Hello reader who is also a reader! It’s finally time for another edition of our thrillingly erratic column on game developers and their bestest books. This week, we’re having our ears bent by Marcia Shange, chief operating officer of South Africa, Johannesburg-based developers Nyamakop, creators of puzzle platformer Semblance and the forthcoming postcolonial heist ’em up Relooted. Cheers, Marcia! Mind if we have a nose at your bookshelf?
What are you currently reading?
I had hit a bit of a reading slump and fantasy has brought me back into the world of books.
I am currently reading The Dragon Republic, the second book in the The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang. This is my first time experiencing R.F. Kuang’s writing and I have to say she has my brain in a chokehold.
What did you last read?
I have been reading back to back series and most of them are unfinished. Quite masochistic of me but once I’m in the world, I need to be immersed until I’m done. I have just finished the third book of The Legendborn Cycle by Tracy Deon. It’s a four book series – as far as we know. This series is so wonderful, it has elements of King Arthur lore with a sprinkle of Black girl magic.
I also finished The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig for my bookclub. What a fun ride this book was! It is a whimsical dark gothic fantasy. It was such a delight to read with one of my favorite characters (Bartholomew! IYKYK!).
What are you eyeing up next?
Apart from The Burning God which is the last book in The Poppy War Series, I’m planning to read the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. I don’t know if you can tell but it seems I’m stuck in fantasy series, to be honest I am not complaining. The world is in shambles and a fantastical escape is needed.
I am planning to revisit Dracula by Bram Stoker and Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. They are always so fun to read and so immersive! What do you mean Jonathan Harker was stuck in the castle with Dracula, a prisoner?! He just wanted some contracts signed! Let’s not even talk about Dr. Jekyll! Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde is beautifully written, it’s a horror but reads like poetry. I found myself drowning in the exquisite prose.
What quote or scene from a book sticks with you the most?
Tricky!!!
In The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang:
“Nothing is written” said the Phoenix “You humans always think you’re destined for things, for tragedy or for greatness. Destiny is a myth. Destiny is only a myth. The gods choose nothing.”
Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson:
“He is not easy to describe. There is something wrong with his appearance; something displeasing, something downright detestable. I never saw a man I so disliked, and yet I scarce know why. He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I really can name nothing out of the way. No, sir; I can make no hand of it; I can’t describe him. And it’s not want of memory; for I declare I can see him this moment.”
“Or is it the mere radiance of a foul soul that thus transpires through, and transfigures, its clay continent? The last, I think; for, O my poor old Harry Jerkyll, if ever I read Satan’s signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend”
What book do you find yourself bothering friends to read?
The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado: Dare I say this book is almost perfect! I ate it up. It is a memoir about Carmen’s toxic romantic relationship.
James by Percival Everett: This masterpiece is a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but through Jim who is a fugitive slave.
What book would you like to see someone adapt to a game?
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, it’s a book about a depressed woman Nora who tries to commit suicide and she finds herself not the in the afterlife per say but in a magical library where she is shown different versions of her life. She tries to resolve the different choices she has made but nothing is ever perfect. I wonder how that would translate in an open world type of game.
I’ve never read any Robert Louis Stevenson beyond Treasure Island – the “clay continent” line above is nicely chewy. I think I got halfway through Dracula in school but found it too dusty and Victorian to finish (my first experience of Dracula fiction was the Gary Oldman film, which is a bit… pacier and spicier than Stoker’s book, at least by the standards of a 90s teenager). Any suggestions for developers we should bother about books? I’ve got one more set of answers in the offing.