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Recommendations
Below are
some suggestions for movies and books that provide an inspirational source.
If you have any recommendations of your own, don't hesitate to send
them to me.
For recommendations of White Wolf publications, go
to the Essential Books.
Fiction Books:
- Point of Impact, by Stephen Hunter - A
Vietnam veteran is framed by a covert operations team. A sniper
extravaganza that'll keep you turning pages well after midnight.
- The Heat of Ramadan, by Steven Hartov -
The Mossad vs terrorists in a true cloak & dagger game of espionage
and assassination.
- The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, by Richard
Zimler - A mystical thriller set in Lisbon during the 16th century.
Despite (or because of) its Renaissance setting it provides an exquisite
example of Assamite sorcerers and scholars at work.
- 1To Reign in Hell, by Steven Brust - An
alternate story of Lucifer's fall, this is a pretty darn good tale of
how near-omnipotent beings can find themselves on that slippery slope
despite the best of intentions. I was fortunate enough to find an
old copy of this in a used bookstore about a year before the most recent
re-issue, and was reading it around the time I wrote the history chapter
of the CBRev. Cast Haqim as God, and extrapolate from there...
- 4Tuareg, by Alberto Vázquez-Figueroa - The history
of a tuareg warrior (also called "imohag") that is forced to
face western influence and domination in his country in the decade of
1930.
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Non-Fiction Books:
- 1A History of the Arab Peoples, by Albert Hourani -
This historical and cultural overview of Southwest Asia starts with the
birth of Islam and continues forward to the present day. It
provides a good view of how Islamic religion and culture are
inextricably linked, with a decent amount of Koranic verse quoted to
illustrate specific points.
- 1Bravo Two Zero, by Andy McNab - This is the
true (allegedly, I haven't cross-checked) story of a British SAS patrol
in Iraq during the Beach Party with Guns in 1991. Good for a
decent depiction of what modern elite forces do, what they don't do, and
how a well-planned op can go completely to hell as a result of one wrong
decision.
- 1Book of the Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi -
Another warrior philosophy, somewhat at odds with both Sun Tzu and
Machiavelli, but no less deserving of examination.
- The Art of War, by Sun Tzu - The essence
of the book is to defeat your enemy without resorting to violence. A
true must-have for the tactical thinkers among us.
- 1The Assassins: A Radical Sect in Islam, by Bernard
Lewis - While I trash on this one a lot, it's not a bad
book. Its primary sin, in my eyes, is in being the apparent sole
resource that was used for the initial views of the Assamites.
This covers just what the title says: a radical sect. It thereby
completely ignores the vast majority of Islam, and thereby should not be
taken as representative of the whole. However, if you want to see
where the Web of Knives came from, check this one out.
- 1The Howdunit series, by Writer's Digest Books
- This series is a writer's guide to crime, both the commission
and the solution thereof. Highly recommended for anyone who
intends to play a character who stands out on either side of the law.
- 1The Middle East, by Bernard Lewis -
Ironically subtitled "A Brief History of the Last 2,000
Years," this book takes the birth of Christianity, rather than that
of Islam, as its starting point. It's a bit lighter on history
than the previous one, but heavier on modern cultural perspective.
- The Prince, by Nicollo Machiavelli - A
renassaince thinker explains the intricacies of politics and power to
his liege. If you want to portray an elder Vampire, this book must be
read.
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Movies:
- American Psycho - Wallstreet yuppie goes on a killing spree,
and gets away with it. As much a social critique as it is a
serial-killer film.
- Blade - A half-vampire with a grudge bags a few dozen vampires
before he faces off against the Big Boss. An explosive mix of action,
rebellion, mysticism and vampires. Don't take the film too seriously
though.
- Blade 2 - An even darker and grittier sequel to Blade.
Fantastic action sequences. The movie has an example of a wartime
coterie, where you could easily fit an Assamite or two in.
- Crying Freeman (live action version) - An average joe is turned
into a master assassin by an ancient Chinese cult. The film that
inspired me to create my longest-lasting Assamite character. A must-see.
