Avatars of Story, hot off the press from University of Minnesota, well, Press, is no life-changer, but it makes for a marginally interesting read. Written by Marie-Laure Ryan, an independent scholar from Colorado with a number of related books to her credit, the hefty hardback offers something of an overview of the manifestations of narrative in new (i.e. electronic) media over the last twenty-five years, with a specific hankering for testing out the pliancy of these different "avatars of story."
The book is clearly intended for the likes of academia; no carefree frolics through cyberspace here. Ryan's tone shifts from dense but captivating to just plain dense. Specifically, her first section, "Narrative in Old Media," seems lifeless and bland (Think bad high school textbook) in comparison to the palatable, even tasty chapters of her second section, "Narrative in New Media," which become much more readable--and interesting. Chapter 6 in particular, "Interactive Fiction and Storyspace Hypertext," is just waiting to make some lucky professor a handy-dandy new undergraduate reading assignment.
But even the good parts have their shortcomings. Ryan can come off as judgemental--of gamers, TV watchers, and culture in general. She sometimes strays off topic; occasionally for an entire chapter (What, pray tell, does the success of Survivor, really have to do with narrative?). Her discussion of games in her chapter on ludology vs. narratology can't help but seem archaic with reoccurring outdated examples like The Sims--and not a single mention of a virtual world. Plus, she makes light of some things that just seem wrong: like the writing of game developers, and the internet; wouldn't you think, in a book about new media, that online resources deserve to be cited just as clearly as papers in print?
Avatars of Story has its useful moments, but it doesn't say anything revolutionary. The real trouble with its approach is this: If you're a big fan of the subject matter, chances are Ryan has nothing new to offer you. And if you're not--honestly--you're not going to want to read through this book.
