Scan barcode
jmoses's review
4.0
I'm conflicted over this book. Not because it was bad, since it wasn't. Rather because it didn't end as the same book that it started being.
It starts out as a funny book. And it is, often extremely funny. Slowly though, it becomes apparent that this is a serious book, no matter the funny clothes its wearing.
And this is why I'm conflicted. See, I like this book. I was expecting something funny with aliens though, and I got an exposition on how cultures are forced to change and adapt, and some introspection as well.
Both good, but thus the confliction. Go on, read it for yourself. Just don't expect cover to cover humorous fluff.
It starts out as a funny book. And it is, often extremely funny. Slowly though, it becomes apparent that this is a serious book, no matter the funny clothes its wearing.
And this is why I'm conflicted. See, I like this book. I was expecting something funny with aliens though, and I got an exposition on how cultures are forced to change and adapt, and some introspection as well.
Both good, but thus the confliction. Go on, read it for yourself. Just don't expect cover to cover humorous fluff.
amwaterston's review
5.0
This is a really, really, really good book. Surprising and clever and truly unexpected.
skybalon's review against another edition
3.0
The book is interesting mostly for reasons, first of all it features video games as a cultural Rosetta Stone. The thesis is that one would be able to help widely different advanced cultures understand each other through a game's design and play. The other thing is that the alien races here are truly alien. They think and act differently than humans and that is a difficult idea to show in a novel.
Unfortunately the author doesn't have a consistent style or tone throughout the novel and it gets distracting. At first it is an epistolary story told in emails and blog posts. Then it adds "real life" sections which change the tone abruptly.
Also it morphs from a commentary about video games, alien first contact story, love story, singularity, and probably a few other things that I've forgotten. More focus on a couple of things would have made this novel stronger.
Still worth reading, but with some caution.
Unfortunately the author doesn't have a consistent style or tone throughout the novel and it gets distracting. At first it is an epistolary story told in emails and blog posts. Then it adds "real life" sections which change the tone abruptly.
Also it morphs from a commentary about video games, alien first contact story, love story, singularity, and probably a few other things that I've forgotten. More focus on a couple of things would have made this novel stronger.
Still worth reading, but with some caution.
saoki's review
5.0
Constellation Games is the awesome first contact sci-fi book about videogames and blogging you always wished existed.
But it's not just the high concept (first contact! alien videogames!) or carefully constructed setting. It's the voice of the characters, the relationships, the humanity (and alienity) of it all and the beautiful intertwined themes.
It's a book I wish I had written. And, you know what? Challenge accepted.
But it's not just the high concept (first contact! alien videogames!) or carefully constructed setting. It's the voice of the characters, the relationships, the humanity (and alienity) of it all and the beautiful intertwined themes.
It's a book I wish I had written. And, you know what? Challenge accepted.
jazzypizzaz's review
5.0
This book is exactly the type of book I want to read at any given time: a humorously told scifi romp exploding with Big Ideas (on art and stories, on humanity and our place in the galaxy, etc) with a solid amount of heart at the core. There's an effortless *fun* throughout, one that isn't trying too hard but still feels creatively fresh -- it makes me feel the way my favorite kid scifi series did growing up. I have an immense fondness for everything about this book.
On a primary level, this is a story about about gaming, from an anthropological perspective. It's first contact with aliens, and the culture clash that goes with it, from the perspective of video game nerd Ariel (and the alien anthropologists/historians he befriends). Throughout the book, Ariel reviews alien games, and through this experience uncovers just how *alien* these aliens can be. What "makes" a video games is questioned from every perspective -- the mechanics (aliens use different sensory experiences to play), theming, broader cultural and political messages, storytelling, personal significance, social bonding, the labor organization that creates them, and why we play to begin with.
I don't even play video games (except for those $1 phone apps that Ariel complains about), but my passion and knowledge of tabletop games are transferable for the core messages here. Even better -- On a broader level, this exploration on gaming is also about: art and cultural communication, geek culture, the role of storytelling and historical record within societies, escapism and nostalgia for youth vs taking responsibility for our own lives and communities.
This book is kinda what I wanted from Ready Player One, but didn't get from that. It's an intensely geeky novel, but in a way that uses nerd culture as a way to explore human nature at its core. It's not dependent on references or familiarity with niche details, but rather the *feel* of it. You won't recognize any games referenced within the book (fictional), but you will recognize, for example: Ariel's resentment of games designed only with capitalistic appeal to the masses; you'll recognize his desire to use his chosen medium (video games) to create art and to make a statement on why people game. Nerds are people who love something niche, who pay such close attention to it that they have a deeper understanding of the subject matter and why it's important -- not just memorizing trivia or using it as an aesthetic.
Ariel is intensely familiar to me as a character. He feels like someone I'm already friends with -- not a particular individual, but more like a category of nerd that I'm endeared by and relate to. I recognize him. I *know* him. His sharp brand of snark is wickedly funny, but what's notable I think is that it's not employed to be edgy or superior, but as a way to cope with self-deprecation and his own sensitivity. While the first half of the book sets up this snarky humor and the game blog/aspirations, the second half lays bare the humanity in Ariel and thus the story as a whole. All the characters, really, are immensely endearing, especially the aliens who manage to be truly alien as well as relatable (and *hilarious*). Even the romantic element at the end won me over, which tends to be a tough sell for me in these types of books (but maybe that's because in this case it doesn't end perfectly). The people within feel real, reacting in the weird ways real people do. There's emotions and a sentimental passion at the core that helps ground that higher-flying Big Scifi Ideas.
