The King of Shreds and Patches (An Interactive Novel for Kindle)

by Antiquarian Productions

Product Description

The King of Shreds and Patches is a novel-length work of interactive fiction in which your choices control how successfully you navigate the story.

As the main character, you will explore a historically accurate recreation of Elizabethan London, circa 1603, interact with some fascinating characters both historical and fictional, and thwart an occult conspiracy that threatens to bring down the entire city -- or worse.

You receive a note from your old acquaintance John Croft. You expect nothing but an evening of good food and drink and tall tales. Instead, you quickly find yourself plunged into a conspiracy of black magic that involves some of the most powerful and important men in London - and possibly even someone else, someone much closer to your own heart.

Interact with XVII-century London by typing simple commands like "Go to London Bridge", "Examine the note" or "Ask the bartender about the play". An elaborate hint system reveals as many clues as you desire to solve the story without spoiling the fun.

Product Details

• Version: 1.2 (What's new in version 1.2)
• Release Date: January 17, 2013
• File Size: 2.5 MB
• Language: English
• Publisher: Antiquarian Productions
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• ASIN: B00515LD0K
• Publisher License: Read
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,808 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Interactive Fiction on the Kindle September 8, 2011

By Kevin Jackson-Mead

Amazon Verified Purchase

There are ways to play some interactive fiction on other mobile devices, but I don't have any of those other mobile devices. What I do have is a Kindle, and finally there is real interactive fiction (not just clicking on menus) on the Kindle.

I've only been playing the game for a day, but so far it is a richly implemented world with interesting puzzles and a really creepy story. I can't wait to play more of it, which I can do as I take the subway to work.

The interface is solid, too. It saves my progress whenever I close the Kindle, and I can also make my own save games and go back to them if I mess up (read: "die"). And a few handy things (a map, a list of goals your character has so far) are available when you click the Kindle's menu button, so this really feels like it's been well integrated into the Kindle, not just slapped together. There is a slight delay when you enter a new command while it puts the new information on the screen, but it's not a big deal, as this is not a fast-paced game format.

And for those who haven't played interactive fiction before, there is a really great tutorial at the beginning of the game. You can turn it off, but I would recommend against it, since besides teaching you how to play interactive fiction, it helps introduce you to the Kindle-specific features not found in other interactive fiction games. I've seen tutorials in interactive fiction games before, but this is perhaps the best I've seen.

In short, this is a great interactive fiction game with a great interface for the Kindle, and I highly recommend it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A breakthrough in interactive story telling September 8, 2011

By Zack Urlocker

Amazon Verified Purchase

Jimmy Maher's "King of Shreds & Patches" is a breakthrough in interactive story telling for the Kindle. It's the first novel-length story of interactive fiction available for the #1 eBook reader on the market. If you're unfamiliar with interactive fiction, here's a chance to try it out with a very well-designed Kindle user interface. Maher has really tailored his work to the Kindle, using the unique menus, fonts and graphics to present an immersive story where you are the protaganist left to solve an Elizabethan-era Lovecraft type of mystery.

For those already familiar with Interactive Fiction (IF) from Infocom in the 1980s (Zork anyone?) this is a chance to try out a more recent story written using a much larger vocabulary and expanded memory than was available in old-school works. For those who have tried tried the "create your own adventure" games such as "Choice of Broadsides" or "Choice of Romance" on the Kindle, you may enjoy the broader narrative and greater freedom that a full-blown parser-based interactive fiction story provides.

For the cost of a large mocha grande, you'll have an interactive story that will give you hours interesting exploration and story telling. And if you get stuck, there's always the built-in hint system! I hope we'll see more examples of modern interactive fiction available on the Kindle.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A true Interactive Fiction of Lovecraftian London September 12, 2011

By Ed Pegg TOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Amazon Verified Purchase

You are Robert Fletcher, owner and operator of a small printworks in Blackfriars, carrying the printworks key and a handwritten note from your friend, John Croft. Your bedroom in the rear of the printworks contains little more than the bed itself and your walking stick. Along the way, you'll meet William Shakespeare and alchemist John Dee. Also in the plot is Christopher Marlowe.

This is the first true Interactive Fiction (IF) on the Kindle. There has been press-a-letter version (Inheritance), and some choose-your-own (Zombocalypse Now, Lone Wolf, Deathtrap Dungeon), but this is the first time you can type "Get All" while in a room. The top competition for IF is the XYZZY awards, and King of Shreds won Best Setting, and was a finalist for Best Story. The game engine is quite good, and there is an excellent (skippable) tutorial at the start. You can say things like "Think" to get a list of current goals.

There is a supporting website by the author, just search for the title of the game.

At heart, this is a horror story. An early scene thoroughly explores a vermin-infested room with a corpse. Do you pick up the lice-infest page while there is a plague in town? Reading through the many pages hidden in this room of decay, the Lovecraftian influences are obvious. Indeed, the game was based on a Call of Cthulhu module. Creepy but effectively done.

There are some over-fiddly puzzles, such as stepping the printer through the use of his printing press. There are also numerous places where the character can lose his mind, but fortunately UNDO is available for most of them.

Recommended.