stephensmat

WM: Will Mackenzie?

Maybe, at least, get scrap metal from 'breaking down' the tins we use to boil water. Scrap metal makes hooks.

I mostly talk about TLD over on Reddit, but it was suggested that I add this here. Over a year ago, I mentioned that this game had inspired me to write a book. At the time, I had to take special effort to assure the Devs that it wasn’t a fanfiction, by any stretch. I’ve always wanted to write a survival story; and TLD helped make it real. Other projects and unfinished works delayed me; but I got here. Presenting: "Dear Chloe," a story of wilderness survival. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’ve always loved stories like ‘My Side of the Mountain’ and ‘Hatchet’. Odd choices, given how much Sci-Fi I read. I made the joke once that my ‘favorites’ shelf has two kinds of books: ones where people get in spaceships and explore the universe, and ones where people go solo in the wilderness. So whichever way the future turns out, I have heroes to follow. When I grew up, I looked for other survival stories, and found several, but the adult stories were different from my childhood wilderness stories. The adults all survived with the goal of going home. Hatchet and My Side of the Mountain had a very different kind of magic to them, because (and I don’t think I’m giving away too many spoilers here) the characters came to love the woods; and found their place in the universe there. The love that the authors had for the wilderness shines through; and I learned a lot from that when I started writing my own work; because they were the books that taught me that a setting can also be a main character. (Something I’ve had in many of my own novels.)So here, at last; is my humble offering. For the record, I’ve wanted to write this book for years; it’s not a fanfiction in any way; but playing TLD is the closest I’ll ever get to living out my ‘Hatchet’ daydreams. It inspired a lot of the details; and took me in directions I hadn't thought of before. I figured the people on this forum might love that part of The Long Dark as much as I do, so I wanted to share it with all of you. (And with the Devs, as a thank you for the push to get this written. Every time I had a near-miss or success in TLD, it made for another page in the book.) I'll also be putting it up on my blog as a serial, at no charge; but if you want to support the author, (Or just not wait for the exciting finale) you'll also find links to the Amazon Page.