Get 37 of my books for only $20
StoryBundle is offering a "Craddock Collection" for a limited time.
Greetings, readers,
StoryBundle.com (like Humble Bundle but for books) is offering a collection of 37 of my eBooks, all DRM-free. That’s less than one dollar per book and will net you over half the books in my collection, including bestsellers like Long Live Mortal Kombat and the first two volumes of Stay Awhile and Listen, some of my novels, early drafts of articles from my archives, a collection of short stories, and exclusives unavailable anywhere else.
If you’re interested, check out the bundle here.
As of this writing, you have just over 10 days to take advantage of the deal. Since there are so many books in this collection, I thought I’d take a moment to tell you a little about what makes each book special to me. For more info such as a book synopsis and preview, click the book’s cover art on the StoryBundle site.
Stay Awhile and Listen: Book 1
I'm still in awe that this book exists. Thirteen years ago, I made friends with a few ex-Diablo 1 and 2 developers, and couldn't believe no one had asked to write their story. This book was one of my first, and it remains one of my favorites. Enjoy.
Stay Awhile and Listen: Book 2
If you sunk untold hours into Diablo 2 or StarCraft, or have played later installments in those franchises and want to know what the hype was about, I humbly suggest that this book delivers. You'll hear from dozens of current and former Blizzard employees about how they made their secret sauce, and the growing battles that split the Blizzard empire down the middle.
Long Live Mortal Kombat: Round 1
I was such a big fan of Mortal Kombat through middle school and high school that kids and teachers called me "Mortal." I channeled that fandom into Long Live Mortal Kombat: Round 1, a book that explores how MK's arcade games were made, how they were ported to home platforms, and more.
Kool Stuff: Interviews From Long Live Mortal Kombat
If you've read any of my work, you know that brevity is not one of my strong suits. There's so much gaming history to explore that I have to include as many cool stories as possible. Rather than cut material I didn't use in Long Live Mortal Kombat: Round 1, I organized it as a collection of interviews and oral histories.
Rocket Jump: Quake and the Golden Age of First-Person Shooters
Growing up, Quake was more than a game to me. It was the first virtual arena where I fragged friends over phone lines, the first esports scene I followed, the first time I rocket-jumped to new heights. I sought to recapture that awe and magic in Rocket Jump by interviewing as many developers from id Software—and other influential FPS-game studios—as I could. I hope you enjoy it.
Shovel Knight (Boss Fight Books)
The games I played as a kid—and during high school and college, which also fall under the "kid" demographic—played huge roles in encouraging me to write about games today. The opportunity to interview the principal designers of Shovel Knight to write the Boss Fight Books-published book of the same name was an opportunity to explore the development processes of folks who, like me, carried a torch for the 8-bit games responsible for so many happy memories.
Stairway to Badass - Stories of Doom
The original Stairway to Badass—one of my favorite titles—focused on Doom 2016. For this re-release, I wanted to expand it to collect more of the long reads originally published on Shacknews, including my thorough interview with John Romero on the making of his SIGIL expansion for Doom. Including more information on Doom games modern and classic shows how connected their designs really are, and gives you, dear reader, more Doom stories to enjoy.
Heritage: Book One of the Gairden Chronicles
Did you know I write novels? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. My writing about video games is far more prolific, but as a storyteller, I like to branch out. Heritage was my first novel, and it's fitting that the 10-year anniversary be celebrated with a brand-new cover and new release. Remember to listen closely—the sword speaks.
Heritage: The Alpha Draft
Heritage is my first novel. Not just the first novel I sold to a publisher and had published. The first book I wrote. Most authors relegate the first novel (and often their second, their third…) to the proverbial trunk, viewing it as a lesson and moving on to other stories. But I believed in Heritage, so I kept revising until it reached a point where I was thrilled with the characters, the world, and the story. Getting there was no easy task. I'm presenting this alpha draft, the first accepted for publication—and I'm glad it wasn't for reasons you'll discover—as a lesson in what could have been.
One word of advice: Don't read the alpha draft of Heritage first. Read the finished novel, included in this StoryBundle, and then come back to see how much the book changed.
Point of Fate: Book Two of the Gairden Chronicles
Point of Fate was one of the most difficult books I've ever written. Writing from one character's perspective is hard enough. Juggling three or more—that's a feat. But I did it, and I'm as proud of the results today as I was when my publisher released the book in 2018. It's back with me, now, feted with a new cover, and for you to enjoy.
Dungeon Hacks
People can't get enough of roguelikes, a genre that dates back to mainframes and teletype. Luckily for me, they can't get enough of Dungeon Hacks, my seminal book about the creation of foundation roguelike RPGs, either. Enjoy this deep dive into the making of the forebearers of the genre, and the influences they have on the games of today.
One-Week Dungeons
This book was born of a whim. Once upon a time I aspired to be a programmer, until I discovered I liked writing stories more than I liked writing code. I was curious about game jams—making a game under a strict time limit, from a few hours to a few days—and sought out some amateur coders to follow as they aspired to make a game in one week while jugging work, family, and other real-life stuff.
