Arcadia by Iain Pears
| Category | Price | Seller | Device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Free | Amphio Limited | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
***
Three interlocking worlds. Ten characters looking for answers. But who controls the future – or the past?
In the basement of a professor’s house in Oxford, fifteen-year-old Rosie goes in search of a missing cat – and instead finds herself in a different world.
Anterwold is a sun-drenched land of storytellers, prophecies and rituals. But is this world real – and what happens if she decides to stay?
Meanwhile, in a sterile laboratory, a rebellious scientist is trying to prove that time does not even exist – with potentially devastating consequences.
***
‘I wanted to do something new. I wanted to give you the freedom to put the tale together in your own way.’ – Iain Pears
Download the app now for free and start reading straight away. Unlock the complete novel with a single in-app purchase.
Brought to you by Faber & Faber and Amphio – the award-winning creators of The Waste Land for iPad.
Features:
– Experience a novel written especially for iPad and iPhone
– See characters’ stories diverge and intersect in the unique and beautiful map
– Record your path through the story, and see what lies ahead
– Follow the characters that interest you most in this rich imaginative world
– Discover the Notebooks for an even deeper understanding of Arcadia
Find out more about the app and its creators:
arcadiatheapp.com
amphio.co
faber.co.uk
If you enjoy Arcadia, don’t forget to rate it and leave a review.
Reviews
Why no list of in app purchases ?
prairiewalker
I am a fan of Iain Pears novels so when I saw this app and the article in The Guardian about it I immediately downloaded it. However there is no list of in app purchases and their cost. I am loath to begin the novel without knowing ahead of time what it will cost me to finish it. Will I be asked to fork out money at random points to continue reading ?
I want to buy it
ToRREN512
I want it because it's captivated my attention, and few books have that certain flair to it that makes me want to read on. I was scrolling through the App Store, found Arcadia, and immediately started to read. I just need more money to continue! Thanks for writing this story, I can't wait to continue it!
So far: excellent
IsleOfDogs
An absolutely genius format. Gets me excited about the future possibilities of e-reading.
Innovative and entertaining
Off the wifi grid
First off, I'll address the issue of the in-app purchase of the full novel, as the prompt is buried in the text. One must read (or skip ahead) through the free portion of text to where the map lines go gray. Once I swiped to continue to the next, faded page, a box appeared prompting me to make the purchase, which I did happily. I had paused, partway through reading the first tale, to find the developer's website and send a note to technical support asking why they did not want my money. It would seem logical to include a purchase link from the app's main menu. I gave it one more try after that, and discovered the trick noted above. The review: Although I've only read partway through one tale, the app and the story impress me favorably. The homepage of the app is a story map, with colorful lines branching from the starting point to show how each character's tale intersects. Once you begin reading, a text control button offers the option of two fonts sizes and a brightness slider bar. Those with visual impairment who prefer large-print text might find the larger print still too small, but my middle-aged eyes were fine with the one option. Another icon lets one select and switch to different story lines for each character's tale, color-coded the same as the story map: Teacher, Student, Young Girl, Outlaw, Professor, Assistant, Scientist, Policeman, Manager and Oligarch. Some tales begin midway through the story, so the story map is helpful in tracking the relationships. The map also plots one's chosen path, showing open circles for unread 'pages' (as this story is free of the constraints of the printing press, a page might be three paragraphs, or 30) and solid dots for those one has read. The tale currently being followed is highlighted by a thicker line on the map -- a good navigation tool so far. I'm interested to see what happens when I switch to a new character track. One of the menu items allows the reader to clear the reading history. Where stories diverge, arrows allow one to swipe over to another tale track, or press the icon to return to the homescreen's story map to choose a new point. Notebook icons on some pages enact pop-up windows describing the universe of the story, detailing a land's geography, history, culture and climate. These are not dull, dry statistics: Iain Pears' wit is evident in this background information, such as, "There are more sheep than people, and in all probability there are more cows as well." The first notebook pop-up's description of the land of Anterworld and the college town of Ossenfud (suspiciously similar to Oxford, to my U.S.-educated mind), gives readers background and a good mental map to go with the app's actual map of the storylines. (Though, oddly, that notebook also states Anterworld has no central government capable of imposing taxes on the populace, but the tale itself mentions taxes, later called a tithe, and goes on to detail how such taxes are tallied and paid. This continuity error detracts from the story, but perhaps will be answered later in the novel.) Each page lists what tale/character interacts in that specific text, further assisting in keeping track of this innovative form of storytelling. Not being much interested in art history or detective novels about same, I'd not read Pears' work before spotting this app in iTunes. A check of others websites indicates there's a print version of the book I would probably never have picked up. I'm glad I purchased this app, and look forward to following the storylines. This seems an excellent example of the future of e-publishing, unconstrained by the linear limitations of print media. An even-larger font-size option and an easier way to make the in-app purchase would make this review five stars.
Storytelling for a New World
Thatsmeinthecorner
This novel/app is like nothing I've ever read before. I'm an older lady, and a bit new to this. I love Iain Pears non art history mystery novels, ( not a fan of the genre) although there are only three I am aware of. Mr. Pears style is convoluted, with many stories told at once, with the back stories appearing to tie everything together. I call it storytelling in triplicate, and this one appears to be following that path. I'm only about halfway through, but I hope this review might encourage some to consider downloading the app. The story is both loosely and tightly woven, allowing the reader to fully explore a character they might be more curious about, and the switch over to change the tale does not appear to change the storyline to any great degree. Read the other reviews to grasp the mechanics of working your way through this app, and I hope that it garners some major attention as a new format.What a " novel" approach (sorry)!
Absolutely Fantastic!!!
Personwholikespizza
This is by far the best book I have ever read!! It's not only a book, but a map of adventures, really. Each of the ten characters has a completely different story, all leading completely different lives, until they all end up nowhere near where they started, yet all together in the same place. Every character has their own book and set of chapters, basically, but each character eventually meets all the others. All their stories intertwine. It's so fascinating! This is one of those books you literally can't put down! There's something in this book for everyone. There's mystery, adventure, romance, drama, anything you could want in a book. If what's holding you back are the rumors of lots of in-app purchases, there is only one in the middle of the book that is $3.99 and that pays for the rest of the book. I couldn't recommend this book more! Get it, and see what you think, because I know anyone who loves a beautiful story will love this.
Great
brcogswell
Arcadia is a fantastic book. No in app purchases other than $3.99 after you read a bit. It's worth it folks.
Cost is in addition to the book cost
Ursinus
I bought the ebook, never having heard of the app. After downloading the app when I learned of it, and reading a few pages with it, it asked me to pay $3.99 to continue reading. No thanks, not after paying for the book itself. Even if the app were included in the book's cost, I have no interest in jumping around the story with it. I'm fine reading it in linear form, and not as a glorified web page full of hyperlinks. And that seems to be all the app is.
