Once upon a time, in a far off land called Exeter a writer was born…

Kevin Brooks was born in Exeter England in 1959 (Gillett). A lonely child, Brooks often felt estranged from the children he went to school with and took comfort in the friends he found between the pages of his books. (Rabinovitch) A student of philosophy, psychology and cultural studies, Brooks attended University in both Birmingham and London (Gillett) Following his studies Brooks had a rather eclectic string of jobs including working in a crematorium, zoo, garage and post office (Rabinovitch) before his writing was finally discovered by Barry Cunningham of Chicken House publishing (Rabinovitch) Brooks is the author of seven young adult novels, several of which have won and been shortlisted for literary awards  including the Carnegie Medal, the Brandford Base Award and the North East Book Award. (Gillett) Brooks and his wife Susan currently reside in North Yorkshire.

Mysterious mountains, wicked kings, enchanted creatures, and a quest for riches.

Kevin Brooks deviates from his usual tales of teen fiction and steps into the realm of fantasy, however this is not your typical Fairy Tale. This electronic childrens story Fairy Tales is reminiscent of the Choose your own Adventure books which rose to fame in the 80’s and 90’s. In order for the story to unfold Brooks’ interactive fiction requires the reader to select the names of some of the main players as well as whcih helpful and unsavory creatures  they will encounter throughout the tale. This process of selection creates an almost game-like atmosphere for the reader who has the ability to alter and shape the tale based upon the choices they make.

In 1935 Allen Lane started Penguin books, making “…good quality contemporary fiction…” (Penguin Books) readily available to the general public at affordable prices. Over the years Penguin has evolved as new technology emerged. In 1993 Penguin launched Penguin Audiobooks  (Penguin Books), and in addition became “…the first trade publisher to have a website, at www.penguin.co.uk, as well as the first to open an eBook store.(Penguin Books) In March of 2008 Penguin in a collaboration with Six to Start who are a group of reality game designers, took a huge step forward in the literary world launching the website www.wetellstories.co.uk.   This website would take on the task of bridging the gap between lovers of traditional fiction and the technologically advanced readers of today. Over the course of six weeks and using six classic pieces of literature including Hard Times, Fairy Tales, and Tales from the 1001 Nights as inspiration Penguin had six authors create six pieces of “digital born” literature. Katherine Hayles describes “digital born” literature as being “a first generation digital object created on a computer and (usually) meant to be read on a computer.”(3) Kevin Brooks’ contribution to We tell Stories is a piece of digital born literature which was inspired by a traditional book. Fairy Tales by Kevin Brooks, was revealed three weeks after the launch of the We Tell Stories website and was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales. Brook’s reincarnation of Fairy Tales is a literary game which like most pieces of interactive fiction “cannot proceed without input from the user”(Hayles 8). The move towards digital literature seems a logical one in today’s world, and the importance of digitality is illustrated in the final chapter of Hayles’  Electronic Literature New Horizons for the Literary . Hayles states that“…almost all contemporary literature is already digital.”(159) due to its origin in the digital form prior to its printing. Brook’s Fairy Tales is a wonderful marriage of old and new. The story inspired by Andersen’s Fairy Tales is reminiscent of the stories so many of us were fond of as children. The delivery of the tale however, caters to the technologically inclined readers of today providing the interactivity of individual input as well as the ability to create your own ending and share the finished product with friends by email.

Works Cited

Brooks, Kevin. Fairy Tales. Penguin Books. Web, 17 March 2013.

Gillett, Sarah. British Council, Literature, Writer’s Directory: Kevin Brooks. British Council, 2011. Web. 17 March 2013.

Hayles, Katherine N. Electronic Literature New Horizons for the Literary. Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2008. Print.

Penguin Books, A Six to Start Production. We Tell Stories 6: Six Authors. Six Stories. Six Weeks. Penguin Books. Web. 17 March 2013.

Penguin Books. Penguin Books, About Penguin: Company History. Penguin Books. Web, 17 March 2013.

Rabinovitch, Dina. “Author of the Month: Kevin Brooks.” The Guardian., NP, Web, 17 March 2013.