Posts Tagged ‘chris brookmyre’

The Book about Video Gaming that became a Video Game: Christopher Brookmyre’s BEDLAM

Three years ago Orbit published BEDLAM, a science fiction novel by Scottish crime legend Christopher Brookmyre, with a protagonist who gets trapped in a video game. Fans of the book included Iain M. Banks, Charles Stross and comedian Ed Byrne.

Chris has been hard at work with Brighton-based games company Redbedlam to bring his dreams into reality (well, virtual reality) and now the video game they’ve designed has been unleashed! You can play Bedlam on PS4, Xbox One or download on Steam for PC.

The game takes place in the same world as the novel, with a brand new protagonist, Heather Quinn, voiced brilliantly and acerbically by Scottish actress Kirsty Strain. Read all about BEDLAM at the game’s official website, check out the reviews below or watch Chris himself taking the This Is Xbox team through the game in this video:

‘BEDLAM’s world and story are immensely likeable. It has a rare, caustic wit we don’t usually see in video games thanks to Brookmyre’s sense of humour, and Heather is the sort of leading lady we should see more of’ Gamesradar

The writing ‘provided a veritable Halloween-candy-stash-sandwiched-between-sofa-cushions-for-eight-months of unexpected treats’ Kotaku

‘Heather Quinn earns a spot as one of the best video game heroines ever, by virtue of tremendous writing and some stellar voice acting’ Venturebeat

‘BEDLAM plays just like shooters of old – you skate at high speeds through levels, circle-strafing enemies and even performing the occasional rocket-jump. There are countless name-checks of and references to familiar franchises’ Gameranx

Should You Stop Playing Video Games?

Bedlam by Christopher BrookmyreRoss Baker, the star of Christopher Brookmyre’s high-octane science fiction thriller, BEDLAM (UK|ANZ), can’t stop playing computer games. That’s because he’s trapped inside one.

The BEDLAM paperback comes out today, and to celebrate, we’ve teamed up with RedBedlam and Alienware for a fantastic BEDLAM-themed giveaway.

You could win one of six pieces of signed concept art from the upcoming BEDLAM computer game, or the Alienware X51, a gamer’s dream piece of hardware. If you’re based in the UK, head over to Chris’s blog to see the concept art and find out how to enter.

Chris and Orbit have also compiled this handy list, so you know when you’ve played too many computer games:

1. When you spot a CCTV camera, you flinch in case it’s directing a gun turret.

2. You notice a discoloured carpet tile, so you stomp on it in case it’s a pressure pad for opening  a secret area.

3. You are at the supermarket. Someone gets to the last frozen pizza before you. You call them “a camping b*stard”.

4. At work, your boss asks why you’re not getting as good results as your colleague. You explain that this is only because he’s got a lower ping than you.

5. You visit the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican. Staring up at Michelangelo’s handiwork on the ceiling, you are moved to remark: “Mmm. Nice textures.”

6. You’re watching Match of the Day. Man United notch up another bloody victory. You shout at the telly and accuse them of using bots.

7. Your date turns up wearing a new outfit. You say: “Hey, I dig the new skin.”

8. You’ve heard about a fantastic new novel called BEDLAM, so you know it’s time to put down the controller and pick up a paperback for a while. Now, where’s that save point?

This is BEDLAM

Feast your eyes on this cover for Christopher Brookmyre’s amazing SF novel – BEDLAM! (UK|ANZ) Cover design by Mark Swan and Nico Taylor.

The cover of BEDLAM shows a man falling into a vortex

Would it be your ultimate fantasy to enter the world of a video game? A realm where you can fly space-ships, shoot zombies and slay dragons, yet all of it feels completely real.
Or would it be your worst nightmare? Stuck in an endless state of war and chaos where the pain feels real and from which not even death can offer an escape . . .
This is where you find out if you’re in a prison or a playground.
This is BEDLAM.

Coming February 2013.

“Like the best Science Fiction books, Bedlam utilises an alternative reality to pose deep philosophical questions about the human condition. Like the best Christopher Brookmyre books it also has funny jokes, characters you can empathise with and devastatingly employed swear words . . .” – comedian Ed Byrne

http://www.brookmyre.co.uk/