[su_button icon="icon: gamepad" background="#e52d27" size="10" animate delay="3" inline="yes" url="https://www.youtube.com/user/calebjross?sub_confirmation=1"] Subscribe on YouTube [/su_button]
I’m reviewing all of the Boss Fight Books releases, so subscribe to this channel and click the bell notification icon to be sure you don’t miss future reviews. I just finished reading Soft & Cuddly by Jarett Kobek, the 15th book in the Boss Fight Books series, and I’ve got some thoughts.Posts By Caleb J. Ross
Caleb began writing his sophomore year of undergrad study when, tired of the formal art education then being taught, he abandoned the pursuit in the middle of a compositional drawing class. Major-less and fearful of losing his financial aid, he signed up to seek a degree in English Literature for no other reason than his lengthy history with the language. Coincidentally, this decision not only introduced him to writing but to reading as well. Prior this transition he had read three books. One of which he understood.
A gun is an unearned power shift. A story should survive by its characters, but a gun puts too much power into the hands of an undeserving character. The same is true with a pregnancy.
I beat Celeste. Barely. I almost quit. But the game wouldn't give up on me. For that, I am thankful.
Gris is a game I've been wanting to play for a while. I held off, because it felt like a game that was inevitably going to be released in a physical format (I like stuff on shelves). The game was worth the wait. Gris is beautiful to look at, only mildly frustrating to play at times, and only about 3 hours long. I played the Special Revserve version on the Nintendo Switch.
I went into Death Stranding with some hesitation. Would it be a game I'd actually appreciate, considering I haven't played a Hideo Kojima game since the first hour of Metal Gear Solid 2? Would I be aware enough of Kojima's crazy style to really understand Death Stranding? Well, no, I don't think I'll ever understand Death Stranding, but I did love playing the game. And who would have thought I'd ever play a multiplayer game (if this can truly be called a multiplayer game).
Edgar Allan Poe doesn’t actually want the audience to determine which of the parallel interpretive possibilities are “correct,” but rather he wants the audience to accept that parallel interpretive possibilities are possible. So when Ian Dallas deflects questions about the true causes of his character’s deaths, he’s perhaps not dodging. He’s moving out of the way so you can see the rest of the possibilities.
“Call me Ishmael.”
Three words and three times as many questions:
- Why should we call you that name? Did you change your name? If so, why did you change or name?
- Why is it so important that you announce your name immediately? Are you famous for something? Are you trying to be famous for something?
- Who is Ishmael talking to? The reader? Am I being set up for an oration of a grand adventure?
These questions will seed a good narrative as long as the narrative delivers on the promise of answers. This balance of posing questions then teasing the reader with an answer then posing more questions, then more teases is what creates a narrative, and as long as this cycle is handled by a skilled writer, the reader will exhaust the entire novel and leave satisfied.
A question is a byproduct of interest and so becomes the impetus to investment. Humans love solving problems. Therefore, a question posed is an invitation to adventure.