eXistenZ: A Novelization

by Christopher Priest, David Cronenberg

A world where fantasy is more real than life itself.You are in a society where game designers are superstars and players can organically enter their favorite games. . . . A society where no one is more desired than Allegra Geller, the hip gaming goddess whose latest system, eXistenZ, takes a quantum leap beyond anything ever imagined--tapping so deeply into its users' fears and desires that it blurs the boundaries of reality.

Fleeing an assassination attempt from Anti-eXistenZialists determined to destroy the game and its creator, Allegra finds an ally in Ted Pikul, a young executive turned novice security guard sworn to protect her. Seeking shelter within her creation, Allegra persuades Ted to play the game, and the fugitives find themselves in a phantasmagoric world where existence ends and eXistenZ begins, a fantastic place where nothing is as it seems and the villains are all too real--and all too deadly.

Now a major motion picture from Dimension Films, written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jude Law, Willem Dafoe, and Ian Holm.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

278 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Christopher Priest was born in Cheshire, England. He began writing soon after leaving school and has been a full-time freelance writer since 1968.

He has published eleven novels, four short story collections and a number of other books, including critical works, biographies, novelizations and children’s non-fiction.

He has written drama for radio (BBC Radio 4) and television (Thames TV and HTV). In 2006, The Prestige was made into a major production by Newmarket Films. Directed by Christopher Nolan, The Prestige went straight to No.1 US box office. It received two Academy Award nominations. Other novels, including Fugue For a Darkening Island and The Glamour, are currently in preparation for filming.

He is Vice-President of the H. G. Wells Society. In 2007, an exhibition of installation art based on his novel The Affirmation was mounted in London.

As a journalist he has written features and reviews for The Times, the Guardian, the Independent, the New Statesman, the Scotsman, and many different magazines.

Reviews

[Grady Hendrix · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like Christopher Priest, and I like eXistenZ but somehow they combine to create a novelization that takes us into a magical world of boredom. Since the point of the movie was to play with the virtual reality space created by a movie, a novelization sort of defeats the purpose. Still, they include photos of the actors that you can cut out and put on popsicle sticks and use to restage the movie in the privacy of your own bedroom.

[Ricky · Rating 3 out of 5]

my parent's gave me this book for my birthday. I haven't seen the movie its based on but for the most part its a pretty good read. the story pulled me in and it was an easy to get through. the ending i thought was kinda "meh" but considering i didn't know much about what i was getting into...i'd say its worth reading.

[Jonathan Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after I watched the movie. I remember being really bleak that I couldn't find any more Christopher Priest books after this.

[Ettore.bilbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddio, credo che questo libro sia nato dopo il film romanzando la sceneggiatura. Si sente, però la storia è fenomenale, targata Cronenberg fino in fondo.
Consigliato solo alle menti malate!

[Gregor Xane · Rating 2 out of 5]

The movie was better. Christopher Priest was obviously on auto-pilot. But this is not to say it wasn't an enjoyable read.

[Pacyfa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite a good novelisation of the movie...
I saw a movie a long time ago, maybe around 3 yrs ago and I did like it, so it might have helped.

[Nic · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it if curiosity, and on the basis that I enjoy Christopher's Priest's work a lot.

Probably the most positive thing I can say is that it did make me want to watch the movie again.