Admin
Hiya folks, your favourite absentee landlord again.

1. The profile is updated with all of the current games there - thanks to everyone who's been tagging their posts.

2. The index is up to date as well, and now using the LJ-spoiler to look less ridiculous. I thought I had seen somewhere that the tag allowed a 'collapse' link, but I can't seem to get it to work - any help greatly appreciated.

3. Also shermarama, as a poll-runner, is now on the list of maintainers (which is actually the answer to the question "How do I post polls on this without a paid account?")

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Game 51, book 6, results
1) It was a miserable night, and I had just settled into my favourite chair before the fire with a pipe, a peg of brandy, and the Times crossword, when an agitated knocking at my door disturbed me. Written by dorianegray and guessed by shermarama.
2) "A gentleman to see you, Doctor." Written by Sax Rohmer and guessed by dorianegray, braisedbywolves and jeffr23.
3) The greatest mistake of my life was in underestimating the inscrutable criminal cunning that the Chinaman is capable of possessing. Written by jeffr23.

shermarama's line came in after I set the lines, I think. sorry about the deadline confusion.

So, the scores for that round:

dorianegray - 2
braisedbywolves - 1
jeffr23 - 1

Which means that the final scores are:

shermarama - 9
dorianegray - 8
jeffr23 - 8
braisedbywolves - 3
dangerdean - 2
taldragon - 1

Congratulations shermarama! You have first call on the next round.

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Game 51, book 5, results
1) Within a sepulchral vault, and at midnight, two persons were seated. Written by William Ainsworth and guessed by shermarama and jeffr23
2) Few places in England - nay, in the world - can have such strange and tragic events associated with them as the manor of Rookwood Place, near C______, in Sussex. Written by dorianegray.
3) Consider, reader, a drive of elms standing tall, and beyond them, in the distance, the composed and handsome face of a great manor house. Written by shermarama and guessed by dorianegray
4) There is no more abominable form of bore than the sort of philosopher who insists against all evidence on the existence of free will. Written by jeffr23 and guessed by braisedbywolves

Scores for this round:
shermarama - 2
jeffr23 - 2

Scores on the doors:
shermarama - 9
jeffr23 - 7
dorianegray - 6
braisedbywolves - 2
dangerdean - 2
taldragon - 1

Just one last book to go. The results of Book 6, The Insidious Dr Fu Manchu will be released on Wednesday, and then we will know.

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Game 51, book 6, lines
Only a few lines for The Insidious Dr Fu Manchu:

1) It was a miserable night, and I had just settled into my favourite chair before the fire with a pipe, a peg of brandy, and the Times crossword, when an agitated knocking at my door disturbed me.
2) "A gentleman to see you, Doctor."
3) The greatest mistake of my life was in underestimating the inscrutable criminal cunning that the Chinaman is capable of possessing.



Deadline and final scores on Wednesday.

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Game 51 - Reminder
Last chance for line on Book 6!

http://the-book-game.livejournal.com/270041.html

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Game 51, book 5, lines
And here are the possible openings for William Ainsworth's Rookwood.

1) Within a sepulchral vault, and at midnight, two persons were seated.
2) Few places in England - nay, in the world - can have such strange and tragic events associated with them as the manor of Rookwood Place, near C______, in Sussex.
3) Consider, reader, a drive of elms standing tall, and beyond them, in the distance, the composed and handsome face of a great manor house.
4) There is no more abominable form of bore than the sort of philosopher who insists against all evidence on the existence of free will.



The Deadline for this is going to be Monday.

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Game 51, book 6
Square those jaws, stiffen those upper lips and batten down your outrageous racial stereotypes, chaps! Book 6 is The Insidious Dr Fu Manchu, Sax Rohmer's allegedly accurate depiction of the Chinese master criminal.

( SynopsisCollapse )

( An extractCollapse )



The Deadline for lines will be Friday.

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Game 51, book 4, results
Here are the results for Book 4, The Call of Cthulhu.

1) The events I am about to relate may seem fantastical, but they are all, alas, entirely too true. Written by dorianegray.
2) When you have finished reading this narrative, you will likely think me a liar; indeed, I pray that you do. Written by jeffr23 and guessed by taldragon and braisedbywolves.
3) The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. Written by H P Lovecraft and guessed by dorianegray and jeffr23.
4) History as it is known to us speaks of the events of the world, but there are greater mysteries, hidden within, that no man may ever speak of. Written by shermarama.
5) The louring sky over Georgetown did nothing to enhance my mood as I prepared to visit my dying and decrepit great-uncle at his house. Written by braisedbywolves and guessed by shermarama.

Scores for this round:
jeffr23 - 3
dorianegray - 1
braisedbywolves - 1

Bringing the scores on the doors to:
shermarama - 7
dorianegray - 6
jeffr23 - 5
braisedbywolves - 2
dangerdean - 2
taldragon - 1

I'll give a deadline of Wednesday for Book 5 and launch Book 6 and last of this round later today.

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Game 51, book 5
Book 5 is William Ainsworth's gothic farrago, Rookwood, a thundering romance full of mistaken identities, curses, highwaymen and sizzling gypsies.

( SynopsisCollapse )

( Extract from the (in)famous Ride to YorkCollapse )

So, how does this adventure begin?

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Game 51, book 4 lines
Here are the lines for book 4, The Call of Cthulhu:



The deadline will be Tuesday.

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Game 51
Book 4's lines will go up tomorrow (I hope), along with Book 5.

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Game 51, book 4
A little behind time, here's book 4, and it's H.P. Lovecraft's weird fiction classic, The Call of Cthulhu.

( SynopsisCollapse )

( ExtractCollapse )



The deadline will be Friday.

