You saw through their eyes and guided their actions, but do you really know what drives Tomas ‘Sev’ Sevchenko and Rico Velasquez? Sam Bradbury does – for his novelization of Killzone 3, the author delved deep into the game’s story to answer these and other questions. We sat down with Sam for a short Q & A about Killzone: Ascendancy.
Killzone.com: What was the most challenging part of writing Killzone: Ascendancy?
Sam Bradbury: It was maintaining the excitement and forward momentum of the game as well as delivering the depth and insight that readers expect from a novel. And there were times when the gameplay elements were incompatible with the demands of a book, so working to make them gel and complement each other was demanding, but of course very fulfilling when it all comes together.
Killzone.com: What was the most fun part of writing Killzone: Ascendancy?
SB: Apart from the above, it was being able to go into detail about Sev’s background. We fleshed out his character in the book, I think, in a way that informs many of the decisions he makes in the game, so the book really acts as a companion piece to the game in that sense. An essential companion piece I would say – but then I would!
Killzone.com: If it was up to you, what would you explore next in the Killzone Universe?
SB: One of the best things about the Killzone universe is that doesn’t break down into ‘these are the goodies and these are the baddies.’ The morality is a lot more nuanced than that. I’ve seen people debating on the forums about who’s the worst: the Helghast or the ISA. So for that reason I think it would be great to do something from the perspective of the Helghast. We touched on it in Killzone: Ascendancy, but there’s a whole other world there to explore. Also I found the appearance of Visari’s daughter at the beginning very tantalizing…
Killzone: Ascendancy is now available from Penguin Books in paperback format and from Amazon.com in Kindle format.
Nice I think I’ll give it a read. I wish they would remake Killzone 1 with the new PS3 engine it has a great story.
i always liked the back story to killzone. i still think the helghast are the “good guys” and we’ve been playing as the villains all along (crazy i know). any relation to Ray Bradbury?
I was wondering when someone would finally write a book based on the Killzone franchise. I’m anxious to see if I can read a few sample pages on the Amazon website in order to see if this book is actually worth my while.
Who wrote the story for KZ3? It was terrible.
@Mattsta001
It wasn’t terrible. Certainly wasn’t spectacular, but it wasn’t terrible either. It was pretty middle of the road and it worked for the most part. Story telling in the Killzone games still has a long way to go and thats even considering the lengths they went to with this game and I really hope they keep at it until they get it right.
I honestly hate the fact that I’m expected to read this book to get to know more about sev and rico. This is one of my huge complaints about Gears of War where I’m reading these books that give insight to the actual games…. at least with gears I can write it off on limited disc space, I honestly don’t know what Killzone’s excuse is.
@Chapulin140
Killzone on the Killzone 2/3 Engine….. that would be awesome I second this. I never got the chance to play it. I’d love to see this sucker remastered.
Cool, another video game-bsed novel I could read, this one add on my list.
Cool….only instead of backstories i wish GG would announce the release date for the DLC Stahl Arms for KZ3….: (
wow i wish i could get the game
seems pretty cool i would like to read this, i always knew the killzone story had potential for more depth and i love the killzone storyline, also i would love to see a killzone 1 remake on PS3 as well that would be amazing
Just bought this off amazon
Very excited to read it, I have always though the kz universe was underrated
Does this cover who steps out of the pod/ship during the credits? If it does then I’m sold.
Thank you for Kindle Support. Went ahead and set it up at work, should be downloaded to it when I get home.
@11; It’s most likely, Sthal. The only proof I have is the silhouette in one of the, Helghast armor whent they greet the person who came out of the pod.
As for the book, I’m planning on purchasing it. The story of Killzone 3 left me very unsatisfied(The battles were very intense though). The, Killzone universe has a lot of potential so I’m looking forward to reading this!.
I think its a great book. I’ve writter a review of it http://www.justyouraveragegamer.com/game-reviews/killzone-ascendancy-by-sam-bradbury-book-review/
Not got the game yet but am gonna buy it after reading the book – couldn’t put it down!