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SR Fiction - Drawing Destiny (Tarot Anthology)

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AJCarrington

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« Reply #15 on: <07-31-16/0829:15> »

AJCarrington

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« Reply #16 on: <08-02-16/1341:04> »
Bluebird, by R.L. King


deville

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« Reply #17 on: <08-15-16/1543:11> »
Just got finished reading the anthology yesterday. I took my time, reading a few here and there, even looking at the cards that went with the stories. While I can't say I liked all the stories, I think all of them were well written, fit the SR universe and did seem to play off the card images very well. I, of course, loved having a new Wolf and Raven story, "Snips and Snails and Binary Tales", I can never have enough of those. Devon Oratz's "Djoto" got me to go back and reread Robert Charrette's book, Never Trust an Elf. "Djoto" was good even if you haven't read it, but, it was a pleasure to have some connection to old biz. Other favorites include "Dia de los Muertos", "Moon Palace, Serpent Sea", "The Placebo Effect" and "The Least of These".

I don't think any story will disappoint anyone looking for a chance to jump into the world of Shadowrun. As soon as you get a chance to read this book, I highly recommend it!

TonyK

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« Reply #18 on: <08-26-16/1701:36> »
What about e-books?  I've been noticing that new fiction announced here hasn't been porting over to DriveThru.  And I haven't been finding any dead-tree versions available since Crimson.  CGL, make it easier for me to give you money. :)
My fave quote from SRR: "Damn you Mike Pondsmith"

AJCarrington

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« Reply #19 on: <08-26-16/1728:18> »
Digital versions will be released, though I'm not sure why we have seen the recent releases now that they're available locally.

TonyK

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« Reply #20 on: <08-29-16/0043:22> »
I hope so.  It's driving me a bit antsy to see all this great new fiction come out yet be unavailable.
My fave quote from SRR: "Damn you Mike Pondsmith"

AJCarrington

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« Reply #21 on: <09-04-16/2259:11> »
Digital release!!  ;D



THE TAROT HAS AWAKENED…

…And nothing will ever be the same again.

The Tarot, a mystical divination deck of cards, has appeared in the Sixth World as a powerful artifact. It works its will on anyone who finds one of its magical cards, from runners surviving on the street to corp executives battling in the boardroom. And not just people’s lives will be changed, for the Awakened Tarot deck is more than just a formidable magic item, it has an agenda all its own, and will seek to use those it comes in contact with to set its plans in motion…

Drawing Destiny is the latest original Shadowrun anthology, featuring twenty-three original stories about this brand-new artifact introduced into the game universe. Featuring stories from Michael A. Stackpole, Jennifer Brozek, Chris A. Jackson, Lucy A. Snyder, Aaron Rosenberg, R.L. King, Russell Zimmerman, Josh Vogt, and Jason M. Hardy, and 14 more authors, these stories reveal how the Awakened Tarot will impact the Sixth World for better, and sometimes, for much worse…

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« Last Edit: <09-05-16/0818:52> by AJCarrington »

The Tekwych

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« Reply #22 on: <09-05-16/1820:41> »
Now all I need is the deck itself.

AJCarrington

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« Reply #23 on: <09-05-16/1835:49> »
Indeed!! ;D

Marzhin

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« Reply #24 on: <09-09-16/1515:44> »
I'm almost done reading Drawing Destiny, with only six stories left. All in all I found it's a pretty good anthology so far, with some good characters, and ingenious interpretations of the tarot cards. I also liked that some stories had links with previous ones found in World in Shadows, it strengthens the feeling of one common universe. Also loved the cameo appearance of

[spoiler]All Wings[/spoiler]

even if it stays subtle.

While Spells & Chrome and World of Shadows had some good stories, other were... not so good. In Drawing Destiny, however, the quality was consistently high, with only one or two weaker tales.

That being said, there are a few things that I found a bit weird.

In My Enemy, Mi Amici, the author seems to be confused about technomancers, and seems to believe they are actually magic users. For instance:

Quote
You probably don’t want to use magic at all. The secrets begging to be exposed in the catacombs will be too tempting for technomancers and mages to ignore.

