By adult I don’t mean pornographic. What I mean is an interactive fiction for adults. I’m 26 years old and I have a degree in American history. I’ve played some of the highly praised games (So Far, Galatea, Dreamhold, Anchorhead, Alabaster) and they’ve all struck me as puerile. They all have this cutesy quality of having been written by an extremely bright eight-year-old. Could someone please recommend an interactive fiction for a grownup with a university degree.
Hello, Pudlo.
Well, what sorts of non-interactive fiction do you read? (I missed the memo from my university with the list of approved choices, so I read pretty widely.) That is: other than “adult”, what do you look for?
What leaps to mind is something like Shrapnel. The Baron. Ecdysis (which may not be your thing if you didn’t like Anchorhead). LASH, which comes on a little strong, but at least wrestles with serious issues.
I was going to say “hello, Jacek”. Does it count as double post?
Now tripled.
The “when i was shot by elephants” trilogy is pretty good. Highly recommended.
I’d also recommend http://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=odcavbu6zcy5um49 if you’re looking for something appropriate to your intelligence.
I’m not sure about that. It would be totally out of character for “Pudlo” to say anything in a way that could be possibly be taken for a good faith post.
Robert Rothman
If, by chance, it’s not Pudlo … it’s something even worse.
So, as a romantic, I’ll stick with the best-case scenario, barring overwhelming contrary evidence.
Lord, have mercy upon us!
I, too, believe in looking at the bright side of things. For example, I know that no matter how bad today is, it’s better than tomorrow is going to be.
Robert Rothman
<grin!>
I’ve yet to meet an eight-year-old that could even SPELL Ialdabaoloth, much less pronounce it.
I mean, how many babies have I got to sacrifice before the dark gods take pity and send down the Child-Beastling, already?
Oh, wait. They don’t have pity. They thought it would be funny to send a 26-year-old with an American history degree instead.
Dickens, George Eliot and Jane Austen are some of the writers that are dear to my heart. I don’t like the “moderns” much, except Virginia Wolf. Modernity, what a silly concept. To me, Austen is more “modern” than Joyce.
As to The Baron, I like my English literature to be written by people who are at ease with the language. As to LASH, the notion that black slaves are morally equivalent to robots would be racist in the extreme had it not been so puerile.
One of the problems of puerility is the assumption that everyone gets your in-jokes.
snort<
gamlet, a true masterpiece by a tireless iconic and renowed critic.
Genius.
I normally don’t feed the trolls, but I’m bored at work, so…
It’s funny that he used the monicker “Darkbloom” for someone who wants to see “adult” IF.
Also, he seems to be a bit out of sync, mentioning only games which are a few years old. No hate for the newer IF. 
Or maybe it’s safer to bash games that are well known and loved?
I’m looking forward to his response about Gamlet. This should be good.
“Vivian Darkbloom” is a minor character in a couple of Nabokov novels, which he uses as a sort of fourth-wall-breaking wink, the name being an anagram of “Vladimir Nabokov.” So, despite all evidence of merit, Pudlo’s arrogating himself the mantle of Nabokov. You may remember that he brought up Nabokov when he was pontificating about the proper way to write about adults having sexual relationships with children/adolescents.
Anyway, the anagram that seems most well suited to Pudlo’s dignity and serious is “Volvo Kimbardian,” and that is how I shall think of him.
But the point is, I don’t believe that this person is who he says he is.