"To enter a world of poetry and violence"

(Warning: This is a book review... The book in question is a novel, not a rulebook, nor a history book, it's even literature....)


Some time ago I read a small review in my favorite Dutch newspaper of a recently translated book by Roberto Bolaño. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed '2666', I was even more pleasantly surprised when I found out that a theme in the book was wargaming. In a word: A must read!

In the book the main character plays (rather fanaticly) the game "Rise and decline of the Third Reich", a classic Avalon Hill game. Apparantly mister Bolaño was a gamer himself and the way playing the game is depicted shows this; the game and the thoughts of the gamer are "true to nature" and feel realistic, even for a gamer like me :-)
Googling around I found this article on the book and other books referring to wargaming, so there's another shortlist of books in need or reading..)


Once more mister Bolaño managed to entertain, confuse and hook me and lead me into a bizarre and disturbing world, not unlike ours. The best way to describe it I found in this review: "To read Roberto Bolaño is to enter a world of poetry and violence.."


And last but not least, a service for (nearly all of) our readers, a link to the book in the local library...