Arbiter Libera

These reviews have actually been on Steam backburner for quite some time now as I waited for the right time to upload them here. That translates to “finally finishing a novel that took me quite a while to get through as it kept giving me migraines” so take that for what it's worth, btw. In any case here's another offering of FIVE (5) short reviews because sometimes there's really no need to go hog wild with the word count... or so I hear.

Riddley Walker ( Science Fiction, Adventure – 1980 – 256 pages ) + QUOTE


Part of me dreads talking about Riddley Walker, but six months after on and off reading I almost feel like I owe it to both the novel and myself.

Premise is pretty straightforward by itself - we follow the eponymous Riddley Walker after his old man has an accident and Riddley is poised to inherit his role of the "connexion man" aka someone who interprets prophecies and meanings as seen in traveling puppet shows' performances whenever they visit settlements. That sounds kinda silly until you factor in this is roughly two thousands years following a world ending event that more or less destroyed everything and society has slowly rebuilt itself to something akin to Iron Age technology except they don't really mine ore but rather remnants of now ancient material that they then deconstruct and re-purpose. This Inland territory with illustrious names for places like Arse Dead Town is seemingly organized and ruled by some weird amalgam of politics and religion riding in the same cart drawn by half-remembered science, folklore, whatever rolled into one with their influence propagated by already mentioned, you guessed it, traveling puppet shows adhering strictly to accepted stories and even puppets themselves are regulated. It's a world where creative thinking is called "clevverness" and highly discouraged because it could bring back whatever vague recollection people have of that which destroyed the world in the first place. But as our boy Riddley will soon discover there are plans afoot that could forever alter what Eusa Story preaches and warnings of Littl Shyning Man are all about it.

So that may even sound compelling, right? Let me just quote a brief paragraph from the book for you:

Belnot Phist wer stopping on at Widders Dump. That same day he put a crew to cutting timber for a new projeck of his. It wer going to be some kynd of a working. Where they gone for the timber it ben a special place of myn. Where the old track sydls the hy groun sholder. It wer woodit with oak there. Hy groun on 1 side of the track and on the other it sloaps off sharp tords Widders Dump. The track runs pas that holler they call Mr Clevvers Roaling Place it wer the track we all ways took going to and from the form. It wer the shape of the groun I liket and the feal of it. That fealing you get on hy groun over looking the low. Some times sydling that sholder youwd see crows be low you cruising. Looking down from there at Widders Dump it seamt so low and littl it lookit easy ternt a way from. Back then I never Ice ben on that hy groun sholder oansome. Never ben any where at all oansome. Never in my woal life put foot outside a fents without at leas 5 mor for dog safe. I ben saving up that hy groun in my mynd tho. Thinking may be some time there myt come a time Iwd chance it oansome. I dint want no woodlings cleart there I jus wantit that place lef the way it ben. I tol my self never mynd but I myndit.

Entire novel is written like this as it replicates a language that re-invented itself from nothing following civilization's collapse. Being an ESL individual I felt a migraine coming on after periods of extended reading and that's probably the reason why finishing this took so long. Eventually I realized reading out loud helped because I phonetically connected the dots, but it was continual effort regardless. That's without mentioning parts that come from earlier in history and were carried over orally EXACTLY as uttered back then and are barely understandable so you get a guessing game until the very last act. On the flip-side, I don't think I've been more engrossed in a work than I have with Riddley Walker. Glossing over lines will get you nowhere and paying attention is actually required which results in high retention. When you add that little HAPPENS in the story and it's more focused on twelve year Riddley surviving in this world you end having to sift through musings and opinions more than actual plot. Needles to say there are lessons here on everything from morality to history and how some things are doomed to repeat, but does it have to be that way if we can change it?

Yay or nay? Single most obstacle present is really the Riddleyspeak itself Hoban chose to write the novel in. Everything else is solid and even intriguing once you piece together what's going and understand it was mainly terminology that hobbled you getting there sooner rather than later, but you're so actively engaged taking in this foreign world told through the eyes of a twelve year old kid figuring out a large part of it for himself.


Vito

Wow, you managed to write reviews for 3 games I’m interested in at once. It’s really neat to hear your elaborate opinion on A Short Hike, Darkside Detective and 11-11. Judging from your reviews all 3 games have their merit and unfortunately (jk) I’ll have to keep them on my imaginary list of games to add for some later point in time.

Yeah, review length is a weird topic…Sometimes I play a really long game and still struggle to come up with points to talk about and sometimes it’s the other way around. And, more often that I like to admit, I struggle to express the more nuanced points about a game in english – or am not satisfied with the english version of what I have in mind in my native language…(btw, I’m always impressed with your wide-ranged vocabulary). Coming back to your reviews: I really enjoy them, the long ones as well as the shorter ones, but of course with the longer ones I’m less inclined to read them, if the game’s of no interest to me at all.

Riddley Walker sounds more like an art project than a casual novel to read…which is fascinating, but I think I can understand, why it took you so long to finish!

Arbiter Libera

Glad I can be of service. ;)

That’s in part why I added a short TL;DR summary at the end of my full-fledged reviews. I’m aware they may be too long for most people no matter how much I try to break them up with screenshots or cover art so I’ve taken after shorter pieces here and there. If there’s a primary suspect for my passable English it would have to be old CRPGs because I pretty much learned the language as I played those.

There’s a foreword in Riddley Walker where author talks how much he enjoys talking in made up language when he’s on his own. Kinda puts things into perspective.

Vito

Yeah, that definitely puts things into perspective! If you’re used to it, it’s much easier to practice talking in a made up language while writing a book.

Well, I like the long reviews when it’s about a game I’m interested in. Then it’s even fascinating to see someone go into that much detail about a game, especially one I have played myself. Each person always sees something slightly different in a game and values some things more than oneself and some aspects less.

Arbiter Libera

Then it’s even fascinating to see someone go into that much detail about a game, especially one I have played myself. Each person always sees something slightly different in a game and values some things more than oneself and some aspects less.

Exactly. I like reading reviews for stuff I myself have played not really for the confirmation bias, but precisely to see what other angles people may have on the same topic. Video games seem to be great for that because they’re so complex and full of moving parts. I know explaining mechanics isn’t my strong suit so that’s one aspect I check out others’ takes on, for example.