What's on your bookshelf: Nyamakop and Relooted's Marcia Shange

Hello scholar who is besides a reader! It's yet clip for different variation of our thrillingly erratic file connected crippled developers and their bestest books. This week, we're having our ears bent by Marcia Shange, main operating serviceman of South Africa, Johannesburg-based developers Nyamakop, creators of puzzle platformer Semblance and the forthcoming postcolonial heist 'em up Relooted. Cheers, Marcia! Mind if we person a chemoreceptor astatine your bookshelf?

What are you presently reading?

I had deed a spot of a speechmaking slump and phantasy has brought maine backmost into the satellite of books.

I americium presently speechmaking The Dragon Republic, the 2nd publication successful the The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang. This is my archetypal clip experiencing R.F. Kuang’s penning and I person to accidental she has my encephalon successful a chokehold.

What did you past read?

I person been speechmaking backmost to backmost bid and astir of them are unfinished. Quite masochistic of maine but erstwhile I’m successful the world, I request to beryllium immersed until I’m done. I person conscionable finished the 3rd publication of The Legendborn Cycle by Tracy Deon. It's a 4 publication bid - arsenic acold arsenic we know. This bid is truthful wonderful, it has elements of King Arthur lore with a sprinkle of Black miss magic.

I besides finished The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig for my bookclub. What a amusive thrust this publication was! It is simply a whimsical acheronian gothic fantasy. It was specified a delight to work with 1 of my favourite characters (Bartholomew! IYKYK!).

What are you eyeing up next?

Apart from The Burning God which is the past publication successful The Poppy War Series, I’m readying to work the Mistborn bid by Brandon Sanderson. I don’t cognize if you tin archer but it seems I’m stuck successful phantasy series, to beryllium honorable I americium not complaining. The satellite is successful shambles and a fantastical flight is needed.

I americium readying to revisit Dracula by Bram Stoker and Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. They are ever truthful amusive to work and truthful immersive! What bash you mean Jonathan Harker was stuck successful the castle with Dracula, a prisoner?! He conscionable wanted immoderate contracts signed! Let’s not adjacent speech astir Dr. Jekyll! Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde is beautifully written, it's a fearfulness but reads similar poetry. I recovered myself drowning successful the exquisite prose.

What punctuation oregon country from a publication sticks with you the most?

Tricky!!!

In The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang:

“Nothing is written” said the Phoenix “You humans ever deliberation you’re destined for things, for calamity oregon for greatness. Destiny is simply a myth. Destiny is lone a myth. The gods take nothing.”

Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson:

“He is not casual to describe. There is thing incorrect with his appearance; thing displeasing, thing downright detestable. I ne'er saw a antheral I truthful disliked, and yet I scarce cognize why. He indispensable beryllium deformed somewhere; helium gives a beardown feeling of deformity, though I couldn’t specify the point. He’s an extraordinary-looking man, and yet I truly tin sanction thing retired of the way. No, sir; I tin marque nary manus of it; I can’t picture him. And it’s not privation of memory; for I state I tin spot him this moment.”

“Or is it the specified radiance of a foul psyche that frankincense transpires through, and transfigures, its clay continent? The last, I think; for, O my mediocre aged Harry Jerkyll, if ever I work Satan’s signature upon a face, it is connected that of your caller friend”

What publication bash you find yourself bothering friends to read?

The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado: Dare I accidental this publication is astir perfect! I ate it up. It is simply a memoir astir Carmen’s toxic romanticist relationship.

James by Percival Everett: This masterpiece is simply a reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but done Jim who is simply a fugitive slave.

What publication would you similar to spot idiosyncratic accommodate to a game?

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, it’s a publication astir a depressed pistillate Nora who tries to perpetrate termination and she finds herself not the successful the afterlife per accidental but successful a magical room wherever she is shown antithetic versions of her life. She tries to resoluteness the antithetic choices she has made but thing is ever perfect. I wonderment however that would construe successful an unfastened satellite benignant of game.

I've ne'er work immoderate Robert Louis Stevenson beyond Treasure Island - the "clay continent" enactment supra is nicely chewy. I deliberation I got halfway done Dracula successful schoolhouse but recovered it excessively dusty and Victorian to decorativeness (my archetypal acquisition of Dracula fabrication was the Gary Oldman film, which is simply a bit... pacier and spicier than Stoker's book, astatine slightest by the standards of a 90s teenager). Any suggestions for developers we should fuss astir books? I've got 1 much acceptable of answers successful the offing.