The Granite Book

by James Mitchelhill

Surreal
2002

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Reviews and Ratings

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4 star:
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Number of Ratings: 10
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1-12 of 12


- Edo, August 17, 2023

>INVENTORY - Paul O'Brian writes about interactive fiction

At no time during this game did I have any clear conception of what was supposed to be going on. At various points, I thought that the PC might be a king, a transient, a guy on a date, a psychopath, a spirit, or a troll. Perhaps he's the itinerant ghost of an insane troll king, looking for love. I really have no idea... I can imagine solving the game without the hints, if I was lucky enough to guess at the right interpretation of its descriptions, but I can't imagine understanding it. I can't exactly say that's a defect in the game -- who knows, maybe I'm just not bright enough to get it? But I can authoritatively say that I didn't enjoy it.

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- kwall777, April 25, 2020

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A darkly atmospheric game that does interesting narrative tricks, July 16, 2017
by MathBrush
Related reviews: 15-30 minutes

This game casts you as an unusual 'we', with unusual descriptions of rooms and a bizarre atmosphere.

I am surprised this game is not discussed more; however, like most little-discussed games, this is likely due to the lack of cluing.

The game is reminiscent of some ancient dark ritual, of Beowulf or Peer Gynt.

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- Christina Nordlander, May 26, 2013

- Sam Kabo Ashwell (Seattle), April 16, 2012

- Grey (Italy), December 25, 2009

- Karl Ove Hufthammer (Bergen, Norway), January 15, 2009

- Linnau (Tel-Aviv, Israel), October 31, 2008

- Stephen Bond (Leuven, Belgium), October 26, 2007

- Quintin Stone (NC), October 23, 2007

Baf's Guide


A decidedly strange game that runs mostly on atmosphere. It's often creepy, with a first-person-plural player character (or set of characters?) and an environment suggestive of (maybe) some kind of ancient religion. Exactly what all the peculiar imagery means is a bit less clear. At times the writing is quite evocative, but there are also points where it seems to go over the top. The gameplay is likewise mixed, with one action in particular that is unnecessarily finicky about exact phrasing and behavior. In the end, though, it's the strange imagery that sticks in one's memory.

-- Emily Short

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