You can now purchase the paperback novel Culpa Innata Here on Amazon.



Ana

Thanks Ana!

Thanks Ana

Wow, that was fast, thanks for the news, Ana. Will probably pick it up sometime soon.

Thanks for the news BrownEyedTigre!

I requested a Kindle version via Amazon (clicking on telling the publisher I would prefer Kindle), I can no longer read on paper... I hope there will be one available soon.

Edit: the Facebook page says it will be available on Kindle soon.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Culpa-Innata/245415592233682

That is great news rmt! Thanks for letting us know.

Ana

Just got this novel! You certainly get your money's worth from the 498 large pages.

Let us know what you think!

Ana

Should be a good book. I really liked the game.

I should finish the game first...it seemed interesting, but it's too much bother playing through without subtitles. I understand English well enough, but not having it as my mother tongue and playing a plot-driven game with lots of dialogue like this is too much of a hassle. There's so much that I'm missing.

Maybe reading the book first would actually help with game dialogue so you can enjoy it better.

(Just a thought.)

I doubt it, unless it's simply a novelisation of the game dialogue...and even then it would still be far too annoying to have to consult the book all the time. I like subtitles in my games. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Drizzt - I like subtitles too. I just thought that if you have more of an idea what the story is about (from the book) that then the dialog in the game might make more sense/not be quite as hard to follow. I don't know and I can't get the words out right to convey what I mean.

I bought the book but probably won't be reading it for awhile yet and I played the game so long ago that I probably won't remember it well enough to know how they differ or don't differ.

I understand what you mean, and I probably would be able to follow the story in a general sense, but if I miss muddled words and can't be sure of what they were, it ruins the dialogue a bit for me.

By the way, one thing strange is that there is a button called "Captions" in options, but it doesn't seem to do anything.

That is strange. Sounds like you should be able to read it then. I wish I could remember. After you used the Captions button did you exit out of the game and go back in? Sometimes you have to do that for the changes to take effect.

***Metamorphium's review*** says
Are you not getting the "captions" for anything?

I don't remember seeing them at all, actually. I will check again. But even then, it's really annoying to not have them in the game itself.

So I read it, all five hundred pages this weekend. It follows the game for the most part. What happens in the game is in the book, some events with a slight twist. However, there is so much more. You learn a lot about characters who appeared in the game. Even characters you barely noticed. Then there are characters who were not in the game. no spoilers here but if you liked the game you should like the book, however, the ending is not quite the same. I get the impression this is a message not to expect a sequel to the game. Of course, there is an opening at the end for our girl to have another adventure.

P.S. Nothing in the book will tell you what to do in the game.

Thanks oldmariner - I loved the game & have (more than ) hinted for the book as a suggestion for a christmas present to me!

Thanks for the info, oldmariner. I haven't gotten the book yet, because like chrissie, I was planning on suggesting it as a gift.

Great to know it expands on the storyline and characters. Sorry to hear that it implies we shouldn't expect a game sequel, though. Not that I am expecting one at this point, but I still have a slight hope.

Looking forward to reading the book.

I have read half the book Culpa Innata so far and it is much better than what I was expecting. I just love it, I don't want to finish it and I will read it again. I will tell you more after I finish reading it, I hope to write a more elaborate review.

Barmanbek is certainly extremely talented with an uncanny sense of observation concerning human behaviour. Despite having played the game a hundred times, all the dialogues in the book are just fascinating to read. It is different enough from the game to make reading it truly worthwhile.

It is really like an extension of the game where you finally get to understand everything that was really going on behind the scene, down to what Phoenix was really up against at the GPSN. We get to see just what it really means to live in the World Union and how twisted and ambitious these people are. She is extremely vulnerable in the book, constantly being slowed in her endeavour, but she is brilliant, becomes more confident and you feel her sense of uniqueness.

I am no longer disappointed that this announcement was not about the adventure game Culpa Innata 2. I could not tell you if I would prefer Culpa Innata 2 the book or the game if I had to choose just one or the other. And the strangest thing is that reading the book is like playing the adventure again but in a more elaborate and meaningful way. You will love what Barmanbek did with Phoenix's first immigration interview at the beginning, it is so powerful compared with the game. I must read that whole passage again where all the internal personal wars at the GPSN come to the front, whilst only Phoenix is unaware of what is really at stake.

When all is considered the main line of the story here is a simple murder investigation (albeit set in the future), the basis of most movies on TV. And yet this is radically different from anything on TV. There is such a wonderful historical background of Eastern Europe behind it filled with the infinite imagination of Barmanbek. The book certainly rates high compared with other classics out there in my opinion. I certainly enjoy reading Culpa Innata much more than I did reading other dystopian novels like Brave New World of Aldous Huxley. Culpa Innata is richer and more believable, more human and emotional as well, despite the fact that this is supposed to be the depiction of a cold world.

I could not possibly have waited until Christmas to read it, I believe anyone who enjoyed the game will love reading the book. I can't wait to finish the book to play the game again, it will be a totally different experience now that I am aware of all the nuances.

Roland Michel Tremblay

Thanks for your comments RMT, it sounds wonderful and I am glad you are enjoying it.

Ana

RMT -- that was very helpful, thank you!

Thanks for the terrific review, rmt! My excitement for the book just went up substantially.

I don't know that I'll ever stop hoping for a game version of Culpa 2, but good to know that the novel added so much depth into a story that already had a lot of depth. It sounds as though we actually find out more about what is going on behind the scenes in the World Union, which I really look forward to.

Also, good to know that we find out more about Phoenix. In a way, I felt like game version Phoenix held herself back from the player, if that makes any sense. It was a very smart writing decision because I thought Phoenix was repressed, so it made sense that she would do that. However, it sounds as if the novel gives you more access to her private thoughts and feelings, so I'm looking forward to that. Also looking forward to that first immigration interview you mentioned.

Just out of curiosity - and you don't have to spoil too much if you don't want to - do we find out about any of the other unanswered mysteries in the novel, such as the Renovators and Mata Hari? I realize you may not have gotten this far yet, but I was just wondering if these things were addressed.