A journey through the stories, worlds, and wonders of books and video games.
Good day all. I am actively writing a book and in between chapters, to work out my writing skills, I will be writing short stories. I will post these, which will not be often, on the days I will regularly post my blogs.
Stay tuned for my next post on Sunday: Kingdom Come Deliverance.
Digital Archiver signing off.
Hello all. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, I am unable to post regularly. Please let me know if you’ve enjoyed the content so far. I have enjoyed making these posts as I feel they provide a little outlet for me.
Thank you all again.
Digital Archiver signing off.
In the novel itself, I am currently in Volume II, Part Three, Chapter XII. This book is a big one, but beautifully done. This post will have SPOILERS in it. Archiver, be warned. This post will be a long one as well.
This will be a recap of all the way up to where I currently am. I should have covered some of this in my first post, but I did not. My third post on this book will be much cleaner since I do not have to recap much of this, and I will actually talk more about the atmosphere and how I feel about the story, but you may be able to glean some of that through my writing of the recap.
Volume I, Part I: This section starts with a party, introducing Prince Andrei, who seeks glory through combat rather than nobility, and soon-to-be Count Pierre, whose father dies at the end of the section, leaving him one of the richest men in Russia but not the most popular. The Rostovs then enter the picture. The son who seeks to do his part and gain glory through the war, and the daughter who is all too happy with life. Lastly, there’s Boris, whose mother pushes for the best for him, becomes a member of the guard.
Part II: War. Prince Andrei is an aide to the commander-in-chief. They are preparing for a battle at Schongraben. The Prince explores the grounds before the struggle to inspect the situation and see what he would do to make their situation better. During the battle, the Russians are forced to retreat from the advancing French.
Nikolai Rostov is with his boss and friend Denisov. Rostov faces a moral and honor dilemma when he discovers an officer stealing Denisov’s money. In the battle at Schongarben, Rostov goes out on horseback, ready to meet glory. He is wounded and flees to hide among trees. He survives the battle and retreats with artillerymen.
Part III: Pierre is taken under the advisement of Prince Vassily, who cares only for his gain. Prince Vassily orchestrates for his daughter to marry Pierre.
Rostov sends a letter to his family informing them that he was worried but is fine and needs more money. Later, he meets Prince Andrei, whom he doesn’t like because of a bias, since the Prince is a staff officer, but he also has a modicum of respect for the Prince. In the battle of Austerlitz, Rostov volunteers to scout out the enemy and is later sent to bring a message to the Commander-in-Chief or the emperor. He finds the emperor but is disappointed in the humanity of the emperor, having lifted him so high in his mind that he decides to retreat with all the rest.
Prince Andrei meets with Boris for the first time, and this is where he encounters Rostov telling of his story at Schongarben, which Prince Andrei doesn’t care about. The Prince doesn’t care for Rostov but tries to be cordial with him. At the Battle of Austerlitz, the Prince rushes in, picking up a standard and facing the enemy. He becomes gravely wounded, has an existential crisis (starting his journey from atheism), and is captured by the enemy. He meets Napoleon, the Prince’s idol, but is unable to talk. The Prince is considered to be unworthy of further care and is left in village care. He is thought by all to have died in the battle.
Volume II, Part I: Rostov returns to his home. Enjoys the glory he receives and goes out partying instead of spending time with the woman, Sonya, he cares for and who loves him. Gets into debt with his “friend” Dolokhov. Dolokhov proposed to Sonya, and she rejected him. He knows it’s because of Rostov. The debt puts Rostov’s family in a bind.
Pierre attends a party at the Rostovs. He has been hearing a rumor about an affair between his wife and Dolokhov. After challenging Dolokhov to a duel and wounding, but not killing him, he returns home. Here, his wife says he is a fool for believing the rumor, and he angrily tells her to leave. He proceeds to go to Petersburg and leaves a considerable amount to his wife, but does not see her again for years.
Boris gets a better position with the help of Prince Andrei’s connections. He seeks to be in the same places as those of importance.
Prince Andrei yet lives. He comes home to his wife giving birth. She dies giving birth, but their son lives. He decides that he no longer wants glory from the battlefield and instead secludes himself in the countryside with his sister and son. He contrasts with his father, who now wishes to serve.
Part II: Pierre throws Prince Vassily out of his house and meets a freemason during his travels. He became a freemason himself, seeking to be better. Going to his countryside estate, he wants to do better for his servants. His aide “helps” him do this. The aide has his own agenda, and the good that can be seen of Pierre’s efforts is only on the surface. Later, he visits Prince Andrei and has a long talk about good and evil.
Prince Andrei’s baby becomes sick but makes it through it. The talk with Pierre does have an effect on him, but it will be realized at a later date.
