God Of War Novel Is 283 Pages Of “GGGGGRRRRR!!!!”

@( shake cows, win a ) Milkshake!: It'd make it a 4.72 second experience. Too short.

QuackerJacks

Oh please let it be a trashy airport romance novel.

"His muscular chest glistening with sweat, Kratos grabbed her. She's never felt like this, not even with Hercules. As they moved together (TRIANGLE) throbbing (SQUARE). She moaned, "(TRIANGLE) me like I've never been (MASH CIRCLED) before." It seemed they lasted forever (ROTATE LEFT ANALOG STICKING), the (RED ORBS) exploding around them.

Then he killed a fuck ton of people."

Ah, I can see it's written by Matthew Stover. Stover has written several Star Wars novels, including the novelization of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. To give you an idea of his style, he wrote a book following the adventures of Mace Windu, that was sort of like an odd combination of Star Wars and heart of Darkness. They could have done much worse in selecting a writer for God of War.

KaylaCaballerial

I think more games need novelizations. Not just the AAA titles, either, I'm talking some Solar Jetman or Super Zaxxon novelizations.

Honestly, though, I would sell my soul on the cheap for a novelization of Gitaroo Man.

Here's hoping the God of War novelization is more "GRRRRR!" and less mythological fanwank.

mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta

@Archaotic:

The God of War Novels are quite good as i´ve heard actually, at least the ones written by the guy that´s going to write the novel sequel to the second game.

But yeah, i agreed with your suggestion, considering that while God of War actually a pretty character driven plot, it was written to fit within an action game narrative.

I´m not really sure if i´ll buy it even if i do greatly enjoy GoW storyline.

it will look well next to my Metal Gear Solid novilization

supergun

@hot_heart: This. Stupid cylinders :(

@KFJ: Is it really only 283 pages? That's an afternoon's read for me. =\

I don't see how can this be worse than the Halo novels.

Daniel Pizarro Sánchez

Page 1: God of War press Start button now
Page 2: Tutorial
Page 3: Death Screen
Pag...................................................

@bluecat2095: I spent half my life reading that. Now give it back.

Kuwabara Kazuo

And you thought the Iliad and the Odessy were lengthy reads

arniejolt

Of all the authors to write a God of War novel, Matt Fucking Stover is the perfect choice. If you haven't read any of his books yet, run, don't walk, to the bookstore or library and pick up Heroes Die.

ATimson

@bluecat2095: Inner workings? There's not much to him. He's a warrior that got turned into a god and he's ungrateful. You've over analyzed a very basic character. There is never any point in the game where he stops and thinks about half of this stuff so I don't see him as a growing or reflective person.

You seem to suggest he even grows from a teen to an adult within the time he takes to get to his dad yet he doesn't change at all. From beginning to end he is just a constant fighting machine who doesn't develop. His goals stay the same, the way he gets his goals stay the same, the methods he uses are the same. He is ungrateful from beginning to end also so why does he suddenly become a man?

Kratos does have internal struggle but it's not one he seems to even dwell on. In the end he leaves it blindly and goes on to do what he had planned from the very beginning.

He is sad once his dad dies but that doesn't mean much. In the end he was turned to a killing machine so he chose to end his sad life (probably because he regretted what happened to his family more than he's lonely and sad about his dads death).

He is a man because he is willing to kill himself?

xxXX_Insanities_Birth_XXxx

Are you sure it's not just an adaptation of the screenplay?

@bluecat2095:
That was great! Good work.

I'm reminded of this interview done with the Prince of Persia producers, asking them to comment on the design of Kratos, as a character. And they said something along the lines of: "He's cool and all, but he's pure rage! His dialogue is rage! His personality is rage! And that's kind of easy."

I might buy this. Been forever since a book really caught my interest. That and I really love God of War so hey, win-win :P

Deathbearer

@bluecat2095: You win the internets.

I think I'll pass. I don't like to read things that are so far beyond my reading comprehension level. It dun makes muh feel stoopit.

Wow so all of you think the novel will be written in today's cheesy latino soap-opera type of format in which you can imagine the people turning their heads and backs on the person talking just to put thei back of their hand on their forehead?

I believe they will stay true to the Greek Mythology "epicness" and write the novel in such of way that it read as Greek Mythology thus creating the supporting literature pillar that every other character in the GOW series has but Kratos lacks.

You can find books about Perseus, Theseus, Zeus, Athena and the Gods, Titans, etc, but none about Kratos. What about our kids when they are at school, what will they read? Think of the children ^_^

ArJay

As long as this is the same Matt Stover who did the novelization of "Revenge of the Sith," then I have every faith in his ability to successfully capture Kratos's mental state. He took the third Star Wars movie and made it into a wonderfully written book.

Considering the fact that most people dislike RotS's story, imagine what he can do with a story that many gamers have enjoyed.

@bluecat2095: That was beautiful.

283 pages? The Saint (Warhammer 40,000 Gaunt's Ghosts omnibus) is about 1025 pages :D

The Lost I think is even longer. Freaking awesome books.

KFJ

I'd consider Picking this up. Since I will be unable to play the newest one, It will help pass the time. Though it's writing more into a very rich mythos anyway. I've read the Odyssey and the Illiad. Though I do tend to think that this will be NO WHERE NEAR thoes in Quality, still looks like fun.

No interest in this novel, just bring on the game please.

jellyfish

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
It was the age of gorgons, it was the age of harpies.
It was the epoch of chopping people in half with two big swords on chains, it was the epoch of tearing off a minotaur's head with your bare hands...

We were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going some other way

@Archaotic:

It would be nice if they explored the inner workings of the character to unearth the wounded child within Kratos. Kratos is a very rich and complex character.

