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CSI Creator Anthony E. Zuiker Takes eBook Cross Platform with Launch of Digi-Novel
Level 26: Dark Origins Now Available from App Store and iTunes Extras in Addition to Print
Merging literature and video seamlessly to create a unique multi-platform entertainment experience, Level 26: Dark Origins, the first-ever digi-novel™, is now available from the App Store, iTunes Extras and in print. The first in a trilogy, Level 26: Dark Origins, was written by CSI creator Anthony E. Zuiker, with Duane Swierczynski, and tells the gripping tale of a forensic proof serial killer so terrifying that his very existence has been concealed from the public. Following every 20 pages of prose, readers are able to watch a video on iTunes Extras, iPhone, or iPod touch that combines beautiful design with expanded visual features to bring the story to life, exactly where the book leaves off. The videos feature well-known Hollywood actors, crime scene documents, and special interactive features.
“The Level 26: Dark Origins App and iTunes Extras makes reading more entertaining than ever,” said Zuiker, who has a history of incorporating new technology and taking advantage of cross-platform media to draw new audiences to his projects. “We’re delivering new levels of engagement way beyond mere white pages.”
Level 26: Dark Origins takes full advantage of the revolutionary iPhone and iTunes Extras platforms to create a cinematic experience that flows naturally between chapters. Completing the digital experience is www.level26.com, which includes a full social network, Zuiker’s blog, and bonus material. Fans will be able to create their own storylines, ask Zuiker questions, and offer input on upcoming books in the Level 26 series. EQAL—the creative web team behind the infamous “lonelygirl15” hoax on YouTube—partnered with Zuiker to create the site. The app was built by 23 Divide, the company behind the Gigotron App (winner of best mobile app at SXSW 2009).
The Level 26: Dark Origins App is available for $12.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. The Level 26: Dark Origins iTunes Extras are available on the iTunes Store for $12.99.
The novel was released by Dutton in September and has already built a legion of fans through its Web site, www.level26.com.
About the book:
It is well known among law enforcement personnel that murderers can be categorized on a scale of twenty- five levels of evil, from the naive opportunists starting out at Level 1 to the organized, premeditated, torture-murderers who inhabit Level 25. What almost no one knows—except for the elite unnamed investigations group assigned to hunt down the world’s most dangerous killers, a group of men and women accounted for in no official ledger, headed by the brilliant but reluctant operative Steve Dark—is that a new category of killer is in the process of being defined.
Only one man belongs to this group.
His targets: Anyone
His methods: Unlimited
His alias: Sqweegel
His classification: Level 26
About the authors:
Anthony E. Zuiker is the award-winning creator/producer/writer of the top-rated series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, and CSI: NY. He wrote the 1999 film, The Runner and was a contributing writer to this year’s summer blockbuster, Terminator Salvation. He recently signed a two year first-look deal with CBS/Paramount. Zuiker is also writing his memoirs, Mr. CSI for Harper Collins.
Duane Swierczynski is the author of several crime related fiction, nonfiction, and comic books including Secret Dead Men, The Wheelman, This Here's a Stick-Up: The Big Bad Book of American Bank Robbery, and several issues of X-Men: The Times and Life of Lucas Bishop. Lion’s Gate Entertainment will produce the film version of his novel Severance Package, of which he will be writing the screenplay. Duane lives in Philadelphia with his wife and kids.
