Anthony Zuiker's Level 26: Dark Origins (The First Ever DigiNovel)

I got an e-mail about Level 26 and semi dismissed it has more web serial nonsense. But ironically, after reading an article in a business magazine about Anthony Zuiker and his innovative "digi-novel" concept, I became uber intrigued by it all. It encompasses everything I like in my entertainment.

I like to read.
I like interactive social networking sites.
I like web serial videos with a twist.

Level 26 combines all these elements into a cohesive experiment of fun-ness. If this is the first time you are hearing of Level 26, let's get into the basics.

Created and written by Anthony Zuiker (he is the mastermind behind the CSI Franchises on CBS), Level 26 is the first ever digi-novel. Zuiker has partnered with EQAL (they were the brains behind LonelyGirl 15). Theoretically, the concept goes like this:

1.) You buy the book and start reading (it gets released on September 8th)
2.) The book has "Cyberbridges", calls to action to go to the website: http://www.level26.com/
where you enter codes to watch videos and interact with content.
3.) Rinse and Repeat
4.) Interact with the "26-ers", the online community

[For more info, go to the official site]

I am super psyched about this and though it's similar to the kids digi-book experience "The 39 Clues", this has a bloody, gory, splatterific horror shade to it.

So what's the book about? Check out the plot summary below for Level 26: Dark Origins
[from the official site]

It is well known among law enforcement personnel that murderers can be categorized on a scale of twenty-five levels of evil, from the naive opportunists starting out at Level 1 to the organized, premeditated torture-murderers who inhabit Level 25.

What almost no one knows - except for the elite unnamed investigations group assigned to hunt down the world's most dangerous killers, a group of men and women accounted for in no official ledger, headed by the brilliant but reluctant operative Steve Dark - is that a new category of killer is in the process of being defined.

Only one man belongs to this group. His targets: Anyone. His methods: Unlimited. His alias: Sqweegel. His classification: Level 26

Sqweegel looks like a white latex condom doesn't he?

From what I've gathered, porn actresses play victims of Sqweegel and he's a total masturbating lunatic of the highest serial killer degree. And he's a snuff addict!

What's more horror than that?

With the pending release, Level 26 has a contest up for anybody who preorders the book on Amazon.com. and other online booksellers. The prize? An Anthony Zuiker-signed book jacket.

The entry is simple: pre-order the book online, email the proof of purchase to promotion@level26.com and readers will receive a limited-edition, hand-signed book jacket from Anthony. Check out the link above for more info about the contest.

Finally, below is the trailer for this digi-novel multi platform experience.





What do you guys think? Is this the future of books? Or is this a failed experiment in Web 3.0 technology?

I'm kinda digging this experience. It's like an ARG literary explosion of intellect and hardcore horror. The first of its kind. There will be haters and there will be supporters.

But hell, I'll try anything once.

Categories: anthony zuiker, ARG, CSI, digi-novel, level 26, level 26 dark origins, level26