Game & Checkout Pt. 3
By Hannah Herrlich, Emerging Technologies Librarian
Last year, we introduced a blog series titled, Game & Checkout. It featured popular video games reminiscent of and linked to books available through our collection. Shortly thereafter, we published the second installment of this series, Game & Checkout Pt. 2. Connecting one resource to another in an attempt to broaden the scope of a library user’s reading experience is a service known as readers’ advisory. So, after a long-awaited period, we present to you part three of our Game & Checkout series. With Winter Break right around the corner, there’s no better time to catch up on some reading and unwind with some gaming. Discover what books from the Fordham University Libraries’ catalog should be next on your reading list based on what video games you like to play.
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider (known as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider from 2001 to 2008) is a multimedia franchise depicted initially through video games and later film adaptations. Lara Croft, the only daughter and heir of the aristocratic Croft family, is the protagonist and playable character of the video game series. She travels around the world in search of many long-lost artifacts and forgotten locations, frequently connected to supernatural powers. While Lara’s biography has changed throughout the series, each of her depictions defines her as the only daughter and heir of the aristocratic Croft family.
BOOK SUGGESTIONS
If you’re a fan of Tomb Raider, you likely have a soft spot for strong characters who are loners at heart, who don’t mind digging up old secrets and buried treasures. Perhaps you like magical and supernatural elements more understated, but you still want a glimmer of them in the story.
- Bright Hair About the Bone by Barbara Cleverly
- The Blue Manuscript by Sabiha Al Khemir
- The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters
- Crystal Gardens by Amanda Quick
- Lara Croft: Cyber Heroine by Astrid Deuber-Mankowsky
Madden
Madden NFL is a football video game, named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden. Since 2004, it has been the only NFL video game series and has influenced many players and coaches of the physical sport. Among the series’ features are detailed playbooks, player statistics and voice commentary in the style of a real NFL television broadcast.
BOOK SUGGESTIONS
Who doesn’t want to live out their professional sports playing fantasies? If you love playing Madden, you’re probably a huge football fan, or at least an enthusiast. Consider tackling one of these books for your next read.
- Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage by Kevin Bryant
- The Dynasty by Jeff Benedict
- A Short Move by Katherine Hill
- Change the Game by Colin Kaepernick
- The Art of Football: The Early Game in the Golden Age of Illustration by Michael Oriard
Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption takes place in 1911 during the decline of the American Old West and in the midst of the Mexican Revolution. The game follows John Marston, a former outlaw, whose family is kidnapped by the Bureau of Investigation. In exchange for his family’s return, John sets out to hunt down the surviving members of his former gang, in the process achieving closure and redemption for his past actions. The gameplay provides the players with an open-world setting and gives them various options for exploration, random encounters and side-missions.
BOOK SUGGESTIONS
Using the raw backdrop of the wild, wild West, these books will surely make you want to say “Yeehaw!” and “Giddy up, partner,” as you trailblaze through these stories, like John Marston. Like a true pioneer, hopefully you will find whatever it is you’re seeking and not die of dysentery (that’s an Oregon Trail reference for everyone born in the 21st-century).
- Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
- Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens
- The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West First by Megan-Kate Nelson
- My Ántonia by Willa Cather
- Cry Macho by Richard Nash
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft (WoW) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). In the game, players create a character avatar and explore an open game world in which they fight towering monsters, complete quests, and defend the world of Azeroth against all threats. Similar to other MMORPGs, players interact with non-playing characters (NPCs) or other (human) playing characters. Players can acquire skills like leather working and mining, go shopping, cook food and go fishing, tame pets… The list goes on and on- Kind of like the game itself, which never really ends. While not the first MMORPG to lead to a highly dedicated and devoted fanbase, World of Warcraft was undoubtedly the most successful one in its time.
BOOK SUGGESTIONS
World of Warcraft contains elements of fantasy, steampunk, and science fiction. It’s a magical world that wades through many genres and contains creatures such as elves, orcs, rogues, paladins, thieves, demons, warriors, and, of course- dragons. These books here include some, if not all, of the elements of WoW, such as quests, magic, creatures, and battles. And they’re perfect to pick up each Tuesday while you wait for WoW’s scheduled maintenance to finish.
- Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James
- The Void Ascendant by Premee Mohamed
- Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
- The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro
- The Binding by Bridget Collins
Destiny
Destiny is a first-person shooter game set about 700 years in the future following a prosperous period of space exploration (The Golden Age), to tragically culminate in “the Collapse.” The only known survivors of “the Collapse” exist on Earth and have been saved by “the Traveler,” a white, spherical celestial body whose appearance centuries before had enabled humans to reach the stars. Players take on the role of a “Guardian,” who are those responsible for guarding Earth’s last safe city as they wield a power called “Light” to protect the City from different alien races. “Guardians” are tasked with reviving “the Traveler,” while journeying to different planets to investigate and destroy the alien threats before humanity is completely wiped out.
BOOK SUGGESTIONS
Since the setting of Destiny could best be described as a mythic science-fiction world, and the “Light” might be most eloquently articulated as…space magic… Here are some books for all of your celestial enchantment fixes.
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- Saga (graphic novel series) by Brian K. Vaughan
- Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
- The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
- Anathem by Neal Stephenson
We know that finals are quickly approaching, but we can all use a break every now and then, so refer back to this post for #inspo about what to read or game next. Happy gaming and happy reading, Rams!
