Big Jack Is Dead, the debut novel from Dishonored co-director Harvey Smith, is now available for free on Amazon.
You probably recognize the name Harvey Smith from last year’s big hit Dishonored, but his CV actually runs quite deep. He got his start on System Shock 2 and in the years following worked on BioForge, Deus Ex, Thief: Deadly Shadows, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic and many others. He’s also an author, having released his first novel, Big Jack Is Dead, in April to positive reviews: Kotaku called it “a grim, funny and ultimately good book,” and it’s racked up five stars across 29 customer ratings on Amazon.
All of this is relevant because the book, the digital edition of which normally sells for $9.68, is currently free, meaning that those of you who would categorize it in that odd sweet spot between “worth reading” and “not worth paying for” may now indulge in Smith’s creative efforts without compromising your bank accounts. Be aware, however, that this is not a Dishonored-style fantasy; it is instead about Jack Hickman, “an anti-social software exec who designs team-building applications in the late 1990s.”
“Controlled and calculating, his world begins to splinter when he learns – in the middle of a corporate meeting – that his father has committed suicide,” the Amazon book description states. “Returning home to the Gulf Coast, Jack struggles with a host of unresolved feelings as he buries the man he hated most.”
Pleasant stuff, eh? According to GamePolitics, there’s a fairly strong autobiographical element to the novel, but beyond that I have no idea what to tell you about it, since I haven’t read it myself – but it’s free, and Smith is obviously a pretty talented guy. I’ll let you take it from there.
Source: Amazon
Published: May 29, 2013 08:36 pm