Best-Selling Authors Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear, With Subutai Corporation, Announce The Mongoliad on World's First Social Book Platform

/Home/Science Fiction and Fantasy in Other Media

Best-Selling Authors Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear, With Subutai Corporation, Announce The Mongoliad on World's First Social Book Platform
September 1, 2010
PR Newswire

New Book Platform Delivers Narrative, Enhanced Supplementary Content, and Complete Social Network, Enabling Readers to influence the Development of Story

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Bestselling authors Neal Stephenson and Greg Bear, along with Subutai Corporation, announced today the launch of The Mongoliad, the first digital novel on a social book platform. A speculative fiction novel set against the Mongol invasion of Europe in the 13th century, The Mongoliad follows a small band of warriors and mystics in a ripping tale of action and adventure set at a time when the Mongol horde's conquest of Europe seemed inevitable. Key to the development of this tale is the unique collaboration between the authors and the audience through PULP, Subutai's new platform, which provides a participatory experience only possible in today's connected digital world. To experience The Mongoliad, visit www.mongoliad.com.

"PULP is what Gutenberg would have come up with if he hadn't jumped the gun and released 600 years early," said Stephenson. "Kindles and iPads were little better than expensive drink trays until we came up with this."

The Mongoliad's heroes fight, plot, spy, and maneuver the politics of royal courts, the church, merchant empires, and secret societies in an attempt to defeat their would-be conquerors, and to preserve the knowledge that is in their charge. Each week a new chapter is delivered via custom applications for handhelds and the web, starting with iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

Greg Bear said, "This is one of the most exciting and interesting projects I've worked on in a long while. Collaborating with Neal and our crack team on a magnificent story and a new business model for publishing and media is a real privilege."

The Mongoliad is the first story to be released on the PULP platform. PULP enables authors to deliver a richer experience than ebooks or traditional paper, creating a complete world around a novel and its characters. The platform enables the dynamic inclusion of meta-narrative and para-narrative elements such as character sketches, articles, short stories, music, video, and social features for discussions among the book's community. Serial delivery enables both authors and community time to shape the next stage of an exciting tale where the experience can really take off in any creative direction.

"The form of the traditional novel is a consequence of the technology of the printing press," said Jeremy Bornstein, co-founder and President of Subutai. "We wanted to explore what the novel could be now that it's practical to use a platform more modern than paper."

Pricing

Readers can enjoy the journey of The Mongoliad with a 6-month subscription priced at $5.99 USD or annually at $9.99 USD. Each week readers will receive new chapters, along with ongoing access to the community and additional content.

About the Authors

Neal Stephenson is a bestselling American writer known for his speculative fiction works, including Anathem, the Baroque Cycle, Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, and the seminal science fiction novel Snow Crash. He also writes nonfiction articles about technology in publications such as Wired Magazine, and has worked as an advisor for Blue Origin, a company (founded by Jeff Bezos) developing a manned sub-orbital launch system.

Greg Bear is the author of more than thirty books, spanning thrillers, science fiction, and fantasy including Blood Music, The Forge of God, Darwin's Radio, and Quantico. Awarded two Hugos and five Nebulas for his fiction, one of only two authors to win a Nebula in every category, Bear has been called the "Best working writer of hard science fiction" by The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Bear has served on political and scientific action committees and has advised Microsoft Corporation, the U.S. Army, the CIA, Sandia National Laboratories, Callison Architecture, Inc., Homeland Security, and other groups and agencies.

About Subutai

Seattle- and San Francisco-based Subutai Corporation is developing the first online social transmedia platform and entertainment properties, delivering the next generation of community publishing platforms. For more information visit us at www.subutai.mn.

SOURCE Subutai Corporation
Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://subutai.mn/