Settlers of Catan – the book!

Nov 3, 2015 | Literature | 0 comments

The year is 850. In the seas of northern Europe, the small coastal village of Elasund falls prey to marauding neighbors. Their food stores pillaged, women and children stolen, livestock destroyed, the villagers are left to barely survive the harsh winter — and contemplate a drastic solution to their recurring hardships: leaving the only village they have ever known. Foster brothers Candamir and Osmund lead their people on an epic quest to a mythic island home, but without knowledge of exactly where the island is, they must trust the gods to deliver them safely. Lost at sea and set adrift, an extraordinarily violent storm washes them ashore the island famed in pagan lore: Catan. They quickly set about building a new society but old grudges, animosities, and social orders lead to fraternal strife. As the ideals of Candamir’s Christian slave spread throughout the village and conflict with pagan law, the two belief systems clash. When both Osmund and Candamir fall in love with Siglind, the mysterious queen of the Cold Islands, things come to a head. Based on the wildly popular board game of the same name designed by Klaus Teuber, Rebecca Gable’s The Settlers of Catan is a must-read adventure rich in detail and rippling with intensity

Earlier this year I went to GenCon (the best 4 days in gaming!) and one of the most ridiculous things I picked up there was a hard cover leather bound copy of the “Settlers of Catan” book.  Its a book about the characters in the board game.  I am not a huge fan of the board game but when I saw this item I couldn’t pass it up.

How I imagine the book:

Jane looked over to Robert, rugged in his manliness while he chopped wood.  She knew the time was now or never, she urged her flock over to him.

“Robert, can you please trade me 3 wood for 1 wool?”

“I don’t need any wool right now, I am waiting on bricks – do you have bricks?” replied Robert

Jane did have bricks, but if she traded it she would never be able to complete her road.

“I’m sorry, I can’t”, she replied morosely, “Can’t we please trade, How about 2 wool?”

“No!” replied Robert harshly, “I’m not going to help you after you let the Robber into my ore mine!”

and so on and so forth. (Yes I was totally giggling while writing that)

I haven’t had the opportunity to read it yet but from what I skimmed I think it will be awesome. I plan to appreciate it ironically but who knows – the book does have 4 stars on Amazon over 111 reviews so it can’t be that bad – right? I mean, its not like people on Amazon have ever given high reviews to a terrible book right?  Don’t worry, I will report back once I finish to let you know how it goes…if you trade me 3 bricks for 1 wool…..