Rostov meets back up with his regiment. His friend Denisov gets into trouble after taking food meant for another regiment to provide for his own. Denisov gets wounded, and Rostov goes to meet him. He then takes a letter to give to the emperor on behalf of Denisov, and this is where the two emperors, Russian and French, have their truce meeting.
Boris befriends Helene, the wife of Count Pierre.
Part III: (This is where I am in the story.)
It’s been two years, and Prince Andrei now seeks to serve again, although in a more administrative role. He encounters the lovely Natasha Rostov, who seems not to notice him. His feelings are mixed about her. Doesn’t care for her but is perplexed that she doesn’t seem to look his way. The Prince meets with a man named Sperankey, who was not born into nobility but who is making a name for himself.
Pierre becomes conflicted with his masonic journey. He believes in the teachings, but not all the Masons seem to be what they should be. He travels abroad to learn more masonic teachings and brings back his thoughts to his lodge in Petersburg. They don’t like his thoughts because they seem related to Illuminism. He begins to live with his wife again after she sent him a letter requesting they reconcile.
The Rostov family travels to Petersburg, and Berg proposes to the eldest daughter, Vera. The Rostovs’ financial situation is worsening.
Closing Remarks
One can definitely see the going back in forth from war and peace. The world feels so lived in and explores many matters such as: politics, morals, honors, good and evil, and so on.
The next post (four weeks from now) will be cleaner. I’ll talk about the lore and analyze it. I wanted to give a recap so that I am not just starting from nowhere. I wish I could explore this in greater detail, but that may be left to a future post or a YouTube video, should I eventually start one.
If you have read any of my other posts, please tell me what you think. Do you have any constructive criticism to help me improve The Digital Archive’s content?
Stay tuned for Thursday: Top 5 Worlds I’d Vacation in if I Could.
Digital Archiver signing off.
Leaving our world for another, even temporarily, can give us the rest we desire from our busy lives. However, could there be a dark side to it? Escaping into another world can heal the mind, but can it also take control of it?
Gaming and reading are much more beneficial than doom scrolling, but only in moderation.
The Allure of Escapism (Why We Seek Other Worlds)
Sometimes we feel trapped in our day-to-day lives, and these worlds give us the freedom we need to just disconnect and actually do something we enjoy.
Lore-rich worlds provide that in-depth feel of actually being there. It’s fun to look into a world you already love and try to connect the pieces within it like a puzzle. What’s even more fun is discovering something within the world that you didn’t know before; it gives you that feeling of being the only one with this knowledge.
Escapism can be a form of self-care. Letting your brain unwind and rest. Like letting a computer file the day away in rest mode. Gaming makes you map out the world in your head, and reading makes you use your imagination. both of these are great for building those neurological connections in the brain, especially when learning something new.
When Escaping Becomes Avoidance (The Potential Harm)
Every virtue can become a vice if not done in moderation.
I like to game for an hour and read two chapters a day. If I do more than this, I feel like I am neglecting the responsibilities in my life. I end up feeling like I need to try to live life and get the same feeling out of it if I can. You can move on to another fantasy world, but not another real world.
There may be a time when one will be thinking in terms of the world that they were in while living in the real world. Thereby, confusing the two worlds instead of keeping them separate. This can distort one’s social interactions.
It can be unhealthy not to compartmentalize between what’s fantasy and what’s real. Going about your daily life, always thinking about the world you want to escape back into, instead of living life. I sometimes have a hard time going to sleep because I’m thinking about the next book or game I’m going to get into. Although I’d rather that keep me up than worry about the next day, but still we need our sleep.
Finding the Balance (Healthy Escapism)
We can use these fictional worlds to help us reflect on our own reality. Compare and contrast. Wish things were better and motivate us to make it so. Likewise, be grateful that our world isn’t as bleak or dreadful as some of the fictional worlds we get into.
Why do you escape? To rest, dream, or to hide? For me, it used to be to hide. Now I rest in these worlds and dream of a better tomorrow.
Try journaling about what you’ve read or played. Reflect on the situation and characters and on what you can learn from them. Use this opportunity to explore themes previously unknown to you, whether bleak or exciting.
Call to Awareness and Wonder
Be warned that too much of anything, even if it’s good, can turn into something bad. We could end up worshipping something created in our world instead of the Creator, our Lord and Savior, of it.
Games and books can be tools for us to recollect ourselves and grow. These tools must be used properly and not taken for granted.
What do you think about this?
I am going to transition to more lore-based posts on Sundays, rather than just reviews. Not saying I won’t do reviews, but just not as much. If you have anything you’d like me to cover, please reach out. If not, please reach out anyway and say Hi.
Stay tuned for Sunday: Currently Reading: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, Part 2.
Digital Archiver signing off.