Derek Landy's Blog, page 11
September 9, 2013
Let ME Eat Cake!
When I meet people, I no longer say "Hi, I'm Derek Landy, pleased to meet you." Now I say "Hi, I'm number one bestselling author Derek Landy. Worship me." And it's because of YOU that I can say this, because once again you have blasted a Skulduggery Pleasant book to the top of the book charts.
You guys rock.
Today is my first free day in... days. Which doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is! Today I bought groceries! GROCERIES! Oooooh!
I've had a few days of highly successful signings, and when I say highly successful, I mean they went on for WAY longer than expected. That kinda drains when they come one after another, but I manage to keep my energy up by soaking up the pain and anguish LSODM has caused you. So it's all good.
Now, fair enough, these three don't look PARTICULARLY traumatised, but I assure you they were crying on the inside.
And this Minion had to put her pain down on canvas in order to deal!
And this one gave me cake! CAKE!
And now that I have a few days off before the Manchester and Liverpool signings this Saturday, what am I going to do?
That's right, I'm going to plot out Book Nine, and discover new ways to ruin your happiness.
You guys rock.
Today is my first free day in... days. Which doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is! Today I bought groceries! GROCERIES! Oooooh!
I've had a few days of highly successful signings, and when I say highly successful, I mean they went on for WAY longer than expected. That kinda drains when they come one after another, but I manage to keep my energy up by soaking up the pain and anguish LSODM has caused you. So it's all good.
Now, fair enough, these three don't look PARTICULARLY traumatised, but I assure you they were crying on the inside.
And this Minion had to put her pain down on canvas in order to deal!
And this one gave me cake! CAKE!
And now that I have a few days off before the Manchester and Liverpool signings this Saturday, what am I going to do?
That's right, I'm going to plot out Book Nine, and discover new ways to ruin your happiness.
September 2, 2013
Let Them Eat Cake
Great first weekend of the tour. I started off with a signing in Liffey Valley in Dublin, then went all over London, signing merrily. On Wednesday I'm appearing at the Mountains to the Sea festival in Dublin. Last year I talked about the movies that had influenced the books, but this year is going to be a completely different, one-off event. Should be funny...
Reaction to the book is exactly what I'd been hoping for — shock and AWE. There have been MANY threats of violence and decapitation made against me, which I thoroughly deserve for what I've put you through.
All in all, people have been very good about not spoiling it for others, but dear god, there have been some exceptions. A few things on the Facebook page, a lot of stuff on Twitter, some stuff on Tumblr, and one of the very first Amazon reviews has a major spoiler. I don't understand the need to spoil things for others or to seek out spoilers for yourself, and I really can't understand why anyone would casually mention a plot twist without realising it could ruin things for others.
Basically, beware of the internet, Minions.
But on a lighter note, Orla came to a signing on Saturday and she gave me a photograph of the cake she'd had for her birthday.
Check it OUT.
Reaction to the book is exactly what I'd been hoping for — shock and AWE. There have been MANY threats of violence and decapitation made against me, which I thoroughly deserve for what I've put you through.
All in all, people have been very good about not spoiling it for others, but dear god, there have been some exceptions. A few things on the Facebook page, a lot of stuff on Twitter, some stuff on Tumblr, and one of the very first Amazon reviews has a major spoiler. I don't understand the need to spoil things for others or to seek out spoilers for yourself, and I really can't understand why anyone would casually mention a plot twist without realising it could ruin things for others.
Basically, beware of the internet, Minions.
But on a lighter note, Orla came to a signing on Saturday and she gave me a photograph of the cake she'd had for her birthday.
Check it OUT.
August 29, 2013
Competition Winners!
And here we are, coming in late (as usual)... The winners of the strapline competition. So many cool entries. A lot of similar ones, and unfortunately that meant we couldn't put those in the final ten. There were lots of "Burn, Baby Burn!" and suchlike, which would have been so cool to see on a cover if we'd only had one entry for it...! I love the winning entries, though, so a huge congratulations to everyone who took part.
And the winners are...
Hugo Peach
Evan Jenkins
Harriet Langley
Tom Wood
Jack Holton
Ashan Ali
Laura MacKenzie
Nigethan Sathiyalingham
Phoebe Ryall
Megan Smales
All the winners receive two signed glossy prints of the cover with their own strap line. Awesome.
Oh, and to remind you, the comments section below is NOT for spoilers!
And the winners are...