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Game 51, book 3 results
1) Look down! - written by dorianegray
2) The walls of the prison at Toulon, though worn, were of a massive construction no longer seen in modern times. - written by shermarama and guessed by braisedbywolves and jeffr23
3) An accurate description of the beaching-yards of Digne would be universally taken as a sufficient depiction of Hell, were the popular conception of Hell not so fixated on the state of being dry and warm. - written by braisedbywolves
4) In 1815, M. Charles-Francois-Bienvenu Myriel was Bishop of D——. - written by Victor Hugo and guessed by dorianegray and shermarama
5) There exists in the world no odor that is comprable to Paris on a summer day. - written by jeffr23 and guessed by taldragon

Scores for this round:
shermarama - 3
dorianegray - 1
jeffr23 - 1

Scores on the doors:
shermarama - 7
dorianegray - 5
jeffr23 - 2
dangerdean - 2
taldragon - 1
braisedbywolves - 1

Right; book 4.

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Game 51, book 2 results
1) ...rain drummed upon the roofs, rattled against the windows, found its way in through divers and sundry cracks and crannies in unmended walls, or pounded its entrance past fallen slates; wind wuthered wildly about the houses, shaking window-frames and toppling chimneys as if for its own amusement; here and there about the great, dark, brooding city snow crept in amongst the rain, turning it to sleet and chilling the very marrow of any poor soul forced to be abroad upon this most miserable of evenings - it was, I say, a dark and most stormy night on which my hero (for of course a novel must have a hero) first embarked on his most dubious career. Written by dorianegray and guessed by taldragon, shermarama and braisedbywolves.
2) ...the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the house-tops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. Written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton and guessed by dorianegray and jeffr23.
3) ...the rain pouring down in torrents of Noahic proportions while thunder like as to waken a slumbering god pealed across London, the setting of our narrative, alternating with flashes of lightning that assaulted the eyes of any unfortunate witnesses. Written by jeffr23.

Scores for this round are:
dorianegray - 4
taldragon - 1
shermarama - 1
braisedbywolves - 1
jeffr23 - 1

So the scores on the doors after round 2 are:

dorianegray - 4
shermarama - 4
dangerdean - 2
taldragon - 1
braisedbywolves - 1
jeffr23 - 1

Deadline for round 3 is Monday and I will aim to get book 4 started today.

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Game 51, book 3 lines
And the lines for Les Mis:

1) Look down!
2) The walls of the prison at Toulon, though worn, were of a massive construction no longer seen in modern times.
3) An accurate description of the beaching-yards of Digne would be universally taken as a sufficient depiction of Hell, were the popular conception of Hell not so fixated on the state of being dry and warm.
4) In 1815, M. Charles-Francois-Bienvenu Myriel was Bishop of D——.
5) There exists in the world no odor that is comprable to Paris on a summer day.

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Game 51, impending deadlines
Tomorrow will be the deadline to voting on Paul Clifford (http://the-book-game.livejournal.com/267310.html) and lines for Les Mis (http://the-book-game.livejournal.com/267109.html).

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Game 51, book 2 lines
And these are the lines for Book 2, Paul Clifford by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

1) ...rain drummed upon the roofs, rattled against the windows, found its way in through divers and sundry cracks and crannies in unmended walls, or pounded its entrance past fallen slates; wind wuthered wildly about the houses, shaking window-frames and toppling chimneys as if for its own amusement; here and there about the great, dark, brooding city snow crept in amongst the rain, turning it to sleet and chilling the very marrow of any poor soul forced to be abroad upon this most miserable of evenings - it was, I say, a dark and most stormy night on which my hero (for of course a novel must have a hero) first embarked on his most dubious career.
2) ...the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the house-tops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.
3) ...the rain pouring down in torrents of Noahic proportions while thunder like as to waken a slumbering god pealed across London, the setting of our narrative, alternating with flashes of lightning that assaulted the eyes of any unfortunate witnesses.

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Game 51, book 3
And as the last few offers for Paul Clifford come in (and assuming I haven't killed the game again), here's book 3 of this post-demicenturial round, and it's the tale of the moment: Les Miserables, in the Gutenberg-uploaded Hapgood translation.

( Amazon SynopsisCollapse )

( ExcerptCollapse )

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Game 51, book 1 results
1. Though they seemed portentious at the time, political machinations at the Synod would be the least of Septimus Harding's worries. Written by dangerdean; chosen by jeffr23.
2. Evensong had been particularly fine, and Septimus Harding hummed the Bach Magnificat as he exited the cathedral. Written by dorianegray.
3. The Rev. Septimus Harding was, a few years since, a beneficed clergyman residing in the cathedral town of ______; let us call it Barchester. Written by Anthony Trollope; chosen by dangerdean and shermarama.
4. The citizens of Barchester had always shown a great concern for their poor; a concern that they should not be seen by any visitor to the town in their unfortunate state. Written by shermarama; chosen by dorianegray and braisedbywolves.
5. It was a cold day in the town of Barchester when the events of this story first stirred to motion. Written by braisedbywolves.
6. It was, like most evenings in Barchester, the place in which this story is set, an evening as calm and reserved as the residents of that selfsame locality. Written by jeffr23.

Scores on the doors:
shermarama - 3
dangerdean - 2
All others yet to start!

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Game 51, book 2
A new kind of challenge this time out, as book 2 is Paul Clifford, by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, which has one of the most (in)famous opening lines of any book ever written. The infamous part is, however, but the beginning of a run-on sentence of nigh-epic proportions.

( The synopsisCollapse )

( And an extractCollapse )



The deadline is going to be Tuesday of next week. Email me on luke@phlegethon.org if (when) your line doesn't fit the box.

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