If you’re still stuck at home, the Ark Fantastic staff brings more stuff for you to read!
We know, we know… A gargantuan amount of those unplayed games you have in your library won’t play themselves, and we won’t even mention all those movies and TV shows you might have in your watchlist.
But, come on! It’s a perfect time to read more books! Following our first part of our favourite books, we have asked the rest of our staff to give their say. And all of a sudden, you have more awesome books to read! So without further ado, read on!
Zlatko Drusko
Zlatko, our Ark Fantastic concept artist is a veteran of illustration and comics, known for his work on various children’s maps including World Map, Animal Map, and many others. He has recently turned his attention to the digital medium after a successful Kickstarter campaign for Werewolf playing cards for which he is the main artist, but he is probably most known for his work on possibly the most famous Croatian cartoon, Leteći Medvjedići (The Little Flying Bears). Zlatko’s favourite books after the break!
Power of Silence (Carlos Castaneda)

Carlos Castaneda went to Mexico, or so the legend goes and found a shaman who explained everything to him. These books were very influential in the hippie era due to obvious reasons.
Get it on Amazon
The teachings of Don Juan (Carlos Castaneda)

Another book by Castaneda, on how he met the shaman in the Indian community that was closed to the outside world. American students later searched far and wide for this community but never found it.
Get it on Amazon
Active side of infinity (Carlos Castaneda)

Yet another book by Castaneda. A kind of “best of” of his teachings… A good starter for the whole crazy trip.
Get it on Amazon
Ivana Radic
Ivana, our 2D animator, has worked on a variety of award-winning animations including those for the documentary Chris the Swiss which debuted on Cannes 2018. Her own animated short “Misplaced Memories” was featured on Animafest Zagreb in June 2019. Look at what are Ivana’s favourite books you may want to read! (Actually these are her second favourites, as her actual top 3 was already mentioned by others – 1984, Dune, Brave New World).
Blindness (Jose Saramago)

I was always very interested in literature that imagines post-apocalyptic/ dystopian futures because of human psychology and the lines between socially constructed and „natural“ behaviours that question morality. This book vividly describes all the gore and chaos that happens when people are threaten with the unknown to the point of panic, and how fragile social norms and morality truly are.
Get it on Amazon
Let the right one in (John Ajvide Lindqvist)

As a fan of Scandinavian film and literature, I consider this book to be a great example of how vampires don’t have to be romanticised in a sexual or overly melodramatic way to still have a mysterious and exciting appeal.
Get it on Amazon
Notes of a dirty old man (Charles Bukowski)

There was a period in my life when I only read Bukowski and Welsh (in my drunken punk “too cool for school” days) but they had big impact on my work and the way I accept/express freedom of thought today, so they should be mentioned. They write about the worst and the best things in life in a very unapologetic and raw way that gave me a whole new understanding of beauty and ugliness, life, and romance.
Get it on Amazon
Serena Vanic
Serena has recently finished the bachelor degree of the PAR Business School in Rijeka but decided to pursue a career developing indie games instead. Her latest game, Warmth, won third place on Global Game Jam Rijeka, after which she joined Gamechuck.
Serena also wrote a really cool blog about the character creation for Trip the Ark Fantastic. Make sure to read it!
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bardbury)

The book that got me hooked on dystopian science fiction. Basically i like to see how humans behave in different social settings different from ours and our norms.
Get it on Amazon
Dune (Frank Herbert)

It’s is cool because it gives me inspirations for various characters… Reading it is like your mind is tripping, but without the drugs.
Get it on Amazon
Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)

It’s good for the mind to stay calm during stressful times like these.
Get it on Amazon
Lucija Pilic
Lucija is our experienced PR and business-development manager. Absolutely adores adventure games, and she’s probably able to name each and ever yone she has played to date. Now she is here to recommend some of her most favourite books!
Lucija Pilic
Hopscotch (Julio Cortázar)

If Kentucky Route Zero is the prime example of an “anti-game” (which I believe it is), then Hopscotch is its literary equivalent, the ultimate “antinovel.” You don’t get a story here; you get a puzzle with multiple solutions and endings. You get to decide how it starts, how it finishes and what it truly means. You are as culpable as the author.
Get it on Amazon
Anna Karenina (Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy)

Like many of my peers, I didn’t much like Anna or Leo in high-school. There’s a lot to hate about this novel: lengthy depictions of the 19th-century Russian political system no one asked for, Tolstoy joining in on the condemnation of Anna’s behavior, occasional racism thrown at Lidia Ivanovna and her “slanted eyes…” But on my recent revisit of the book, I was mind-blown by all the little details that make each chapter of the book unique and memorable, whether it’s a description of Anna’s deteriorating mental health, weird jokes about nihilists or a chapter based on a dog’s POV. Also, Trip the Ark Fantastic fans might enjoy lengthy depictions of the 19th-century Russian political system and wonder at the ignorance of even the noblest Russian aristocracy of what’s to come at the turn of the next century.
Get it on Amazon
Blockbuster (Zoran Zmiric)

Possibly the best Croatian anti-war novel, Blockbuster tells a story about a band of brothers in the Croatian War of Independence and a “nameless” soldier, who joins their headquarters by sheer circumstance. Although he speaks a common language, he seems to have forgotten his name, religion and nationality, arguably the most important character traits during the Yugoslav Wars. If you’re searching for a compassionate, politically correct historical drama with a happy ending, read anything but.
Fun trivia: the author of this book is one of the legendary game journalists/columnists in Croatia.
Get it on here (in Croatian)
Give us your book suggestions!
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