Hugo Peach
Evan Jenkins
Harriet Langley
Tom Wood
Jack Holton
Ashan Ali
Laura MacKenzie
Nigethan Sathiyalingham
Phoebe Ryall
Megan Smales
All the winners receive two signed glossy prints of the cover with their own strap line. Awesome.
Oh, and to remind you, the comments section below is NOT for spoilers!
Spoiler Zone
Happy publication day!
It's out! It has been released! It has been UNLEASHED! Finally, I can stop worrying about early releases and leaks, and now focus all my concern onto such silly things as spoilers...!
So, this here comments section is the Spoiler Zone. This is where you can discuss aspects of the book. I would APPRECIATE it if you try to be subtle even here, because we all know that there are Minions who haven't read the book who will still take a peek, even though they don't want anything spoiled. These Minions are weird, and should be avoided.
I'll be providing a second post after this, announcing and displaying the strapline competition winners, so you can use that to continue your conversations.
Thanks to those Minions who have already read the book and have kept all the details to themselves— I appreciate this so much. And for those of you who have yet to start reading, I really hope you like it. And I'm sorry for the bit where, y'know...
It's out! It has been released! It has been UNLEASHED! Finally, I can stop worrying about early releases and leaks, and now focus all my concern onto such silly things as spoilers...!
So, this here comments section is the Spoiler Zone. This is where you can discuss aspects of the book. I would APPRECIATE it if you try to be subtle even here, because we all know that there are Minions who haven't read the book who will still take a peek, even though they don't want anything spoiled. These Minions are weird, and should be avoided.
I'll be providing a second post after this, announcing and displaying the strapline competition winners, so you can use that to continue your conversations.
Thanks to those Minions who have already read the book and have kept all the details to themselves— I appreciate this so much. And for those of you who have yet to start reading, I really hope you like it. And I'm sorry for the bit where, y'know...
August 24, 2013
Me Hate Spoilers
Edinburgh tomorrow, where LSODM will be on sale for a few hours, then whipped away again until the 29th, because we're mean...
So... spoilers. I hate spoilers. I hate them as a reader, and I hate them even more as a writer. I don't even like mild spoilers, such as "Just wait till you see what happens to Kenspeckle!" or "All I will say is... Mevolent."
I get it. I do. You have a piece of information that's bubbling inside you, and you want to share it but you know you can't, so you share a sliver, something you think is enough of a hint to be relevant, but not enough to ruin anything... and yet, even this is a spoiler, because it's alerting someone to something big that's coming up...
I happen to have readers who are very respectful to their fellow Skulduggery fans, a fact that still amazes everyone at Harper Collins. I know that's going to continue, but we all have to be vigilant about this stuff.
I write these books for you to read them, to discover them, to experience them, on a page by page basis. It sounds obvious, right? But spoilers wreck that.
Okay, I shall now stop talking about it. But if you see ANY shop selling LSODM before the 29th, tweet me and let me know.
So... spoilers. I hate spoilers. I hate them as a reader, and I hate them even more as a writer. I don't even like mild spoilers, such as "Just wait till you see what happens to Kenspeckle!" or "All I will say is... Mevolent."
I get it. I do. You have a piece of information that's bubbling inside you, and you want to share it but you know you can't, so you share a sliver, something you think is enough of a hint to be relevant, but not enough to ruin anything... and yet, even this is a spoiler, because it's alerting someone to something big that's coming up...
I happen to have readers who are very respectful to their fellow Skulduggery fans, a fact that still amazes everyone at Harper Collins. I know that's going to continue, but we all have to be vigilant about this stuff.
I write these books for you to read them, to discover them, to experience them, on a page by page basis. It sounds obvious, right? But spoilers wreck that.
Okay, I shall now stop talking about it. But if you see ANY shop selling LSODM before the 29th, tweet me and let me know.
August 18, 2013
Strong Female Characters
My Twitter-wife Holly Smale has brought to the attention of her Twitter-followers, of which I am one, this here magazine article entitled "I Hate Strong Female Characters" — http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2... — and I have to say I agree with it wholeheartedly.
For those of you too time-constricted/lazy to read it, it basically holds up a hand in the classroom and has the temerity to ask "Why are vibrant female characters called strong?" Why are they limited to such a thing? More to the point, however, is why is the word "strong" slung in there at all? If you take away the strong bit, that leaves "female character"— but isn't a female character just as inherently strong as a male character? Why do they need "strong" in there at all?
