This book takes place during a COVID-19 lockdown and is about as interesting as being stuck in one. It wants to be a slow-burn suspense thriller but in reality it’s just slow. For the first four hours people just sit around inside their houses or talk to each other on Skype. There’s a very slight mystery hook but it’s left mostly undeveloped until the climax, when the book becomes an action scene from a daytime soap opera. Instead of being on the edge of their seat, the reader just feels the mild curiosity one has when watching a Lifetime drama.
The book makes some overtures of being about isolation and society’s neglect of the elderly but these are just passing observations and ultimately the book has nothing to say about them. In the end most of the characters are exactly where they began, with no lessons learned and no changes made. This would be all right if the book was making a point, but instead it just makes everything that happened feel pointless. The majority of the story is just dull and full of references to life during COVID that already feel dated a year later, then it abruptly changes from dull to nihilistic and mean-spirited without any apparent meaning or intention. It’s like you took the aforementioned Lifetime movie and tacked on the ending from American Psycho: “This confession has meant nothing.”
I only finished this book because I got it for free; if I had paid for it I would have returned it.
Overall: 1 out of 5 stars
Performance: 3 out of 5 stars Story: 1 out of 5 stars
In celebration of Remedy Entertainment's announcement of the upcoming Alan Wake remaster, here is a post enumerating every item in the Alan Wake expanded universe and where to get them.
First is the prequel web series Bright Falls, which takes place immediately before Alan Wake in both chronological and release order. It takes place between August 25 and August 31, 2010.
Next is Alan Wake itself. The remaster, set to be released in fall of 2021, will include the base game as well as the two subsequent DLC Specials, The Signal and The Writer. Alan Wake takes place from September 1 to September 14, 2010.
An optional companion piece to the game is the Alan Wake novelization by Rick Burroughs. A faithful retelling of the original story (the two Specials are not incorporated), it also includes unique scenes and character insights not found in the game.
The official music video for Poets of the Fall's song "War" features original live-action footage of Alan Wake during the course of his adventures.
Next are the graphic novels Psycho Thriller and Night Springs. Officially available only as bonus content for the current PC version, it's unknown if they will be included with the remaster. These stories take place during the second half of Alan Wake, on September 13, 2010.
The Alan Wake Files, an in-universe chronicle of the history of Bright Falls and Alan's writing career, is available as a physical book with the Xbox 360 Collector's Edition or as a PDF with the PC version. It takes place in 2011, the year after the game.
The official strategy guide from Prima Games, Alan Wake: Official Survival Guide is written in the style of an in-universe document and contains unique lore not found elsewhere. The Author's Foreword is dated May 13 of the year following the game.
Throughout Alan Wake, the player can find and watch several episodes of a Twilight Zone-inspired fictional TV series called Night Springs. Three additional episodes were scripted and shot but did not appear in the game.
The next major narrative installment is Alan Wake's American Nightmare, a spinoff/pseudo-sequel/dream sequence (?) only available on digital platforms. It takes place in 2012, two years after the events of Alan Wake.
Next is This House of Dreams, an ARG blog set in the world of Alan Wake and featuring the first appearance of the town of Ordinary, which plays a major role in Remedy's game Control. This House of Dreams takes place from February 22 to July 29, 2012.
Remedy's 2016 game Quantum Break includes a viewable in-game video featuring Alan Wake, titled "Return." It takes place five years after the events of the original game.
Finally, Remedy's most recent game, Control, is set in the world of Alan Wake and features many allusions to its story and lore. The second of its two DLCs, AWE, is fully centered around Alan Wake. The events of Control begin on October 29, 2019.
a. Expansion 1: The Foundation b. Expansion 2: AWE • PlayStation 4 exclusive content
i. Dr. Yoshimi Tokui's Guided Imagery Experience side mission ii. Astral Dive Suit iii. Tactical Response Gear iv. Urban Response Gear v. Dr. Tokui Tapes
With any luck, the next entry on this list will finally be, at long last, Alan Wake 2.
