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B'hrian Bloodaxe

ZnorXmanZnorXman
edited April 2009 in Games
I just read Thud! by T. Pratchett and noticed that he pays homage to Brian Bloodaxe.

One of the dwarfs(of the old days) is called B'hrian Bloodaxe and when I read that a little glow of happiness sparked within me because for once in my life I was in on the joke, so to speak.

I know there are other threads about Speccy games being used in other media but how many books use indirect characters or refer to games in them?
Post edited by ZnorXman on

Comments

  • Andy RemicAndy Remic
    edited April 2009
    Most of my own novels have references somewhere to Speccy gaming; mainly because the Spec was so important to me during my formative years, and every now and again I'll be staring at a blank screen grasping for something to encode, when ping! a Spec influence invades my head. Nice to see Mr Pratchett references his old Spec as well :-) Quite a few novelists are gamers, y'know. Iain Banks to name one.

    Reminds me. Must work in Brad Blasts Galactic Barbarians somewhere :-)
  • frobushfrobush
    edited April 2009
    Andy Remic wrote: »
    Iain Banks to name one.

    I've read most of his books (but the Culture stuff in his "Iain M Banks" SF novels lost me after awhile!)
  • Andy RemicAndy Remic
    edited April 2009
    Use of Weapons is probably his best Culture novel (and is his own personal fave as well, according to the Big Man Himself, as told when we shared the Orbit stand at Glasgow World Con, ha! )..... I love Banks' work, especially Complicity about the mad political assassin... great stuff. Once he had to reformat his hard drive to remove Civ so that he could actually get some writing done. Class.
  • frobushfrobush
    edited April 2009
    Of his SF stuff I've read "Consider Phlebas" (the 1st one - never knew how to pronounce that), The Player of Games, Use of Weapons and The State of the Art (I think - I have it but it might be unread). You have to keep up with them of you are knackered! And I left it too long between novels (as they are all linked).
  • Andy RemicAndy Remic
    edited April 2009
    Fleabass - I think. His newish one The Algebraist is a standalone; might be worth you checking out. You'll have to give me your address and I'll send you one of mine :-) although it'll probably give you nightmares (bad grammar, poor spelling, inconsistent plot, etc etc etc haha).
  • frobushfrobush
    edited April 2009
    Andy Remic wrote: »
    Fleabass - I think. His newish one The Algebraist is a standalone; might be worth you checking out. You'll have to give me your address and I'll send you one of mine :-) although it'll probably give you nightmares (bad grammar, poor spelling, inconsistent plot, etc etc etc haha).

    Is that you just noticing the bad grammar and spelling - or is it intentional?

    I'm intrigued.
  • BloodBazBloodBaz
    edited April 2009
    ZnorXman wrote: »
    I just read Thud! by T. Pratchett and noticed that he pays homage to Brian Bloodaxe.

    One of the dwarfs(of the old days) is called B'hrian Bloodaxe and when I read that a little glow of happiness sparked within me because for once in my life I was in on the joke, so to speak.

    I know there are other threads about Speccy games being used in other media but how many books use indirect characters or refer to games in them?

    I read Thud! last year and thought about the reference. Sir Terry of course has always been interested in computers, time travel, relativity, quantum mechanics, theology etc. all which comes out in his books. It's what makes them a joy to read.
  • John ElliottJohn Elliott
    edited April 2009
    Andy Remic wrote: »
    Use of Weapons is probably his best Culture novel (and is his own personal fave as well, according to the Big Man Himself, as told when we shared the Orbit stand at Glasgow World Con, ha! )..... I love Banks' work, especially Complicity about the mad political assassin... great stuff. Once he had to reformat his hard drive to remove Civ so that he could actually get some writing done. Class.

    Having played Civ, I found the game of Azad in The Player of Games, and its effects on the players, very familiar.
  • Andy RemicAndy Remic
    edited April 2009
    Aha! Frobush!! There is really very little spelling or bad grammmer.... each book udnergoes 7 nedits. Unlkie this msseage! Although in some of the earlier books errors slipped in - not my fault, but the fault of the YTS lads at the printers who used to take my dot.perfect prose and mangle it beyond all recognition. Once, and this is no joke, a list of somebody's shopping list ended up in my proofs. I was best not pleased!! (cheers Orbit!).
  • frobushfrobush
    edited April 2009
    Andy Remic wrote: »
    Aha! Frobush!! There is really very little spelling or bad grammmer.... each book udnergoes 7 nedits. Unlkie this msseage! Although in some of the earlier books errors slipped in - not my fault, but the fault of the YTS lads at the printers who used to take my dot.perfect prose and mangle it beyond all recognition. Once, and this is no joke, a list of somebody's shopping list ended up in my proofs. I was best not pleased!! (cheers Orbit!).

    When Doug Burns applied for a job at Denton Designs he sent his 'rough' letter by mistake. It was all scrawl and rubbing outs and stuff!

    He never lived that down!

    And I quite like the wrongness of some prose. It makes things that much more real. Like you are actually listening to the person and not some toff from Oxbridge born with a spoon up his (or, lest it not be said, her) collective arse. And they do collect arses. I've seen them. Not a pretty sight. Not a pretty site.

    EDITED for spelling! D'oh!
  • gasmangasman
    edited April 2009
    ZnorXman wrote: »
    I just read Thud! by T. Pratchett and noticed that he pays homage to Brian Bloodaxe.

    It's a well-known-fact-that-might-actually-not-be-all-that-well-known-actually-but-is-still-true-I-think that the Ramtop Mountains in Discworld are named after the Spectrum system variable.
  • ZnorXmanZnorXman
    edited April 2009
    gasman wrote: »
    It's a well-known-fact-that-might-actually-not-be-all-that-well-known-actually-but-is-still-true-I-think that the Ramtop Mountains in Discworld are named after the Spectrum system variable.

    Yes ... I think that was the first Speccy reference I learned about from the Discworld forum ... not that I ever visit that wretched hive of scum and villainy ... errrrrrr ... did I ... err?
  • John ElliottJohn Elliott
    edited April 2009
    gasman wrote: »
    It's a well-known-fact-that-might-actually-not-be-all-that-well-known-actually-but-is-still-true-I-think that the Ramtop Mountains in Discworld are named after the Spectrum system variable.

    Could be the ZX81 system variable of the same name. Google groups with 'author: pratchett ZX81' is instructive.
  • dougburnsdougburns
    edited April 2009
    frobush wrote: »
    When Doug Burns applied for a job at Denton Designs he sent his 'rough' letter by mistake. It was all scrawl and rubbing outs and stuff!

    He never lived that down!

    That *sounds* like total rubbish and I can't believe it's true. They were my mates, for god's sake, so I can't imagine applying for a job there. I was too busy popping in to an utterly hash-enveloped office. Why would I write them a *letter*?

    But, then again, your memory is so outlandishly good for things I've long forgotten, I'm starting to wonder!
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