promise that nothing in the contract will enforce. I've long felt about Feargus that he's drunk at the wheel and doesn't know what he is doing, and selling himself into bondage fits with what I expected from him. I think this will be the end of Obsidian as the creator of strong IP's, and will lead-in the era of safe and generic products and their sequels. please prove me wrong.

which was fascist

So, Norway in the late 90's? Sign me up.

anything is possible in Easter Europe Easter Europe, the most religious part of Europe.

"When they go low we kick them". This is what you get for inciting violence. except when you look up the full video, you understand that FOX news cut it off right there and ignored the nuance that completely changes the message.

most democratic governments aren't limited to two parties. which may be why 40% of US citizens never vote, they're eager for option C or D but it doesn't really exists. That way, 'correction' wouldn't have to be so drastic every time.

So I've been reading in Nicholas Jubber's Timbuktu school for Nomads. I loved his previous books and this one is no different. If you like adventure stories, travel writing and history, this is the author for you. His first book, The Prester Quest follows his backpacking journey from Italy overland to Egypt and ultimately Ethiopia, while he retraces the steps of a letter from the pope to the mythical Christian king Prester John who supposedly reigned over a powerful kingdom below Egypt, with the ultimate goal of delivering the letter he found in Jerusalem. The book alternates from recounting the journey of the original bearer, a physician to the pope who left writings, and his own experiences with culture and politics of the regions he travels. Jubber's second book Drinking Arak of an Ayatollah's beard, describes his time in Iran and Afghanistan, on a similar quest to travel through rough and dangerous terrain against the backdrop of Iran's most famous literary work, the Shahnameh, or Book of Kings ("Kingnames") giving insight to present day culture as well as celebrating the history of a ruined empire. The Timbuktu School for Nomads show that Jubber pursues his passion despite his fears, aiming to travel by Camel through the ancient nomad trade routes from Timbuktu, learning passable Arabic, and experiencing how nomads live today versus at the hight of the Malian Empire. His works are deeply personal and you can see that a history nerd is living his dream and growing through his challenges as, if not to T.E Lawrence levels, at least a more than competent reporter willing to go the extra mile, or 1200 miles. - And my manager dropped a bunch of her books on me before going off on holiday, so my stack is back up to 10+ "to do" But I'm looking forward to reading The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro and The Golden House by Salman Rushdie, I think For Whom the Bell Tolls by Hemingway will take a while longer for me to get to, and I don't know if I want to make time for Karin Slaughter, but she lent me Indelible as well. I don't know how fast she thinks I can read but I'm making it a priority to read at least one of those soon, after I finish Jubber's book.

Your national debt has grown by 1.6 trillion MORE than expected since Trump took office.

I definitely think we're in the darkest time-line, with right-extremist strong-man politicians such as Trump, Putin, Joko Widodo, Rodrigo Duterte, Shinzo Abe, Jair Bolsonaro, Reccep Erdogan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Viktor Orban and Andrzej Duda, amongst many more longtime hyper-conservatives such as the king of Morocco and the King of Saudi Arabia, I think it might be historically the worst time to be an immigrant anywhere on planet earth today. And you are right to have fear if you are a woman or part of a minority. I see someone in this thread remarking on how because he's been unfairly accused of sexual misconduct that Brett Kavanaugh must gain the benefit of the doubt. Besides that being complete bull****, even if it wasn't, it's not what disqualifies him, it's his statements of blatant political partisanship, being pro-republican, and his atrocious medieval ideas on reproductive rights and gay rights, as well as his belief that a president should be free of the risk of indictment of any crime. That's rather convenient for a president who will be facing the consequences of his eternal stream of lies and fraud eventually.

I read welcome to nightvale, ironically because patrick rothfuss recommended it on his blog. I thought it was OK, but I feel I missed out on some in-jokes because I don't follow the podcast.

Me too. Protagonist proceeds to rape the first person he finds in a new world, then a few pages later, horrible Vogon poetry.

I read the first trilogy as a teenager, so that will have skewed my view as it was pretty much my introduction to fantasy fiction that didn't accompany a MTG pack. I finished Fitz arc early this year and I was pleased to see it bookended, but I've come done somewhat from my love for the series. The Bingtown trader books I couldn't get through and I really tried. The Soldier son trilogy I finished but didn't like so much, the ending was too neat. the whole time you're set up to expect a bad ending and then at the end it all falls into place a little too nicely.

For Fantasy fiction I enjoyed Robin Hobbs books, if you can get past the melancholy of her characters, I've enjoyed Trudi Cannavan, even if it is a little stock fantasy, Jacqueline Carey, if you don;t mind lots of sex, and Brent Weeks, although he manages to move from low to high fantasy within a trilogy, I like his well written characters, enough that I tolerate his use of prophecy as a narrative device (and yes The_Dog_Days, I'm aware that in Dune it's social engineering, and yet the protagonist still works out to be the actual "chosen one") Mistborn I've read because it was recommended to me as intelligent fantasy, but I didn't like it. I got gifted (way before the tv series) game of thrones and threw it away after chapter 2, I do not regret it For Sci-fi, I'm less well versed, but I loved Hyperion by Dan Simmons, I think one of the previous threads on this forum recommended it to me, maybe more Science fantasy than Science fiction, and I thought Neuromancer by William Gibson was pretty good, although that's cyberpunk, not really Sci-Fi. (and to me it read like a film noir) I dunno, I tend to get my Sci-fi fix through cinema and tv-series, but I welcome advise. I have a hypothesis concerning Patrick Rothfuss and the elusive third book, it goes something like this.

I've been reading The Lions of al Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay, it's not really grabbed me yet. Before that I finally read Dune, which I have to say is a piece of ****. I don't understand how that book became such a cultural touchstone. It's plot driven, the main protagonist is a giant Mary Sue, the main antagonist is a one-dimensional cruel stereotype, all ancillary characters are there to support the plot. I guess I should have seen the red flags when they were talking about prophecy early on. Next on the docket is "Adults in the Room" by Yanis Varoufakis. I'm still hoping Rothfuss will stop fundraising and ****ing finally finish book three.

I am happy to see I can now plan my character by seeing the entire ability tree right from the get-go. Thanks guys!