People say to me all the time "Derek, you're great," and I can't argue with them. They go on to say "I love your black shirt/blue jeans combo" and I nod wisely, agreeing with them but not needing to put it into words. Then they say "It's so cool that your books have strong female characters" and I shrug, and say "Hey, I'm a pretty awesome guy. Now go get me some Skittles."
Valkyrie is a strong female character. As in, she's strong, she's female, and she's a character. But she is not a Strong Female Character. She's not a role model — not really. She's deeply, DEEPLY flawed. Over the course of these eight books, she's done some outstandingly heroic things, but she's also done some downright mean and nasty and selfish things. She's hurt people. She's become arrogant (and not in the cool way that I am).
Here's what Holly has to Twitter-say about the subject:
"Strength" is one dimensional. It's saying "women can be strong like men", NOT "women are flawed, complex, brilliant, weak LIKE MEN."
I love it when readers don't like Valkyrie. I love it when they actively dislike her for the things she's done and the way she's behaved. But it's like they're surprised. It's like they can't compute. "Okay, wait, so... she saves the world but... but she's cheating on her boyfriend?? How is that POSSIBLE?"
Valkyrie is a character. She's as messed up as any male character I could ever write. That's what makes her real to me.
Having a girl as the protagonist in an action/adventure/horror/fantasy/whatever means things are going to get physical, and you all know how much I love my fight scenes. But having her kick ass is not why she's a good character.
Years ago, I was yapping to my mother about Buffy and Xena and talking about how great it is that we now have these TV shows about such strong female characters. My mother, who admittedly has never watched either show, asked me if these really WERE strong female characters, or if they were merely male characters with boobs.
Having a blonde cheerleader save the world with her martial arts skills doesn't equal feminism, she said. That's a male tactic. How about her saving the day using tactics that aren't all about punching and kicking and killing?
I didn't have an answer for her then. I still don't, even now. There's a whole debate to be had that I'm just not ready for, that I may never be ready for. My mother is a pacifist. I am not. We see the world differently, we operate differently, even though we want the same things. We both want equality and peace. My mother is the sort to talk her way to equality and peace. I'm the sort to talk to the point where I reckon more talk won't do any good, and then smash my way through to an understanding. It is not an enlightened viewpoint I hold. It is a crass, brutish viewpoint — but in a crass, brutish world, I believe my way is the way to go. Mum believes otherwise.
And that's the difference, I think, between us. We live in a world carved by men, where fear and oppression and violence are a part of our lives. I can't even IMAGINE a world sculpted by women, where other values have taken hold. I'm limited in that way. I could try not to be, but I honestly wouldn't know where to start. That's kind of sad, when you think about it. For all my imagination, I can't even imagine that...
... (turns to stare hauntingly out the window).
For those of you too time-constricted/lazy to read it, it basically holds up a hand in the classroom and has the temerity to ask "Why are vibrant female characters called strong?" Why are they limited to such a thing? More to the point, however, is why is the word "strong" slung in there at all? If you take away the strong bit, that leaves "female character"— but isn't a female character just as inherently strong as a male character? Why do they need "strong" in there at all?
People say to me all the time "Derek, you're great," and I can't argue with them. They go on to say "I love your black shirt/blue jeans combo" and I nod wisely, agreeing with them but not needing to put it into words. Then they say "It's so cool that your books have strong female characters" and I shrug, and say "Hey, I'm a pretty awesome guy. Now go get me some Skittles."
Valkyrie is a strong female character. As in, she's strong, she's female, and she's a character. But she is not a Strong Female Character. She's not a role model — not really. She's deeply, DEEPLY flawed. Over the course of these eight books, she's done some outstandingly heroic things, but she's also done some downright mean and nasty and selfish things. She's hurt people. She's become arrogant (and not in the cool way that I am).
Here's what Holly has to Twitter-say about the subject:
"Strength" is one dimensional. It's saying "women can be strong like men", NOT "women are flawed, complex, brilliant, weak LIKE MEN."
I love it when readers don't like Valkyrie. I love it when they actively dislike her for the things she's done and the way she's behaved. But it's like they're surprised. It's like they can't compute. "Okay, wait, so... she saves the world but... but she's cheating on her boyfriend?? How is that POSSIBLE?"
Valkyrie is a character. She's as messed up as any male character I could ever write. That's what makes her real to me.
Having a girl as the protagonist in an action/adventure/horror/fantasy/whatever means things are going to get physical, and you all know how much I love my fight scenes. But having her kick ass is not why she's a good character.
Years ago, I was yapping to my mother about Buffy and Xena and talking about how great it is that we now have these TV shows about such strong female characters. My mother, who admittedly has never watched either show, asked me if these really WERE strong female characters, or if they were merely male characters with boobs.