As it turns out, this story is one of the few I didn't like, as the plot made no sense to me. I mean:

[spoiler]A corp CEO playing shadowrunner?[/spoiler]

I actually, physically rolled my eyes at that point.

To Strive, to Seek, to Find, and Not to Yield lists three cards as its inspiration: The Avatars, The Ride, and Strength. That last one should be Discipline.

The Placebo Effect has a runner named Mika among its characters. But this Mika is a woman. Since the Mika from Jackpoint is a dude, it's either another Mika, or, I suspect, the writer has confused Mika with his rival, Ma'Fan. Or (and that would actually be a fun story in itself) Ma'Fan is actually using Mika's name in some runs, to annoy him :p

Last but not least, being French, I cannot help but wince when writers try to use French words but make mistakes.

For instance, in One for the Other:

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“Crasseaux porc…” Deveaux muttered.

The correct spelling would be "crasseux", and even that doesn't sound very natural. It's debatable, of course, but I believe a true Frenchman would rather say something snappier like "Sale porc..."

Then in Moon Palace, Serpent Sea, there's this:

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If she could bottle the pong of the place, she’d sell it under the name Mal Choix de Vie: “Terrible Life Choices.”

That whole part is pretty great, truly, but unfortunately "Mal Choix de Vie" is not proper French. "Mal" is a noun, not an adjective; the adjective is "mauvais". Therefore the correct name should be "Mauvais Choix de Vie".

Dear writers, do not trust Google Translate and try to have a native proofread your texts whenever possible ;) If you don't have one at hand, send me a PM, I'll be happy to help ^^
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RowanTheFox

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« Reply #25 on: <09-09-16/2348:33> »
Dear writers, do not trust Google Translate and try to have a native proofread your texts whenever possible ;) If you don't have one at hand, send me a PM, I'll be happy to help ^^

I accept your offer!  ;D

Now I just need a someone fluent in German because, well, my main character is from Berlin. Lots of German gets tossed around, and I only speak English for now.
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Well, drek. Looks like Timmy fell into the Dissonance Well again.

Sphinx

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« Reply #26 on: <09-13-16/1238:04> »
I'm eager to buy a print copy of the Drawing Destiny anthology as well as the tarot deck. Be nice if they were offered together in a bundle. Just a suggestion ...

ANewTwist

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« Reply #27 on: <10-12-16/1138:41> »
Dear writers, do not trust Google Translate and try to have a native proofread your texts whenever possible ;) If you don't have one at hand, send me a PM, I'll be happy to help ^^

I accept your offer!  ;D

Now I just need a someone fluent in German because, well, my main character is from Berlin. Lots of German gets tossed around, and I only speak English for now.

If you need something translated into german, just let me now. I'm happy to help. I agree with Marzhin do not use Google Translate, except for a good laugh when your fluent in both languages.

wraith

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« Reply #28 on: <12-05-16/0141:49> »
Looking at the blurb, I have to wonder, did you guys get someone who actually knows the setting at all to proofread the marketing materials?

I mean :

Quote
THE TAROT HAS AWAKENED…
…And nothing will ever be the same again.
The Tarot, a mystical divination deck of cards, has appeared in the Sixth World as a powerful artifact. It works its will on anyone who finds one of its magical cards, from runners surviving on the street to corp executives battling in the boardroom. And not just people’s lives will be changed, for the Awakened Tarot deck is more than just a formidable magic item, it has an agenda all its own, and will seek to use those it comes in contact with to set its plans in motion…
Drawing Destiny is the latest original Shadowrun anthology, featuring twenty-three original stories about this brand-new artifact introduced into the game universe. Featuring stories from Michael A. Stackpole, Jennifer Brozek, Chris A. Jackson, Lucy A. Snyder, Aaron Rosenberg, R.L. King, Russell Zimmerman, Monica Valentinelli, Josh Vogt, and Jason M. Hardy, and 14 more authors, these stories reveal how the Awakened Tarot will impact the Sixth World for better, and sometimes, for much worse...

Seriously, that reads like someone accidentally specc'd a book about the Deck of Many Things.    :-\

AJCarrington

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« Reply #29 on: <12-05-16/1023:27> »
Honestly not seeing that...then again, haven't read up on a DoMT in a looong time.