I’ve been reading, watching, and exploring enough good stories lately that I’ve decided to batch recommend several of them. I’ll likely make a habit of this; I’ve been trying to read, watch, play, and enjoy more stories as of late in addition to writing regularly. It engages my mind, helps me unwind, enriches my perspective, and feeds my imagination. Basically, it’s fun. =)

Demon Mark: A Russian Saga

Demon Mark: A Russian Saga is a choose-your-own-adventure fantasy novel written by Vladimir Barash and Lorraine Fryer. It draws heavily upon Russian folklore to present an enthralling story full of fantastical elements such as bogatyrs (heroes), endearing animal friends, foes and monsters, and other folkloric figures such as Baba Yaga. Lorraine and Vladimir clearly put considerable thought into the choice mechanics and the multitude of possible pathways through the tale as well, with a variety of outcomes that range from heartwarming to heartbreaking.

The protagonist can be customized to various gender orientations, cultural backgrounds within Russia, and base stats (emphasis on cleverness, kindness, or physical power). Choices throughout the story influence the protagonist’s skills, relationships, resources, and other characteristics expressed on sliding scales, which in turn influence the outcome of other choices farther along in the novel. Players can view these statistics at any time to see how their character is evolving.

I didn’t explore all the possible avenues, in part because I wanted to befriend Marya every single time. She’s my favorite bogatyr. I adore her. I also always want to see Baba Yaga, and I always want to befriend the mighty wolf. But I did replay multiple times to explore alternate choices and pathways. I wanted to see if I could make my next ending happier than the first, and I wanted to get a taste of some of those untrod paths, even if I didn’t play through them all.

Overall, it felt like this story rewarded me for kindness, humility, honesty, and independence—at least in the routes I took. It’s also an exciting adventure! I definitely think it’s worth picking up and playing. Demon Mark is quite affordable on Steam if you’d like to try it.

The Goblin Emperor

The Goblin Emperor is a fantasy novel written by Katherine Addison. It was released years ago; I picked up a copy at a used book sale. It features a young half-goblin who has emperorship thrust upon him, an assassination, a mystery, further assassination attempts, politics, and sincere friends and allies within the formidable maze of the court. It’s a slower-paced book, with some action and certainly some fantastical elements, but with more emphasis on character interactions and political intricacies. The protagonist, Maya, is the heart of the story, a kind-natured underdog who is way in over his head. Maya endeared himself to me immediately. Overall, I found it an excellent read to curl up with, and how badly I wanted Maya to succeed carried me through the book.

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy is the second book in Becky Chambers’s Monk and Robot series, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic world with monks who serve tea and robots who mysteriously vanished ages ago. It follows Dex, a tea monk, and their recently made friend Mosscap, a woken robot who’s on a quest to understand what humanity needs. I’d classify this as cozy sci-fi, with an emphasis on introspection and a touch of existential… not crisis, exactly? Philosophizing? Wondering? Trying to figure themselves and life out? The series does hold a touch of melancholy at times and may tug on heartstrings, but I wouldn’t call it grim or sad. This gentle, heartstring-tugging tone is common to many of Becky Chambers’s stories. (I still need to finish reading the Wayfarer series.)

One of this book’s greatest strengths is how Dex and Mosscap play off each other. Mosscap is optimistic, friendly, and curious, while Dex is more familiar with human culture and perhaps more world-weary. It’s also entertaining to see how Mosscap interacts with humans and the variety of human reactions to the first robot seen in ages. The ending was open-ended from an plot/action standpoint, with many questions of where they would go left unanswered, but it fit the emotional arc of the narrative. Overall, I was satisfied.

GOAT

GOAT is an animated movie that takes place in a world of anthropomorphic animals somewhat akin to Zootopia, but largely in a town called Vineland that has its own particular aesthetic and charm. It has a sport called roarball, which is basically basketball with wild and dangerous (and exciting) terrain. The title is a pun; GOAT, the acronym, stands for “Greatest of All Time,” but the protagonist is literally a goat.

The goat, Will, is a young dreamer with a heap of heart, a smidgeon of sass, some impressive roarball skills, and ambitions of playing professionally and becoming the GOAT, despite prejudice against “smalls”—animal species who are on the small side, unlike, say, panthers and gorillas. The deuteragonist is Jett, a veteran player with her own boatload of ambition and insecurities about being seen as washed-up. Will has idolized Jett since he was small. Jett is a bit of an asshole, especially at the start, and I lowkey love her for it. Her and Will’s dynamic is great. I adore all the little bonding moments and eventual friendship between them in the movie.

The narrative core is an underdog-athlete-beats-the-odds, power-of-teamwork tale that reminds me of some sports anime I’ve seen, so, naturally, I’m a sucker for it. (I don’t even watch real-life TV sports; I just like being physically active and the camaraderie, community, and self-empowerment that can grow around athletics!) It’s also a tale about home and community, about legacy, and about refusing to give up in the face of adversity and prejudice.

I like that the primary discrimination involved—prejudice against smaller animal species and presumptions about their athletic abilities, or lack thereof—fits this fantasy world and is far enough removed from real-world prejudices to avoid hitting too close to home. Specifically, I’m glad that sexism and gender stereotypes are absent; every time someone makes an asinine assumption based on gender, whether in fiction or reality, I want to commit violence. So it’s nice that in GOAT, mixed-gender teams are treated as the status quo and utterly unremarkable.

I found this movie enjoyable and well done from both a writing and animation standpoint. I’m not saying it’s perfection or beyond any craft criticism, but I was surprised by the mixed reviews I found on the Internet—and their primary complaint, which was that GOAT uses a familiar, oft-written narrative core and beats. Like, sure, if you’re looking for something super avant-garde, cynical, or surprising, this movie ain’t it. And it’s okay to look for that, and okay if GOAT isn’t your cup of tea. But that’s a matter of personal preference, not a craft problem. Those familiar narratives are repeated because they have timeless appeal. This story did pretty much what I expected tone and plot-wise, and I loved it for doing that.

So. If you’re looking for a heartwarming, lighthearted story to escape into for, oh, an hour and a half-ish, I suggest giving GOAT a go. It’s available on Netflix.