Having a blonde cheerleader save the world with her martial arts skills doesn't equal feminism, she said. That's a male tactic. How about her saving the day using tactics that aren't all about punching and kicking and killing?
I didn't have an answer for her then. I still don't, even now. There's a whole debate to be had that I'm just not ready for, that I may never be ready for. My mother is a pacifist. I am not. We see the world differently, we operate differently, even though we want the same things. We both want equality and peace. My mother is the sort to talk her way to equality and peace. I'm the sort to talk to the point where I reckon more talk won't do any good, and then smash my way through to an understanding. It is not an enlightened viewpoint I hold. It is a crass, brutish viewpoint — but in a crass, brutish world, I believe my way is the way to go. Mum believes otherwise.
And that's the difference, I think, between us. We live in a world carved by men, where fear and oppression and violence are a part of our lives. I can't even IMAGINE a world sculpted by women, where other values have taken hold. I'm limited in that way. I could try not to be, but I honestly wouldn't know where to start. That's kind of sad, when you think about it. For all my imagination, I can't even imagine that...
... (turns to stare hauntingly out the window).
August 12, 2013
Embargo Um Bongo
Some of you may have heard that a copy or two of LSODM have been sold, despite the embargo. This is, unfortunately, true.
Eight copies were mistakenly sent out ahead of schedule, to the big Forbidden Planet store in London. All eight were immediately sold. No one at Forbidden Planet is to blame, and no one who bought a copy is to blame.
I will only ask those who DID buy a copy to keep it to themselves. I'm asking them not to post spoilers and not to even HINT at anything that happens. I'm pretty confident nothing will leak, because you guys are all really good about this sort of thing, but I need to make sure.
And also, for those eight people out there who now own a copy... I hope you enjoy it.
Eight copies were mistakenly sent out ahead of schedule, to the big Forbidden Planet store in London. All eight were immediately sold. No one at Forbidden Planet is to blame, and no one who bought a copy is to blame.
I will only ask those who DID buy a copy to keep it to themselves. I'm asking them not to post spoilers and not to even HINT at anything that happens. I'm pretty confident nothing will leak, because you guys are all really good about this sort of thing, but I need to make sure.
And also, for those eight people out there who now own a copy... I hope you enjoy it.
August 2, 2013
LSODM Tour Details. And Dogs.
Okay then, here is the most up to date schedule I have for the LSODM tour and related festival visits. Check back here regularly, because I'll be updating this as I learn more.
AUGUST
Sunday 25th:
Edinburgh Book Festival — 1:30 PM — talk and signing.
Thursday 29th: PUBLICATION DAY!
Easons, Liffey Valley, Dublin — 4 PM — signing
Friday 30th:
Waterstones, Bluewater, London - 12 noon — signing.
Saturday 31st:
Waterstones, 6-6a Exchange Centre, Putney — 10 AM - signing
Canada Water, Southwark, London — 2 PM — talk and signing
SEPTEMBER
Sunday 1st:
WHS Kingston, Bentalls Shopping Centre — 11:30 AM — signing
Wednesday 4th:
Mountains to the Sea Festival, Dublin — 4:30 PM — talk and signing
Friday 6th:
Easons, Galway — 4 PM — signing
Saturday 7th:
Hodges Figgis, Dublin — 11 AM — signing
Dubray Books, Bray — 3 PM — signing
Sunday 8th:
Easons, O'Connell St, Limerick — 2 PM — signing
Saturday 14th:
WHS Arndale Centre, Manchester — 10 AM — Manchester
Liverpool One, Liverpool — 3 PM — signing
Sunday 15th:
Discovery Centre, Winchester — 2 PM — talk and signing
OCTOBER
Tuesday 1st:
Solstice Theatre, Ireland — talk and signing
Saturday 5th:
Bath Festival — 4 PM — talk and signing
Tuesday 15th:
Swindon Youth Festival
And now here's some funny dogs.
This is the Most Cheerful Dog In The World:
And this is the Most Sinister:
This is the Dimmest:
This the Dopiest:
The Happiest:
And this is the Most Scared Dog Ever:
AUGUST
Sunday 25th:
Edinburgh Book Festival — 1:30 PM — talk and signing.
Thursday 29th: PUBLICATION DAY!
Easons, Liffey Valley, Dublin — 4 PM — signing
Friday 30th:
Waterstones, Bluewater, London - 12 noon — signing.
