Message-ID: <4158@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Sun, 3-Mar-85 17:13:40 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.4158
Posted: Sun Mar 3 17:13:40 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 8-Mar-85 04:20:49 EST
References: <827@topaz.ARPA>
Reply-To: srt@ucla-cs.UUCP (Scott Turner)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 33
Summary:
In article <827@topaz.ARPA> @RUTGERS.ARPA:LAURENCE@SU-CSLI.ARPA writes:
> ...However, I am now
>reading Destiny Dice or somesuch by Bischoff, which not only is a spoof
>of itself, but also contains concealed puns and word-play as well. For some
>reason, perhaps because Bischoff realizes how silly he is being, which I do
>not think is the case with Anthony, I am enjoying the book.
I just finished reading this, _Destiny Dice_, _The Gaming Magis I_, by
David Bischoff, who wrote Wargames.
The book is about a group of magicians who play a complex game that affects
another level of reality. The book flips intermittently between the two
levels, and, as Laurence noted, there are a number of puns and purposeful
faux pas involved (like Marines in the fantasy world, etc.)
It's pretty clear from reading the book that Bischoff is a gamer himself.
The game the gaming magi play is close to D&D, and there are a number of
inside jokes and extrapolations based on the game (the destiny dice, role
vs. roll playing, and so on).
I don't mind books that do confuse the levels between the reader, the
author, the story (and in this case, the fantasy below the magi), but while
I found this book inoffensive, I didn't think Bischoff pulled this off as
well as others have (Vonnegut and Robbins come to mind). I should also
point out that this is the first book in a series, and definitely is not
a complete book in itself.
[As an aside, I find this very annoying. When did it become the habit to
write series in which the individual books cannot stand alone?]
Mildly interesting, more so if you are a gamer.
-- Scott Turner