[Critias]

I appreciate it, fellas.  Hearing stuff like that (especially the comparisons to Mr. Findley's work) is just awesome.  It's really great to see that folks are enjoying it (same as when I write an adventure or something).

On the print run front:  that's outta my hands (as is any sequels).  We're officially at the "wait and see what The Powers That Be decide" stage of things, in a holding pattern to see if I can get a green light on any follow-up pieces, seeing what the potential might be for any sort of print options, etc, etc.  Personally -- and extra serious disclaimer time, for reals, this is just my opinion/daydream, nothing official -- I'd love to get to write a couple more e-books about this length, then bundle them up with an all-new one for a print release, somewhere down the line.  But, again, that's just my own, personal, ideal scenario type thing.

At the end of the day, CGL's a game company first and foremost, and the bulk of their logistics (editors, layout, artwork, etc), has to go to game books.  That's just the nature of the business, y'know?  So it all just depends on how well this one does, if we'll be able to get the go-ahead on any more, if they'll have the time and money to invest in print runs somewhere down the line, etc, etc.

And, again, I'll echo James' post -- by all means, feel free to Facebook-post or Tweet about it, tell your geek buddies, tell your reading buddies, and go post reviews and/or just a numerical rating, at whatever e-shop you got it.  Every little plug like that helps us out, especially when it comes to convincing the grown-ups to let us write more.   

[Crimsondude]

Crit needs more five-star reviews on Amazon, especially.


Just cut & paste mine if you have to. 

[Critias]

Crit needs more five-star reviews on Amazon, especially.


Just cut & paste mine if you have to. 

[Shadowjack]

I would definitely recommend this novel to any Shadowrun fan. I went through it pretty quickly and really enjoyed it. I particularly enjoyed the many references to items found within the core books, such as various guns, but I also liked the mention of brand name cigarettes and things like that, it really helped bring the world to life a little more for me. The main character is just awesome and really fits into the Shadowrun universe perfectly. I don't want to spoil anything with too many specifics but there were definitely some memorable lines The ending surprised me, too, and in a good way. Some parts of the book I found quite inspirational and immediately made me want to do more writing.

All in all, awesome job, Critias! I'd personally buy a ton of books like this, especially at such a reasonable cost. I liked the format of the book, too, especially the back and forth buttons. It really didn't have that difficult to read pdf style that many books have. Being able to click back and forth was very convenient and it made it easy to keep track of where I left off. Once again, great job!

[Critias]

I would definitely recommend this novel to any Shadowrun fan. I went through it pretty quickly and really enjoyed it. I particularly enjoyed the many references to items found within the core books, such as various guns, but I also liked the mention of brand name cigarettes and things like that, it really helped bring the world to life a little more for me.

"Target" was a cigarette brand I started using in some fanfic years ago it kind of stuck with me, so I figured using it as a name brand in here would work, too;  adds a little to the character to have an established favorite brand, brings back some of that classic film feel to have brand loyalty, and showcases just how long he's been smoking, I think.

WhiteBrite is just my own homebrewed name brand of Betel/CorpCandy/Jaw, that's also got some tooth whitening junk in it (the Betel part is why he chews it so damned much, for those familiar with the addiction rules).

The main character is just awesome and really fits into the Shadowrun universe perfectly. I don't want to spoil anything with too many specifics but there were definitely some memorable lines The ending surprised me, too, and in a good way. Some parts of the book I found quite inspirational and immediately made me want to do more writing.

Well, that's great to hear.  I know as full-on mysteries go this one wasn't terribly complicated or anything, but I'm glad to hear it had a few twists and some lines you liked.  And I figure just about the best thing anyone can say about "Neat" is either "it made me want to play Shadowrun" or "it made me want to do more writing," so that's much appreciated to hear.

All in all, awesome job, Critias! I'd personally buy a ton of books like this, especially at such a reasonable cost. I liked the format of the book, too, especially the back and forth buttons. It really didn't have that difficult to read pdf style that many books have. Being able to click back and forth was very convenient and it made it easy to keep track of where I left off. Once again, great job!

Cool, thanks!  The layout guy was our usual guy (who does all our sourcebooks and stuff, too), but I agree, it was nice to use a "real" ebook format instead of just a pdf.  I've tried reading both on my Kindle, and there's a big difference in interface and readability. 