GameDev Stories 1-10
GameDev Stories 1 was the first manifestation of my idea to open my interview archives and share some (but hardly all) of the conversations that had informed various books and articles written over 20+ years. Each collects some of my favorites.
Angels, Devils, & Boomsticks
One of my most personal stories. I interviewed an online friend about his dream of making a game, from the beginning of his story to a conclusion that satisfied some desires but left others unfulfilled. This story explores the side of indie development too few authors cover.
Arcade Perfect
One of my favorite books I’ve written. As a kid, I spent countless of my mom's quarters on arcade games. Fortunately for her, ports of those games hit the PC and consoles I owned, bringing an end to my begging for change. But those ports never looked the same as their big siblings: different graphics, gameplay, music, even levels. Arcade Perfect is my latest narrative-style account of how games were developed, with a focus on the trials and tribulations of making complex arcade hardware work on home platforms such as the NES, Atari 2600, Genesis, and more.
150 Words or Less
The theme of this bundle is "chronicles." Going through my writing new and old to look at where I came from and how I got to where I am. I thought it'd be fun to round up articles from throughout my career, compare early and finished drafts, and share lessons I learned about writing along the way. Hopefully you'll learn something, too.
Anything But Sports: The Making of FTL
I remember FTL as one of the early games in the crowdfunding gold rush of the 2010s. It's the quintessential indie game—small team, big idea—and it grew into a phenomenon that most triple-A developers dare only dream. I enjoyed talking with the devs about it, and am sure fans will enjoy the story, too.
Better Together: Stories of EverQuest
I missed out on EverQuest during its heyday, but I was always fascinated by the immersion of its rich fantasy world and the players who had forged unbreakable bonds there. The opportunity to interview some of its founding members about its origins, including the late Brad McQuaid, was too good to pass up.
Beneath a Starless Sky: Pillars of Eternity and the Infinity Engine Era of RPGs
In 2017, I wrote Rocket Jump, still considered the flagship "Long Read" at Shacknews. In 2018, the Shack team and I were determined to outdo ourselves, and Beneath a Starless Sky was the result. The book was written over eight months of interviews and a studio visit to Obsidian. I like to think the end result speaks for itself, but you can be the judge.
Bottomless Pit: Volume 1
When I need a break from writing, I write something new. Bottomless Pit isn't one of my usual making-of, narrative-style biographies. I love 2D platforming games, so I set out to play all of them, in chronological order, and write down my thoughts about each one. It's a daunting task, and as you'll see, an immensely enjoyable and educational one.
Everybody Shake! - The Making of Spaceteam
This book stems from the fun my friends and I had playing Spaceteam for hours during our annual New Year's Eve LAN parties. It was fun, uproariously hilarious, and great for a break when we got tired of troubleshooting problems in Windows. (What is a network bridge, anyway, and why wouldn't a bridge be conducive to easier connectivity?!)
Dialogue Box: Oral Histories of Video Games
With every book I write about video games, I look for angles that have never been explored, or haven't been fully explored, and I try to shake up the structure so information is presented in a way that best serves the information. Oral histories are one of my favorite methods of delivery: unfiltered, straight from the mouths of programmers, artists, writers, musicians, producers, and other developers.
Driving Through the Dark
What do one co-creator of Diablo and an indie developer who loved Diablo have in common? Diablo, and outer space, strangely enough. Erich Schaefer and Travis Baldree peeled away from companies to form a two-man company and build one of their dream games. I drew on my past to write this one and love how it came out.
Once Upon a Point and Click
I admit it: I'm a very self-indulgent writer. I chronicle the history of my favorite games because other people haven't in many instances, and because I want to learn the secrets behind a game's success and why it hooked me. King's Quest and Gabriel Knight had a huge impact on my childhood, and I channeled all that fondness into this book.
Monsters in the Dark: The Making of X-COM + Special Edition
Monsters in the Dark—originally titled The X-COM Files, much to my eternal embarrassment—waited far too long to be written. I spoke with Julian Gollop, his brother and fellow X-COM coder Nick, and several developers from MicroProse UK to write the most thorough account of the seminal game's creation.
Monsters in the Dark was a pleasure to write, but there was more content than I could justify packing into the book's main narrative. I'm a hoarder in terms of my writing: I cut words that need to go, but I never throw them away. Monsters in the Dark: Special Edition—which is only available as a digital book for this bundle—offers several interviews that expand on the roles many designers played on the original X-COM, and a lengthy interview of X-COM: Apocalypse, the third game in the series.
Red to Black - The Making of Rogue Legacy
Another indie darling and one of my personal favorites, Rogue Legacy is still popular despite the sequel being arguably even better. That first game struck a chord with me. I love roguelikes, and I love platformers. It was a match made in heaven, and I hope that comes across in the story.
Where Green Things Grew
I've found time to write a few (dozen) short stories over the years. Some were even good even to get published! This anthology rounds those up for the first time and runs the gamut between sci-fi and fantasy.