Heroic Dreams - All Things Medieval

One of the beauties of the whole medieval genre is the absolute plethora and scope of what is available. If you just want to read a rousing epic fantasy style novel for fun or storm a castle along with some heroes you easily can. There are lots of works like that. But if you also want to read something that is more in-depth and more literary there are also lots of works that are available too. And one of the best writers in this more literary style is Ken Follett. He wrote a novel called The Pillars of the Earth in 1989 and it was an international blockbuster. Here is a quote from amazon.com about it:

“In 1989 Ken Follett astonished the literary world with The Pillars of the Earth, a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. Critics were overwhelmed–”it will hold you, fascinate you, surround you” (Chicago Tribune)–and readers everywhere hoped for a sequel.”

Anyway, that sequel has been written and it is getting great reviews. It is called World Without End and this is what Amazon.com has to say about it:

“World Without End takes place in the same town of Kingsbridge, two centuries after the townspeople finished building the exquisite Gothic cathedral that was at the heart of The Pillars of the Earth. The cathedral and the priory are again at the center of a web of love and hate, greed and pride, ambition and revenge, but this sequel stands on its own. This time the men and women of an extraordinary cast of characters find themselves at a crossroad of new ideas–about medicine, commerce, architecture, and justice. In a world where proponents of the old ways fiercely battle those with progressive minds, the intrigue and tension quickly reach a boiling point against the devastating backdrop of the greatest natural disaster ever to strike the human race–the Black Death.”

The first book has the excellent theme of following people through the building of a cathedral which kind of reminds me of that famous pencil drawing book by David Macaulay called Cathedral. And the second book takes place in one of the most remarkable periods in human history .If you are looking for something with depth to read through the Christmas Holidays this might be the perfect book.

The Books at Amazon.com

World Without End  - The Pillars of the Earth (Deluxe Edition) (Oprah’s Book Club) -  Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction (Sandpiper)

Popularity: 40% [?]

The Stormthecastle.net forum is starting to bubble with activity and there are some interesting things happening. We have been getting visits from some very special guests and creatures.

A Magical Phoenix named Fawkes has descended upon the Bestiary of the castle and is making claims to foresee the future.

And in Lady Castle’s Corner a true high borne lady of nobility has given us her secret recipe for Mincemeat pies called Magic Mincemeat Memories which is a true Christmas delight.

There are some interesting things going on and if you like medieval things you might want to buzz on over to the forum, register and join in the fun.
Storm The Castle.net Medieval Forum

Popularity: 35% [?]

I play Medieval Role Playing games and I really enjoy them. But, these kinds of games take real liberties with the whole idea of reality in that all the rules are broken. In a fight and your health getting low? Take a health potion and problem solved. Need a quick ride across the lands? Hop on your dragon mount and off you go. These games all take a heavy slant toward the fantasy of the genre.

Ever wonder what a game would be like if it took a heavy slant toward the reality of the genre? Did you ever wonder if there was a game that really took things in a more realistic approach? Well there is a new medieval role playing game out that does just that! And it is quite amazing. It is called Mount & Blade and here is a video of some game play

They have the philosophy of try before you buy so you can download the game and give it a try totally for free before you buy it.

Some other nice features of the game are a really nice mounted combat system which is something not to be had in other games. And of course it has a full suite of mod capabilities so you can go right ahead and design your own games.

It just seems to me to be a refreshing change from the whole host of medieval RPG games that are out there.

Official Website for Mount & Blade

Popularity: 49% [?]