[Shadowjack]

It's nice to hear what you thought about my review. I like to see things from your perspective, it adds more dimension to the experience as the reader. I forgot to mention, the cover art is great

[Valashar]

I bought it from DriveThru, and really want to read it, but have no idea what programs or devices are needed. What I have is my PC and my iPod touch w/ iBooks (that I almost exclusively use to house my SR .pdfs). Is there something I can buy and/or download, either program or app, to view the file types used for the book?

[Patrick Goodman]

Once you unzip it, you should have two files. One is a .mobi, which the Kindle uses. You can download the Kindle app from Amazon without any problems; it's how I read my copy on my Windows laptop.

I'm told by others that the .epub file should be readable in iBooks.

The first key, though, is unzipping the archive and getting those bad boys free.

[Shadowjack]

I couldn't open mine at first so I tried using Sumatra pdf reader and it worked perfectly.

http://download.cnet.com/Sumatra-PDF/3000-18497_4-10698785.html

[Justice]

I just finished up with this after getting it on Drivethrurpg (I had a book on the go that I wanted to finish first). I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. The comparisons to Nigel Findlay's work are fair and not only is it a really fun, well-written story, there are enough game references to make it fun for Shadowrun RPG players. Being in the finance field, I couldn't help but laugh and applaud the street names for Jimmy's support players.

Catalyst should definitely publish more material of this nature and they should let you write something a little longer too because this has only whet my appetite for Shadowrun fiction again. Fantastic job.

[Critias]

Thanks, Justice, it's great to keep hearing that.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Being in the finance field, I couldn't help but laugh and applaud the street names for Jimmy's support players.

Glad someone caught the little joke there.   

[Justice]

There is something I'm curious about Critias. Did you actually play or observe any of these characters in a tabletop game or are they completely fictional creations for the novella? If you did play then in a tabletop game, did that help you with the writing process in any way?

[rasmusnicolaj]

Really enjoyed that read.
Incredible attention to details and Kincaid is a wonderful belivable character with lots of flaws and personality.

Well it could have been longer and more importantly there could be a sequel; several sequels actually. And a DTF would look really cool on my shelf
 

Crit needs more five-star reviews on Amazon, especially.

Made one on rpg.drivethrough.com where I bought it.

Rasmus

[Critias]

Really enjoyed that read.
Incredible attention to details and Kincaid is a wonderful belivable character with lots of flaws and personality.

Well it could have been longer and more importantly there could be a sequel; several sequels actually. And a DTF would look really cool on my shelf
 
Made one on rpg.drivethrough.com where I bought it.

Thanks for all that, Rasmus.  I'm really glad the character's going over so well with the fans, Kincaid's a lot of fun to write.  And don't forget, if you like him, I've snuck him into a few pieces of intro fic (Twilight Horizon and Dirty Tricks both have him, TH moreso).  So you can hunt him up in a few other places, too. 

And I appreciate the review, even if I grinned a little when you called me "Critias" in it.   

There is something I'm curious about Critias. Did you actually play or observe any of these characters in a tabletop game or are they completely fictional creations for the novella? If you did play then in a tabletop game, did that help you with the writing process in any way?

Nope, I haven't played anything with any of 'em.  They're all just from/for the fiction.  I do have some pretty solid stats in mind for Kincaid, I know what abilities Ariana the ally spirit has, etc, etc.  I always keep the rules in mind when I'm writing, I know what magic can (and can't) do in the game world, and that sort of thing...so I do my best to make sure to keep things "real" for how it all works in the universe.

Now, all that said (about not playing them, or anything)...I am thinking about picking up a fedora and a cheap trenchcoat, and looking into tossing Kincaid into the Shadowrun Scramble at GenCon next year. 

[Valashar]

Once you unzip it, you should have two files. One is a .mobi, which the Kindle uses. You can download the Kindle app from Amazon without any problems; it's how I read my copy on my Windows laptop.

I'm told by others that the .epub file should be readable in iBooks.

The first key, though, is unzipping the archive and getting those bad boys free.

Much thanks. Can confirm that the .epub opens in iBooks, and Neat is now to be sapping my productivity between customers.