I am in love with this game and there are some important or interesting reading recommendations I can make for fans of this world, narrative, and general vibe
Starting with the most obvious:
- *The King in Yellow: Robert W Chambers*
A strange piece of fiction that blends horror, romance, and madness that builds the further you progress. A cursed play which drives those who read to insanity.
A wonderfully weird piece of literature which inspired this game directly.
- *Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion: Dan Simmons*
This shit was absolutely incredible. One of the best pair of science fiction books I’ve ever read.
The Saros connection will undoubtedly become clear when viewed through the lens of the Soldier, Fehdman Kassad, an intergalactic war hero with a vendetta and a promise, haunted by the ghost of his love, determined to reunite no matter the cost.
Sound familiar?
But also it features a wandering scholar who questions not just his faith but the institutions they’re built on. Among other interesting characters like a catholic priest and a Templar and a poet.
like Canterbury tales in space, it features 7 people going on the last pilgrimage to visit an ancient unknowable lord of pain called The Shrike, in order to have a wish granted.
Each story also has a distinct story tone and genre. My favorites were the Soldier an the Scholar. Two VERY different stories that reach the emotional peaks of the specific mountains they’re aiming to climb.
While book 2 starts off slow, it crescendos with one of the most satisfying endings of any sci-fi I’ve ever read. The final act of Fall is one of the best of all time as it weaves through time and space connecting the disparate tendrils of the pilgrims stories into a cohesive tapestry.
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I hope you enjoy! These are fundamentally important pieces of work to me and it’s so cool to see them reflected in such an interesting piece of art.