Reading: The Next Frontier

Books. I have never known of a word which can strike either a fear and resentment or sheer delight when uttered. Well I guess the words singing in public, running a marathon and Justin Bieber could do the same… but I digress. The reason to why I’m talking about books is because I finally lost my geek reading cherry and started getting into some game fiction. Although I believe I am a uber geek and I do have a passion for reading, it never dawned on me that I could actually enjoy the two simultaneously through what seems to be the lost art of reading.

Before I started my quest into the geek reading world, I did sit and wonder why fanfiction was just so darn popular. After a little research I’m told that fanfiction became largely popular in the 60’s thanks to the dedicated fans of the Star Trek series who began writing their own stories which incorporated characters from the much loved TV show. With the increase of more fans writing spin-off stories, it obviously made sense for the official books from the creators to come forth giving hardcore fans and the highly curious a chance to indulge their need for more.

As I prepare myself to delve into the ever mysterious yet highly exciting world of the spin-off gaming books/fanfiction, my journey begins with my very own modern day Indian Jones, Nathan Drake in Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth. I’m going to level with you all now. I have yet to complete any of the Uncharted games. I got the first one and I do have every intention to complete it but just never got round to it. As my way of apologising to the franchise I thought I’d give their book a go. Written by Christopher Golden, The Fourth Labyrinth is the official novel from Naughty Dog.

My style of reading is quite sporadic so I tend to get through a few pages whenever I have a spare moment so I don’t really have time to read something which after the first five or so pages is clearly balls. Before I even began reading this book I got to admit that my first wish was for it to not be an utter let down like so many failed crossover attempts that I’ve seen. With my fingers and toes crossed I started reading the book and so far so good. There is something really magical when you have to use your imagination to see the world the author is trying to create. Although you could probably guess what the book would be about, I’d still say if you’re game book veteran or like me a total noob to give it a shot.