Books

Up, Down, Left, Right Series

VOLUME ONE  - RELEASED 30th AUGUST 2010

An introduction to a fledging new series written by me, edited by me and all the book cover shin-dig all done by the deliciously handsome Juan Houter. It’s the introduction to the whole ‘games are something more than fun’ debate. It’s written for gamers, non-gamers and everybody alike. It’s free and all that jazz, but it’s protected (as is all my work) under the Creative Commons license. So if you steal it then I will become Batman and hunt you down. If you want to quote my work then feel free, I’d love to boost my ego so drop me an email (nathan.hardisty@gmail.com). If you want to quote me in a commercial work, or something actually sold for money, email me first and I’ll usually be okay with that. If you’re a publisher or a body that’s interested in my work then email me too, although that might not happen. Sad face.

(PDF / KINDLE / EPUB)

VOLUME TWO – RELEASED 3RD AUGUST 2011

And now for something completely different. Join me, Nathan Hardisty, as we take a trip into the very core of video-games and the nature of media as a means for expression. This volume focuses on interactive storytelling, the middle man in video-game narrative, the limitations of interactivity, applying a story to an interactive context, why it’s hard to make a literary classic and respecting the current age of affairs through video-games. It’s more or less a complete diversion from volume one which was about introducing video-games as more than a medium of shallow entertainment. If volume one was A New Hope, then Volume Two is my Empire Strikes Back… or my Attack of the Clones. Hopefully the former. As usual, email me if you have any questions or inquiries about using my work in commercial or non-commercial means whether you want to quote it or not. This work is protected under the creative commons license and as such, I own it, if I find you abusing it or selling it for money I will hunt you down and sue you. Winklevoss style. Merry reading!

(PDF/ KINDLE / EPUB)

VOLUME THREE – RELEASED 25th DECEMBER 2011

Nobody’s a critic and everybody’s a loser. You know… life is about criticism. It’s about complaining, it’s about making things better and it’s about recognition. Literature became so powerful because it became so well-researched and full of studies and essays and thesis and university courses. Film became so powerful because the critics rose up and bantered and themes and ideas so on and so forth. Video-games? Laugh out loud. I’m going to take a very heavy trip into the world of video-game journalism: building from my own experiences. I’ll show you just how not to elevate a medium.

(PDF / KINDLE / EPUB)

Film Stuff

TEARS IN RAIN: AN EXPLORATION OF THE HISTORICAL, POLITICAL AND CULTURAL IMPORTANCE OF RIDLEY SCOTT’S BLADE RUNNER (1982) – RELEASED 25TH JUNE 2012

Blade Runner is one of the greatest films ever made. It is so deep and rich in its explorations of the human condition, so relevant in its historical and political nature and is, above everything else, a film with a clever heart. Over 150 pages I examine a film that made me who I am and explore its importance in current society. I go deep into the film over all five versions and documentaries and books surrounding it, so I encourage you to soak up as much Blade Runner as you can before jumping into this thing. New readers welcome but do at least see the film because it deserves it. The title stems from a key speech in the film towards the end and carries more weight than anyone could possibly imagine and it is oh so sweet to know it was all improvised.

(PDF / KINDLE/ EPUB)

FILM BOOK II – RELEASED AUGUST 2012

“Do you like Huey Lewis and the news?”

(PDF / KINDLE/ EPUB)

Fiction

NANOWRIMO 2011: IN MEMORIAM – ??? 2012

Who are we? What is our place in the universe? Worlds collide as the very nature of reality is put into the worst kind of perspective: death. Guy finds himself waking up one day with a headful of amnesia and a bellyful of guilt, but he can’t think why, not until he’s shot in the face by a killer. In the last fraction of a split-second of a second, he is ordered to find ‘the word’ and use his last ounce of consciousness to blurt it out otherwise his daughter will die. Spiralling into that ‘life flashes before your eyes’, the entirety of Guy’s life plays out. Traversing memories, deducting reality and surfing the heights of crime, destruction, suicide and love he must come to terms with his new universe and find ‘the word’… to save a daughter, in his own mind, he hasn’t even had yet.

(PAPERBACK/ HARDCOVER/ PDF / KINDLE/ EPUB)

So it’s all, like, free?

Yeah.

All of it?

Pretty much.

Not all of it’s free, is it?

Nope.

So what isn’t free.

Yo mama.

This isn’t the nineties, Nathan, for shame.

Nineties were the best decade ever.

Nope.

You want to know what isn’t free?

Go.

Paperback and hardback versions of the fiction books. I can’t properly self-publish the others and sell them given they play with copyrighted materials.

How do I shot Kindle Editions?

Many of my works are also available in Kindle format, because I’m just that kind. To get any of my books on to your Kindle for your pleasure, download the Kindle Edition by right clicking and either Save Target as or the Mac equivalent.

1. Make sure you’ve got your email authorized to send to your Kindle
2. Download the .ZIP
3. Unzip the .ZIP folder.
4. Go on to your email program, send an email to yourself such as insert.name@kindle.com (if you have a 3G Kindle and you want to avoid the costs then put in insert.name@free.kindle.com) you can find your Kindle email in the settings bar on your actual device
5. Blank text and body, simply attach the Kindle Edition file that you unzipped earlier (should be .azw) on to the email and click send.
6. Wait for Amazon to sort itself out.
7. Enjoy.
8. Special thanks to FlashJB for helping me out and making all of these editions sexy.

How do I shot iPad Editions?

1. Go on to this website via Safari browser in iPad
2. Download .PDF

OR

1. Download .PDF and drag it into your iPad or sync it or do whatever.
2. Yeah this is how much I care about iPad people.
3. Shame on you.
4. Shame on you all.