Saturday 31st:
Waterstones, 6-6a Exchange Centre, Putney — 10 AM - signing
Canada Water, Southwark, London — 2 PM — talk and signing
SEPTEMBER
Sunday 1st:
WHS Kingston, Bentalls Shopping Centre — 11:30 AM — signing
Wednesday 4th:
Mountains to the Sea Festival, Dublin — 4:30 PM — talk and signing
Friday 6th:
Easons, Galway — 4 PM — signing
Saturday 7th:
Hodges Figgis, Dublin — 11 AM — signing
Dubray Books, Bray — 3 PM — signing
Sunday 8th:
Easons, O'Connell St, Limerick — 2 PM — signing
Saturday 14th:
WHS Arndale Centre, Manchester — 10 AM — Manchester
Liverpool One, Liverpool — 3 PM — signing
Sunday 15th:
Discovery Centre, Winchester — 2 PM — talk and signing
OCTOBER
Tuesday 1st:
Solstice Theatre, Ireland — talk and signing
Saturday 5th:
Bath Festival — 4 PM — talk and signing
Tuesday 15th:
Swindon Youth Festival
And now here's some funny dogs.
This is the Most Cheerful Dog In The World:
And this is the Most Sinister:
This is the Dimmest:
This the Dopiest:
The Happiest:
And this is the Most Scared Dog Ever:
July 31, 2013
Madame Mist
Ladies and gentleminions, I present to you the back cover of Last Stand of Dead Men, courtesy of Artist Extraordinaire Tom Percival...
July 29, 2013
The Last Of Us
I've been pretty busy these last few weeks, while at the same time trying my best to take some time off.
Apparently, time off is a good thing. Time off is necessary. We released The Maleficent Seven at the start of the year, and we're gearing up to the release of Last Stand of Dead Men in EXACTLY one month's time. That's two books out in the same year, one written straight after the other, not to mention one or two other short stories for various things yet to be announced. So I've pretty much been working nonstop since November of 2012. Wow. When I say it like that, I suddenly start to feel very tired...
I'm still waiting to hear back from Harper Collins on things like the back cover reveal, and possibly putting up a sample chapter or two. I also need to pick a date for a VERY informal reader get-together in Dublin over the next few weeks. When I said I'd do this back in April I had no idea I'd be so busy, so hopefully I'll still be able to fit it in. Oh, and in a matter of days I'll be posting the tour schedule for LSODM, which will be kicking off at the Edinburgh Book Festival on August 25th- where copies of the new book WILL be on sale.
I normally HATE early releases, but seeing as how it's only a difference of four days PLUS the fact that the Edinburgh audience never reveal spoilers, I don't mind this at all.
Er... I think I've strayed from the point of this Blog entry... what was it again?
Yes! Time off! That's it!
So, I haven't ACTUALLY been able to take any time off, but then I've never been one for taking holidays. However, I have managed to watch a few movies in the evenings, and watch a few TV shows to relax, and to play a few video games. And THAT is the point of this Blog entry.
Over the past few months, I've played two very good games. Bioshock Infinite and Tomb Raider. I've talked about these games in an earlier post. Of the two, I preferred Tomb Raider. It just felt more visceral. The gameplay was excellent, the atmosphere was amazing, and the tension was nerve-shredding. But apart from all that, it was the character work that stood out. Tiny emotions flickering across Lara Croft's face, paired with such wonderful voice acting, meant that I really cared about her. I liked her, and I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. In contrast to the gritty, naturalistic world of Tomb Raider, Bioshock was hugely imaginative fun with great gameplay, stunning visuals, and a great supporting character. The best supporting character in video games, I reckoned.
And then came The Last Of Us.
The Last Of Us is survival horror. 20 years after the outbreak of a fungal virus that latches onto a person's mind and drives them insane, the world is in ruins. Survivors gather in quarantined cities. Life is miserable. Life is cheap. Death is quick, cruel, and common. But outside the walls of the cities, it's even worse. That's where the Infected roam.
(A fungal virus sounds pretty laughable, right? Type 'Cordyceps' in to any search engine. Read up on what it does to ants. Now imagine what it'd do to people.)
You control Joel, a man in his 50s who has to escort Ellie, a 14 year old girl, across America. They go from city to town to suburb to countryside to mountains, and not only do they have to avoid the Infected, they have to avoid most of the other survivors as well. Because these are NOT nice people.
This is a game that combines the best elements of both Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite. The world is grim and gritty but so, so beautiful. Lush greenery spills up from cracked cement. The sky is a million shades of orange at dusk. But the action is brutal. And the supporting character is astonishing.
