[UA] Re: Reading List

[James Dyer]

>> I come looking for advice on reading material for
>> inspiration for UA.
>> 
>> I was planning to read Tim Powers "Last Call",
>> given a recommendation on a news list.
>> 
>> I would appreciate any suggestions subscribers
>> here have.
>
>	Tim Powers: "Last Call", "Expiration Date", "Earthquake Weather", and if
>you can find them, "The Stress of Her Regard", "The Anubis Gates", and "On
>Stranger Tides" (these last three are historical fantasy, but still worth
>reading)
>	James P. Blaylock: "The Paper Grail", "The Last Coin", "Homunculus" (this
>last for an idea of what the occult underground was like a century ago) 
>	James Ellroy: "The Black Dahlia", "The Big Nowhere", "White Jazz", "L.A.
>Confidential", "American Tabloid", and "My Dark Places"

Any Raymond Chandler. Particularly "The Big Sleep". Marlowe is the
archetypal (Oh no! Mentioned the 'a' word) cynical detective.

Recommended Comic Books:
Hellblazer, DC Comics Vertigo imprint. Various writers and illustrators. I
particularly recommend the early issues written by Jamie Delano collected
in the volume "Original Sins". The ultimate inspiration for a nasty occult
investigators game.

The Invisibles, DC Comics Vertigo imprint. Written by Grant Morrison,
various illustrators. Morrison gets weird, spinning a tale of occult
conspiracies, UFOs, anarchists, and magick. Whilst the whole Order vs Chaos
thing doesn't sit too well with UA, Invisible cells are magick cabals and
the Invisibles underground movement might give some inspiration for an
anarchist alternative to the New Inquisition. The collection "Bloody Hell
in America" is probably most appropriate to the style and feel of UA.

Preacher, DC Comics Vertigo imprint. Written by Garth Ennis. Ennis'
hilariously OTT guns and angels thriller. Sort of like Pulp Fiction meets
The Prophecy. While the cosmology doesn't match UA it's a good guide on how
to take the occult and turn it into gripping action. There are several
trade paperback collections available.

Sin City, Dark Horse Comics. Written and illustrated by Frank Miller. Noir
action thrillers set in an unnamed sleazy city. Superbly evocative
black-and-white illustration. The stories have pulp-ish titles like "The
Babe Wore Red". Highly recommended.

Hellboy, Dark Horse Comics. Written and illustrated by Mike Mignola. Gothic
pulp (that's pulp not punk!). Two-fisted demonic superhero battles Baba
Yaga, werewolves and vampires. Good inspiration for an OTT reality cops game.

Recommended Movies:
Particularly recommended by this movie-goer are, in no particular order: 

Film noir: "L.A. Confidential", "The Grifters", "The Maltese Falcon",
"Chinatown", and many, many others.

Gangster/action thrillers: "Reservoir Dogs", "Pulp Fiction", "The Killer"
or "Hardboiled" (John Woo HK action movies), "Goodfellas".

Weird/indie movies: "Blood Simple" (the Coen Brothers' ghost story cum film
noir), "Taxi Driver", "The Fisher King" (one of Terry Gilliam's best).

Serial killers: "Seven", "Psycho" and "Silence of the Lambs"

Horror: "Poltergeist", "Hellraiser" (Clive Barker gorefest), "The
Frighteners".

Recommended TV
"The X-Files" for style if not content

Jim.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
James Dyer                 
School of Computer Studies,
University of Leeds,       
United Kingdom.            
email: jed at scs.leeds.ac.uk