Hopefully the author of the novel will understand the real message behind the narrative of God of War, that behind all of Kratos' gruffness, his rage, his angst, his fear and bravado, behind it all is the sensitve, scared heart of a child.

Before the game begins, Kratos is like a cocky teen. He thinks he is immortal and above all others. He belives he is free. But the moment his life is actually threatened (by the Barbarian king, who represents the unknown and foreign "barbarian" lands outside of a child's limited experiences) he calls out to Ares for help. In doing so he pledges his life to Ares. This positions Ares as his father figure. Ares saves Kratos' life, he supports him, but he also owns him, and Kratos resents this. Like an ungrateful teenager lashing out at his parents, Kratos lashes out at the gods. Even when he makes the mistake of killing his own wife and child, he does not take responsiblity for it, instead he blames it on his parents. Surely THEY were the ones that MADE him do it. Surely they created the monster he had become.

The rest of the game involves Kratos' desperate struggle to somehow find relief from his situation. He has become twisted and depressed. He writes about "the voices in his head" in a journal. He engages in loose, meaningless sex. He is armed with razor blades CHAINED to his WRISTS. Who is he cutting? His foes? Or himself? Classic teenage behavior.

In his despair, Kratos starts trying to devise ways to escape the clutches of the gods, or his parents. This is when the game really becomes challenging and becomes a metaphor for growing up. His struggle to defeat his father figure is the struggle every child goes through when it comes time to leave the shadow of your parents and find your own path. And so Kratos rages and rages and he fights tooth and nail.


But he's not fighting blindly. He is learning. He's gaining experience points, learning new and useful skills. He is growing up.

By the end of the game, as he's heading toward the final confrontation, he is not the same lost child he was at the beginning, nor the blissfully ignorant baby he was before the game even began. He is becoming his own person. Only then can he challenge his father and break free. Break free of the chains. Break free of the blades that cut into him.

Kratos has an epic shodown with Ares, that takes him within his own soul. This is where the game outright tells you that the real focus is Kratos' internal struggle. He must first rise above his own insecurities and anguish (with the help of his family's love, perhaps a mother's love?) only then can he challenge the father. The game ends with an epic clash, where Kratos has grown both symbolicaly and literally. He is colossal size. He towers above the landscape, an equal to the Titan that has ruled his life. It's a hell of a fight, but he gives it his all, and he wins.

He defeats his father. He gains his freedom.

But at what price?

His father is defeated, he's won his freedom, but the struggle isn't over. When he had an enemy, a father to oppose, he had focus. He had a purpose in life. With that gone he's suddenly got alot of time to think. To reflect. To ponder.

And that's when the sorrow seeps back in. He won his freedom, and yet he's not free of his regrets. Those old fears start creeping back. They tear him assunder, cutting as deep as ever.

In his despair Kratos decides to end it all. To end his own life. Although he has been a fighter, he does not choose the death of a warrior. He does not die in the throes of combat by a worthy foe's blade. Instead, he throws himself off a cliff. Like a maiden. Like the child he once was.

And here's where the final message is delivered. In tossing himself off the cliff like a maiden, he's not killing himself. He's killing the child he once was. He is finally saying goodbye to childish things. Before splattering on the rocks, he is saved and he is given his rightful place as a replacement of his father.

He has grown up. Become a man.

He has BECOME his father!

bluecat2095

Will the book turn at 60 pages per second?

this book ill be popular among GoW fans

Francuzzz1010

I want a God of War manga or at least a comic book.

Hah, i'm looking forward to a good "STAB YOU IN THE FACE!!" before going to sleep.

Loyow

It'll be one of those books where if you're not reading very carefully, every word on the page, you'll lose track of the story and have to start the chapter again.

bananapyramid

@Archaotic:

@Artdeux: Turn to page 107! Quick, now turn to page 8! Now to 76! Now 234! Too slow. Flip back to page 45 and start again.

Lmfao. And now we can all finally know that the only reason WHY Kratos is doing this is because Zeus refused Kratos a household Bunnomatic coffee machine.


Kratos has to keep killing everything and making it with all the ladies to keep up his adrenaline thanks to the lack of caffeine.

Poor Kratos. :(

@offshore: Screw quicktime events, make it a "choose your own adventure" book.

And when Kratos died...while in hell...from trying to climb a bunch of spiky rotating cylinders a voice called,
"Would you like to switch to easy difficulty?"
"No!", Kratos replied "That would make no difference, would it?!"

I remember people saying the same stuff about the Resident Evil novels when they were first announced, but S.D. Perry did a damn good job, especially with RE1 and Code Veronica, they were fantastic reads.

Strife Fox †

I guess it'll be in good company alongside the Gears of War novels. "WHERE'S MY WIIIIIIIIIIIIFE!?" *grunt, chainsaw*

Seriously, though, a God of War novel could work, if they spend time talking about Kratos' inner workings, why he is the way he is, and all that junk.

Barring that, just write it like a Greek myth; the last thing we need is a narrative-form reproduction of 300 with chain blades.

Kratos sliced into the monster, issuing much blood but making no lasting wound, until, when it was sufficiently wounded, he ran up the beast's arm, and as though directed by some unseen force, began to throttle the fiend with the chain of his swords. Soon the thing was slain, and issued forth even more blood and strange glowing orbs that Kratos ran around like a loon collecting before they could vanish. The Orbs made him feel... Powerful.

Jonathan Luke Barrett

Will the book have Quick Time Events?

@Kuwabara Kazuo:

here's your life back:

bluecat2095

Action works good in movies, but with novels its another thing. I think GOW novel should have more story than that is in the game.

Desi_Otaku