Play this game for a few hours and you'll start to really care about Joel and Ellie. Play it for a few hours more and you'll find yourself terrified. You'll hear the clicking of the Infected around you as you crouch in the darkness, and you'll freeze in fear. Why? Because you want to keep Ellie safe. That's ALL you'll care about.
This is one of the best games I've ever played. Is it the most fun? No, that'd probably go to one of the Uncharted games, just for sheer entertainment. But this is definitely the scariest, the most tense, and the most involving. It sucks you in and it doesn't let you go. This is a masterpiece of gaming that will be used as a benchmark for all games that come after, and as a piece of storytelling it succeeds where so many other stories fail.
It's brilliant. If you're over 18, then ready yourself, and go play it.
Apparently, time off is a good thing. Time off is necessary. We released The Maleficent Seven at the start of the year, and we're gearing up to the release of Last Stand of Dead Men in EXACTLY one month's time. That's two books out in the same year, one written straight after the other, not to mention one or two other short stories for various things yet to be announced. So I've pretty much been working nonstop since November of 2012. Wow. When I say it like that, I suddenly start to feel very tired...
I'm still waiting to hear back from Harper Collins on things like the back cover reveal, and possibly putting up a sample chapter or two. I also need to pick a date for a VERY informal reader get-together in Dublin over the next few weeks. When I said I'd do this back in April I had no idea I'd be so busy, so hopefully I'll still be able to fit it in. Oh, and in a matter of days I'll be posting the tour schedule for LSODM, which will be kicking off at the Edinburgh Book Festival on August 25th- where copies of the new book WILL be on sale.
I normally HATE early releases, but seeing as how it's only a difference of four days PLUS the fact that the Edinburgh audience never reveal spoilers, I don't mind this at all.
Er... I think I've strayed from the point of this Blog entry... what was it again?
Yes! Time off! That's it!
So, I haven't ACTUALLY been able to take any time off, but then I've never been one for taking holidays. However, I have managed to watch a few movies in the evenings, and watch a few TV shows to relax, and to play a few video games. And THAT is the point of this Blog entry.
Over the past few months, I've played two very good games. Bioshock Infinite and Tomb Raider. I've talked about these games in an earlier post. Of the two, I preferred Tomb Raider. It just felt more visceral. The gameplay was excellent, the atmosphere was amazing, and the tension was nerve-shredding. But apart from all that, it was the character work that stood out. Tiny emotions flickering across Lara Croft's face, paired with such wonderful voice acting, meant that I really cared about her. I liked her, and I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. In contrast to the gritty, naturalistic world of Tomb Raider, Bioshock was hugely imaginative fun with great gameplay, stunning visuals, and a great supporting character. The best supporting character in video games, I reckoned.
And then came The Last Of Us.
The Last Of Us is survival horror. 20 years after the outbreak of a fungal virus that latches onto a person's mind and drives them insane, the world is in ruins. Survivors gather in quarantined cities. Life is miserable. Life is cheap. Death is quick, cruel, and common. But outside the walls of the cities, it's even worse. That's where the Infected roam.
(A fungal virus sounds pretty laughable, right? Type 'Cordyceps' in to any search engine. Read up on what it does to ants. Now imagine what it'd do to people.)
You control Joel, a man in his 50s who has to escort Ellie, a 14 year old girl, across America. They go from city to town to suburb to countryside to mountains, and not only do they have to avoid the Infected, they have to avoid most of the other survivors as well. Because these are NOT nice people.
This is a game that combines the best elements of both Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite. The world is grim and gritty but so, so beautiful. Lush greenery spills up from cracked cement. The sky is a million shades of orange at dusk. But the action is brutal. And the supporting character is astonishing.
Play this game for a few hours and you'll start to really care about Joel and Ellie. Play it for a few hours more and you'll find yourself terrified. You'll hear the clicking of the Infected around you as you crouch in the darkness, and you'll freeze in fear. Why? Because you want to keep Ellie safe. That's ALL you'll care about.
This is one of the best games I've ever played. Is it the most fun? No, that'd probably go to one of the Uncharted games, just for sheer entertainment. But this is definitely the scariest, the most tense, and the most involving. It sucks you in and it doesn't let you go. This is a masterpiece of gaming that will be used as a benchmark for all games that come after, and as a piece of storytelling it succeeds where so many other stories fail.
It's brilliant. If you're over 18, then ready yourself, and go play it.
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