On a technical level, this is far from a perfect book, despite my ravings, and at times rather amateur. It starts off a bit slow, and it's not all that plot-driven, but rather hops and skips a bit between points. The blog entries / instant messaging gimmick makes for fun reading, but the way "real life" entries have to be tied in to advance anything or that dialogue is recreated in blog posts kinda makes for a weird inability to distinguish between them. Also, what I assume to be the climax in a traditional plot sense wasn't all that gripping, and at the end the book kinda petered out. (Although I could argue the open-ended nature of the ending was pefectly suited to the themes the book was conveying, it isn't quite satisfying for a reader perhaps.)
Overall, I want more people to read this book, if only becauase that might spur the author to write a sequel. (The first two chapters are free on the author's website, www.constellation.crummy.com!) Highly recommend, if nothing else than because it's just plain *fun* -- in fact, I might read it again myself...
On a primary level, this is a story about about gaming, from an anthropological perspective. It's first contact with aliens, and the culture clash that goes with it, from the perspective of video game nerd Ariel (and the alien anthropologists/historians he befriends). Throughout the book, Ariel reviews alien games, and through this experience uncovers just how *alien* these aliens can be. What "makes" a video games is questioned from every perspective -- the mechanics (aliens use different sensory experiences to play), theming, broader cultural and political messages, storytelling, personal significance, social bonding, the labor organization that creates them, and why we play to begin with.
I don't even play video games (except for those $1 phone apps that Ariel complains about), but my passion and knowledge of tabletop games are transferable for the core messages here. Even better -- On a broader level, this exploration on gaming is also about: art and cultural communication, geek culture, the role of storytelling and historical record within societies, escapism and nostalgia for youth vs taking responsibility for our own lives and communities.
This book is kinda what I wanted from Ready Player One, but didn't get from that. It's an intensely geeky novel, but in a way that uses nerd culture as a way to explore human nature at its core. It's not dependent on references or familiarity with niche details, but rather the *feel* of it. You won't recognize any games referenced within the book (fictional), but you will recognize, for example: Ariel's resentment of games designed only with capitalistic appeal to the masses; you'll recognize his desire to use his chosen medium (video games) to create art and to make a statement on why people game. Nerds are people who love something niche, who pay such close attention to it that they have a deeper understanding of the subject matter and why it's important -- not just memorizing trivia or using it as an aesthetic.
Ariel is intensely familiar to me as a character. He feels like someone I'm already friends with -- not a particular individual, but more like a category of nerd that I'm endeared by and relate to. I recognize him. I *know* him. His sharp brand of snark is wickedly funny, but what's notable I think is that it's not employed to be edgy or superior, but as a way to cope with self-deprecation and his own sensitivity. While the first half of the book sets up this snarky humor and the game blog/aspirations, the second half lays bare the humanity in Ariel and thus the story as a whole. All the characters, really, are immensely endearing, especially the aliens who manage to be truly alien as well as relatable (and *hilarious*). Even the romantic element at the end won me over, which tends to be a tough sell for me in these types of books (but maybe that's because in this case it doesn't end perfectly). The people within feel real, reacting in the weird ways real people do. There's emotions and a sentimental passion at the core that helps ground that higher-flying Big Scifi Ideas.
On a technical level, this is far from a perfect book, despite my ravings, and at times rather amateur. It starts off a bit slow, and it's not all that plot-driven, but rather hops and skips a bit between points. The blog entries / instant messaging gimmick makes for fun reading, but the way "real life" entries have to be tied in to advance anything or that dialogue is recreated in blog posts kinda makes for a weird inability to distinguish between them. Also, what I assume to be the climax in a traditional plot sense wasn't all that gripping, and at the end the book kinda petered out. (Although I could argue the open-ended nature of the ending was pefectly suited to the themes the book was conveying, it isn't quite satisfying for a reader perhaps.)
Overall, I want more people to read this book, if only becauase that might spur the author to write a sequel. (The first two chapters are free on the author's website, www.constellation.crummy.com!) Highly recommend, if nothing else than because it's just plain *fun* -- in fact, I might read it again myself...
mrfrenchtoasts's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.75
thelastnoelle128's review
5.0
Book Reviews from Earth 1.0 Presents
Constellation Games (A Space Opera Soap Opera)
A novel by Leonard Richardson
Reviewed by Noelle
Publisher: Candlemark & Gleam LLC
Platforms: Hardcover, E-Book
ESRB rating: E for epic ponage
This book was utterly fantastic, do yourself a huge favor and read it right now. You will giggle, you will gasp, you will get misty-eyed, and you will love every minute of it. Hands down the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time.
Constellation Games (A Space Opera Soap Opera)
A novel by Leonard Richardson
Reviewed by Noelle
Publisher: Candlemark & Gleam LLC
Platforms: Hardcover, E-Book
ESRB rating: E for epic ponage
This book was utterly fantastic, do yourself a huge favor and read it right now. You will giggle, you will gasp, you will get misty-eyed, and you will love every minute of it. Hands down the most fun I've had reading a book in a long time.