A small but powerful ode to GTA III in Wind Wielder

Grand Theft Auto III (GTA III) is one of the most memorable and controversial games ever. And one I had to at least give a nod to in Wind Wielder.

My Elementals of Nordica series carries a lot of nods and recognition to some of my favorite books, movies, and even video games from the 1990s and 2000s. And Wind Wielder goes so buck wild with them that I could write an entire blog post on how many Easter eggs to pop culture I injected.

Or, nods, to pop culture when it was still worth the distraction.

GTA III was one of them, so in Wind Wielder, during the thrashball subplot Sion Zona and his team, the Phoenix City Avengers, whose nickname is a nod to the MCU’s Avengers, play a team called the Liberty City Titans.

Of course, I wasn’t about to call them the Cocks, which was their name in GTA III. But Liberty City, being based on New York City, the name Titans was more appropriate, harkening to the Titans of New York, and currently the New York Jets.

Why recognize the controversial GTA III?

The game may’ve been inappropriate as hell, but it was f*cking hilarious. From mindless callers on Chatterbox F.M. to the entire city carrying a bit of an “underground” look to people diving out in front of your car to keep themselves from getting run over, it was unforgettable.

And when you go back through the game while in your 30s, it’s funnier than ever before:

• “That’s right. No more escort services for me!”
• “And I married a bus of a woman. Now I don’t feel sick every time I open my eyes.”
• “My mother’s my sister.”
• “That’s not a massager.”

The list never ends. But for a legacy title like GTA III, oh, it was going in Wind Wielder, a book that doesn’t truly fit into any one genre. It’ll piss off readers the same way GTA III will piss off serious people who think life is “not a game.”

Other pop culture odes in Wind Wielder

Sion Zona’s personality is based on a mixture of cocky and controversial NFL players. So much, that some early readers of Wind Wielder hated Sion because of the way he acts, calling him “immature,” “an ass,” and “not likable.”

And they’re not wrong. I mean, if you take a young Kyler Murray, Terrell Owens, and Michael Irvin, you get Sion Zona. Sion also had a ritual where he would run toward midfield following a win, step on the center logo, and spread his arms to the sky.

Once, a player with the last name Teague lost his temper and tackled Sion following the game when he tried doing this after an Avengers win. That, of course, was a reference to George Teague hitting Owens at the Dallas Cowboys’ midfield logo.

Thrashball itself came from the game Gears of War, when it was mentioned a supporting character once played the sport.

I also wrote this book during the COVID crisis, and had a blast taking jabs at the mainstream media, academia, and “the science.” And in Tarja Titan, a sister series starter to Wind Wielder, one of the antagonists caused the lab leak in Wuhan.

There’s also a bit of Walker: Texas Ranger in this one, given Sion’s ability to take on three, four, and even five opponents at once during elemental duels. Complete with a proficiency in boxing and martial arts.

So, while Wind Wielder is a work of fiction set in its own world, it doesn’t fall short of real-world odes. So, if you’re into that, check it out at my Payhip store and get it for free.