On The Go is a new feature which tests Remedy products while travelling. Perfect for your commute to work or while travelling on holiday. This could be mobile games or books, anything small enough to be part of a regular journey. Today we're looking at the Alan Wake novelization by writer, Rick Burroughs.
The History
To coincide with the launch of Alan Wake on May 15th, Tor Books published an adaption written by writer, Rick Burroughs. The novel is available as a paperback in online and local stores, with an eBook edition available on Kindle. There are two editions of the paperback, with an earlier run featuring a slightly larger design, and the later edition being the traditional standard size for a paperback novel.
The book is a faithful adaption of Alan Wake's narrative, but includes additional scenes and details exclusive to the novel.
The Premise
If you've played the game, the story premise is going to sound pretty familiar to you! In the bid to temporarily escape the hectic city life and responsibilities, world-renowned author Alan Wake, and his photographer wife, Alice, travels to the Pacific Northwest, to Bright Falls. While hoping to relax, Alan comes to the realisation that the trip was not all it seemed to be, with the rented-cabin's study housing his typewriter, brought with them on vacation by his wife. After a heated argument, Alan storms off into the dark as, unbeknownst to him, something kidnaps Alice. Seeing her form below the water, he jumps in after her.
A week later, Alan awakens in his car having missed the past seven days. The cabin and island he was staying at is gone; seemingly submerged since the 70s, and Alice is nowhere to be seen. As dark figures lurk in every corner, and pages from a manuscript he has no memory of writing keeps resurfacing, Alan must track down what mysteries are shrouding Bright Falls, and find out how to get Alice back.
Approachability
Whether you've played Alan Wake or not, the book is a brand new experience. If you've played it, you can relive the story while on the go and experience it in a different medium. But if you can't play the game, it provides a way to experience the story, naturally it's not EXACTLY like playing the game but the mysteries will keep you hooked from beginning to end.
Availability
The Alan Wake novelization is still available and is old in bookstores and online. A paperback edition can be tracked down on sites such as Amazon and AbeBooks, but it's perhaps easier (and much quicker!) to buy the novel as a Kindle eBook.
Overall Verdict
Despite being both Remedy novelizations, the novels for Quantum Break: Zero State and Alan Wake feels miles apart. While both were written in time for the game's launch, with overlaps of the game's story, they feel so different. Zero State used ideas that were rejected by the studio such as the Joyce Farm and scenes from the End of Time, whereas the Alan Wake novelization sticks closely to the story told in the game.
But just because it doesn't stray away from the original source material, doesn't mean that if you've played the game you shouldn't pick it up. Burroughs expands on certain scenes and adds other across Wake's journey through Bright Falls. At the start, it nicely sets up that the small town has some unexplained mysteries before the couple had reached Bird Leg Cabin, with Alan stumbling across a wrecked car in the middle of the woods.
When it comes down to price, getting hold of a copy isn't going to cost too much. The paperback edition can vary in price depending on the bookstore, but the Kindle edition is just a few pounds, and cheaper than most eBooks on that platform. Plus as it holds 4.5 starts on Amazon UK by twenty readers, so it's definitely worth a go!
