Category Archives: My writing

Coming Soon: Read Rage of the Old Gods for Free

Posted on by
Reply

I’m proud of the work I put into the World Spectrum novels, and I want as many people as possible to be able to read and enjoy them. To that end, I am pleased to announce you will soon have the opportunity to read the entire first novel, Rage of the Old Gods, for free.

Cover art for "Rage of the Old Gods, the First Book of the World Spectrum" by Tyler F.M. EdwardsIn the coming weeks, I will begin posting chapters to read for free on this blog and the official World Spectrum site. A new chapter will be posted every couple of weeks, and eventually, you will have the chance to read the entire book without paying a cent.

However, you will still have the option to purchase the complete ebook from Smashwords and several other retailers if you are enjoying the story and want to read the rest sooner rather than later, if you want to own a copy for yourself, or if you wish to support me as an author so I can keep writing these things.

Also, please keep in mind that I am still offering free copies in exchange for reviews.

I hope you will enjoy the book!

————–

Humanity was not born free.

Long ago, humans were slaves to the Old Gods. They rebelled, overthrowing the Gods and establishing their own societies, but peace did not last. Humanity slaughters itself in petty wars.

Now, an army of war Automatons threatens to destroy the land of Eastenhold. To save her people, a young woman named Leha travels to the to the lost worlds of Tyzu and Sy’om, whose alien powers defeated the Old Gods in ancient times.

But there is worse to come. The wars of humankind only hasten the Old Gods’ return, and even Leha’s newfound powers may not be enough to save her people from the Gods’ fury, or from the hatred in their own hearts.

Cheating on WoW: Guild Wars 2 Revisited

Posted on by
4

Ah, Guild Wars 2. There’s a game I have an odd history with.

My thief taking a rest in the tropics in Guild Wars 2It was a rare case of my drinking the hype Kool Aid before launch. Once it finally did release, I hopped on the bandwagon immediately, and I had a great time… for about three months.

The game lost its luster quickly. Despite its many merits, some major stumbles drove me away from the game, and once I started on The Secret World, Guild Wars 2 faded into my rear view mirror.

But it’s always been in the back of my mind. My fond memories of the game taunt me, and I did get very attached to my characters in my time with the game. I’ve often been tempted to give it another try.

So I finally did. I hopped back in during the climax of the first season of the “Living Story” and spent a few days getting reacquainted. For my full thoughts, see my article on the topic over at WhatMMO:

Revisiting Guild Wars 2

Here’s a brief excerpt:

“If I was to describe Guild Wars 2 in a nutshell, I’d say that it’s a great game that is utterly ignorant of its own strengths. The Living Story seems designed to focus on all of the things ArenaNet cannot do right – like story and group content – while rejecting the positives of the game, such as accessibility and freedom.”

My mesmer taking a walk in the woods in Guild Wars 2It should be noted that there was a delay in getting this article published, so some of what it discusses is old news by now. However, most of my thoughts remain relevant.

It should be said that the recently started second season of the Living Story does — from what I hear — address some of the complaints I have. It does feature a new permanent game zone, albeit one I’m told is fairly small, and it seems like the Elder Dragons are taking center stage again.

However, I fear it may be too little, too late for this player.

It’s a shame. There’s much about Guild Wars 2 that I do truly love. The sense of freedom it offers is incredibly liberating, and it’s probably my all-time favourite game in terms of visuals. Perfect balance between realism and stylization, and the graphics are just gorgeous, especially on my new computer.

But when I don’t care about the world, there’s nothing to disguise the grind at the heart of all MMOs, and I just can’t seem to find the motivation to keep coming back.

My Charr engineer in Guild Wars 2* * *

It occurs to me that continuing to call this segment “Cheating on WoW” is growing increasingly inaccurate, considering I haven’t played WoW for the lion’s share of a year. It should probably be “Cheating on TSW” now.

Doesn’t have the same ring to it, though.