- Ghost Dog, Way of the Samurai - A lone killer living by the
code of the Samurai is betrayed by his Mafiosi master. A leisurely-told
tale of a modern assassin.
- 1Grosse Pointe Blank - A lighter look at the
world of professional assassination, and one hit man's effort to
reconcile what he does with who he is. Not serious in the typical
sense of the word, but it does raise some points. For fun, make
John Cusack a warrior caste Assamite with some serious Schismatic
leanings, Minnie Driver his one-time Toreador paramour from a Camarilla
infiltration early in his career, Dan Aykroyd as his Loyalist hardliner
sire, Joan Cusack as his ghoul, and the NSA guys as wannabe archons out
to score Status.
- Hannibal - After a decade of hiding, the ultimate serial killer
returns to center stage. Hopkins' portrayal of the gentleman-killer is
highly entertaining and quite inspirational.
- Hard Boiled / The Killer / Face Off - John Woo flicks
extraordinaire. Fantastic fight scenes woven together by standard
plotlines. They provide inspiration for Assamite warrior characters as
well as ways of spicening up a fight scene in your story.
- Heat - A group of professional criminals tries to get away with
a major heist while being pursued by a group of equally professional law
enforcers. The film provides a quality example of a crime coterie. De
Niro and Pacino thrown in with superb action and an intricate plot.
- 2The Jackal - A ruthless
assassin (Bruce Willis) has been hired by international cutthroats to
eliminate someone at the very top of the U.S. government. His price: $70
million. Constantly on the move, changing his identity and location,
everything about this hitman, including his sinister timetable, is a
secret. He is known only as the Jackal. This is a great movie of an
Assamite working solo. It also illustrates the planning necessary to
undertake an assassination and the many skills an Assamite must have.
I'd recommend this for both standard Assamites and Web Of Knives
characters.
- La Femme Nikita - A naieve girl from the
streets is abducted by a covert government group and turned into an
assassin. The original French version has the English remake beat
several times over. Excellent fodder for stereotypical assassin-type
characters.
- Lawrence of Arabia - An epic tale of the Great War in the
Middle East. A stereotypical portrayal of Arabs, but it does give some
insight into the fractured structure of the region.
- Predator / Predator 2 - Alien hunter kills both good and bad
guys by the dozens. Part one is set in a jungle, part two takes the same
tale to a modern city. These testosterone-laden action flicks show an
assassin at its best.
- 1Ronin - As with Heat, this is an excellent
example of a crime coterie - in this case, a group of ex-military and
ex-intelligence service personnel hired for an op in Europe.
- The Crow - Not only a true World of Darkness movie, it also
shows some new and creative ways of dispatching your opponents. A young
man returns from the grave to avenge his murder, and the murder of his
fiance.
- The Mummy & The Mummy Returns - Who cares about the plot?
Special effects take center stage here. Despite their many flaws both
movies succeed in painting a thrilling setting of deserts, mysticism,
lethal enemies, and magic.
- The Ninth Gate - A young and ruthless book trader is sent on a
mission by a wealthy client to uncover the truth about a book of demonic
origin. Devilish and compelling, inspired me to create an Assamite
Sorcerer character.
- 5The Professional - Sure the assassin
dies, but he damn sure takes out the person that did him in. Shows the ethics
and theory of assassination contracts, explains how an Assamite Neonate might
work their way down the learning process.
- 5The Way of the Gun - This movie is a gritty, messy,
bloody, dark kidnap B-flick in which the entire cast
of characters is somewhere between wanton and
downright evil. Shows great gunplay with everything
from small arms pistols to shotguns and assualt rifles.
- 3The Wild Geese - An
older film (1978) starring Richard Burton, Roger Moore and Richard
Harris, about a group of mercenaries being hired to overthrow a vicious
dictator in central Africa. The movie is hard to find these days.
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Poetry:
- 1Rudyard Kipling's Barracks-Room Ballads collection
- While a bit dated, this is a good look at both military
life and war in Southwest Asia, as seen through Western European eyes.
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1 = Submitted by Clayton Oliver
2 = Submitted by John
3 = Submitted by Mase
4 = Submitted by Felipe de Oliveira
5 = Submitted by Rich Shirk
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